Irish protests fuel calls to drop levy plan

Article reports that the Irish government faced growing calls, February 2009 to abandon the centrepiece of its economic recovery plan after large-scale public protests organised by the main trade unions. A controversial proposal to impose a levy on the pensions of public servants – effectively a pay cut for the 350,000 state employees from ministers to local authority workers – drew 100,000 ordinary people on to the Dublin streets on the 21 February 2009 in a protest organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

BBC News, 21.2.09: Huge protest over Irish economy http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7903518.stm

Irish Times, 21.2.09: Up to 120,000 people march in national protest http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0221/breaking3.html?via=mr

The Economist, No.8620, 28.2.09: Protests in Ireland: In a stew http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13185013

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