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CRÍONA NÍ DHÁLAIGH has been elected as the new Lord Mayor of Dublin.
It comes after an agreement was made last year that a Sinn Féin councillor would take over the position of Lord Mayor during the centenary of the 1916 Rising.
However, Fianna Fáil councillor Jim O’Callaghan and independent councillor Mannix Flynn put their names forward to try and stop this from happening.
Fifty-nine members of the city council voted this evening, 41 votes went to Ní Dhálaigh, nine went to Jim O’Callaghan and Mannix Flynn received eight votes. There was one abstention.
Addressing the council after being elected, Ní Dhálaigh said:
I am a proud Dub, born and bred in Dublin. I owe everything to my parents.
Ní Dhálaigh stopped her speech to say ‘thanks Ma’ to her mother who was in the gallery.
She said her late father is who inspired her most, and holding back tears, Ní Dhálaigh said:
He would be very proud to see his daughter be the first person of his beloved city.
Councillor Christy Burke also spoke about how she was close to her father, saying:
I have no doubt he will guide you on your journey through the year.
Ní Dhálaigh said she wanted Dublin to be a “city of equality” and that tackling the housing crisis would be a top priority.
She also spoke about Clerys and Dunnes Stores asking Natrium to use her office to begin talks with Clerys workers.
‘Sinn Féin will hijack commemoration’
O’Callaghan said he put his name forward because he has a fear “that Sinn Féin will hijack this important year of commemoration to justify the 30 year pointless and counterproductive campaign by the provisional IRA.”
The deputy leader of Sinn Féin, Dublin City Council Councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha, described the claims as ‘laughable’.
Speaking in the chamber O’Callaghan congratulated Ní Dhálaigh, describing her as “a hard working and diligent councillor”.
However, he did go on to highlight his concerns, saying, “Don’t let the powers that be in Sinn Féin hijack [the 1916 commemoration].
Mannix Flynn also spoke, saying, “The people of Dublin have an exceptional Lord Mayor tonight.”
He also called on Ní Dhálaigh to ‘use her powers’ to support victims of child sex abuse, naming Maria Cahill and Paulie McGahon.
I call on you because you are an exceptional human being…I call you not to go down the party line and to be an independent individual.
He later disrupted other speakers who criticised him for his speech. Mannix said, “You can’t hide the truth boys and girls”.
Labour Councillor Mary Freehill said she was disappointed by Mannix “taking down the tone” of the meeting and added that the meeting “wasn’t about egos”.
‘Best Lord Mayor ever’
The outgoing Lord Mayor, Christy Burke, was widely acknowledged for his work over the past 12 months.
That acknowledgement wasn’t just heard in the council meeting, it could be seen at Croke Park yesterday when Dublin took on Kildare:
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Zero hours contracts should be illegal. Shame on any company that use these contracts. They all should be named and shamed. I will avoid them.
Mike gets it, Have avoided it since Christmas, pretty soon I’m going to have to find a new place to buy socks and jocks!
Best jocks you can buy are from M&S. 3 pairs for €10, much better quality than Dunnes.
Meanwhile Enda and co. did a special deal with the E.S.B. Union – and they on guaranteed salaries with increments and bonuses perhaps and shares in a company that is constitutionally owned by the people of Eire !
Zero hour contracts are equally as bad as Jobsbridge
Are they – Jobbridge makes a complete joke of the current government’s boast of increasing the minimum wage ..
P.S. Today is the 99th anniversary of that great International Socialist James Connolly being shot dead in Kilmainham – (The Elite of Europe chose to kill him – they have a major problem with sharing the little pigeens haven’t they ?)
except Dunnes staff are not on zero hour contracts. Not saying 15 hours a week is good, it may suit some people, but its not zero.
They should have stayed awake in school if they wanted better jobs.
Dunne Stores don’t use zero hours contracts and the minimum 15 hour contracts was agreed with the Unions I the 90s..
Can’t understand why some don’t know this. In an article by Fintan O’Tool on Dunnes he kept on referring to zero hour contracts. Any wonder people are not informed..
Jayo , that has nothing at all to do with it .
It suits the unemployment figures –
Two people sharing 30 hours a week work is one less person on the dole isn’t it ?
It’s noy likle Dunnes have ever been closely associated with the Satate or those who run it – Now is it ?
Oh hang on …..Prostitutes , Ben , Cocaine (note Cocaine ) and a balcony springs to mind for some reason ..
Why Ben ? what is this Ben thing ?
If they got the fifteen hours in two days or two and a half days then they could claim social welfare to supplement their wages but Dunnes Stores won’t accede to this request.
100% Stephen , tool by name tool by nature.
I was talking to a girl in Lidl. She said that company give them a 10 hour contract. They’re offered extra hours 7 days in advance. If you don’t work those hours, the following week they get nothing but the 10 hours. Wetherspoons is another company with zero hours contracts.
Charlie Haughey made more money out of Dunnes than the people they employ – in my opinion !
Allegedly
That’s a pretty pointless concession in fairness. 30-45 cent extra per worker per hour is a lot cheaper than guaranteeing hours throughout the year, and paying a premium for OT during peak periods. Still though, hopefully it’s the first offer in a round of negotiations.
Why is the DOB comments closed
Because they know there will be war on the comments section!
No, because too many “bigshots” are beholding/owned by him, and it might upset the poor lad.
Legal proceedings.. Leave themselves open to being sued as well.
Dob can’t handle the truth.
Markyg i want to know that too. Well i kinda know as he would be fleeced verbally if it was open.
Zero hour contracts should be made a criminal offence punishable by huge fines to the companies who use them. I would love to see how top management or company directors survive if they had the same contracts.
Can someone explain zero contract hours? I’m not entirely sure or what they are all about.
Thanks in advance.
The company tell you a week or two in advance what hours you have each week. They may give you 20 hours this week and 12 the following. They decide when you’re needed. Carrot and string. Absolutely rotten.
Ok. And you sign a contract to agree to this?
Anyone willing to explain further, I’m not sure what a zero hour contract is.
You sign a contract stating that you understand you are not entitled to anything more than zero hours per week. Should you receive 12 one week or 20 hours the following week you count yourself lucky and get on with the job. The opposite is someone contracted to work a set 39 hours each week.
It’s basically putting you on their books and calling you in whenever they need you .
And because you are not full time companies get away without paying employers tax…. Another example of how the government have screw the people by allowing these. All employment law has been turfed out the window. May as well live in the 19th century!
Well one can’t complain if one signs the contract.
It is pretty cheeky though.
Get it right people!! There is NO such thing as Zero hour contracts in Dunnes!! Some 15hr min ones that the workers signed a contract for when they took the job!! The select few will never be happy.
If they did not sign the contract they won’t get the job
If they did not sign the contract they won’t get the job
Personally I believe this whole campaign is been whipped up into this frenzy by Mandate to boost their coffers through increasing membership numbers. Why aren’t they shouting about companies who actually DO operate zero hour contracts??? Because they don’t employ the large numbers of workers Dunnes do. This smells of self serving unions!
A lot of the major companies use agency employees on zero hour contracts,I know this having worked for a few agencies.
First you start off by getting 35/40 hours a week then slowly they reduce the hours down to a trickle.
The host company can get rid of the agency worker straight away,One company I worked for got rid of the permanent staff and over time replaced them with agency staff.
If the government are serious about zero hour contracts they should start off by looking at the agencies.
Miath an cailin le do bhrat Eireannach !
Maith…
Dunnes are cursed for covering up a soutterrain while constructing one of their supermarkets back in the day is one way of looking at it when one considers the location of said supermarket and she who lived to its East !
Stick together lads dunnes feeling the pinch
I’m on a zero hour contract in a hotel. I’d say the majority of hotels operate the same way.
have your say