Councillor Éilis Ryan, the Workers’ Party candidate for Dublin Central has said that if Ireland signs the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) the manifesto commitments of all political parties on a wide range of issues would be rendered meaningless.
Cllr. Ryan said the Irish people and the citizens of the EU as a whole were deliberately being kept in the dark about the deal currently being negotiated in total secrecy by the EU and the USA. If allowed to pass it will be one of the most dangerous and damaging events for workers and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.
“TTIP represents a huge threat to economic independence of this country, far greater than the loss of sovereignty under the Troika in 2010. For one thing the Troika had an end date, TTIP will be permanent and will cede the already limited powers governments have over the economy”, said Cllr. Ryan.
“Under TTIP large international companies would be able to take control of the provision of essential public services such as health, education and water supply, and much else besides, purely in the interests of making profit and with no concern for the public good. No government would be allowed to stand in its way as to do so would invoke massive fines which would make the bailout deal look like a picnic”
TTIP would transform the state’s industrial relations laws for the sole benefit of the employer, by weakening the rules on health and safety both for workers and consumers, as well as environmental laws.
Cllr. Ryan said that the Workers’ Party was making TTIP an election issue in order to bring it into the open for discussion and debate. The Workers’ Party believes TTIP would be a disaster for workers and citizens in Ireland and internationally. The party totally opposed to the ratification of the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).