A NUMBER OF American trade union leaders are in Dublin this week as part of the 1913 Lockout centenary celebrations and to talk about what they view as the “devastating impact” of austerity policies.

Dan Kane, from the Teamsters, Terry O’Sullivan (LIUNA), John Hegarty (National Postal Mail Handlers Union), Brent Booker (Building Construction Trades Department) and Ed Smith (Ullico) are all in Dublin for the week.

They are meeting trade union leaders in Dublin and Belfast and workers from the Vita Cortex plant in Cork and Waterford Crystal workers in the coming days.

They will also take part in a number of events which celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Lockout.

“We’re here as a labour delegation to meet with Irish politicians, the Irish representatives in the trade union movement and rank-and-file members to talk about what we view as the devastating impacts of austerity,” O’Sullivan, who heads the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA).

He said that issues facing workers in Ireland are similar to those that trade union members in the United States, which number around 13 million, also face.

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PICS: 28 pictures from today’s 1913 Lockout commemoration celebrations