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Finian McGrath opposed to protecting workers' rights

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis

Friday November 07, 2003 11:53

by Daithí

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You would think, with all the work that he has done with unions and for people with disabilities etc. that this TD would be in favour of a measure designed to protect the health of workers - whether they work in bars or otherwise.

But yet we see him standing up in the Dail to speak against the tobacco regulations. Not only this, but he also tried to claim that most cancer deaths were caused by other factors! Now it is true that the Government are using this issue as a distraction from the mess they are making of the health service - and also that anti-cancer measures need a lot of work - but seeing him try and belittle the cancer-causing properties of tobacco smoke is disgusting; it reads like a script written by the tobacco industry.

Clearly bar workers are a lesser class of people to those who work in hairdressers or bingo halls (for example), where smoking is already banned. McGrath wants a sensible compromise in the interests of the "decent taxpayer". This would involve designated smoking areas.

I hope he never gets to have any influence on health and safety law. No doubt we will have old buildings with asbestos and asbestos-free zones - and building sites with stable scaffolding on one side and wobbly scaffolding on the other. I mean, you wouldn't want to be going too far in protecting the safety of workers or anything, would you?

He says it's a "health police" measure, but the law is not designed to make people look after their own health (that's another day's argument). It is, quite simply, a pro-worker move. There are few enough of those with a FF-PD government. Thankfully, the other independent and left-wing TDs didn't throw their support behind McGrath on this point, and he just ends up looking like an apologist for industry - I'm not sure whether it's the tobacco industry, or the drinks industry - or both.

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Comments (42 of 42)

#	Title	Author	Date
1	Good Grief	Janus	Fri Nov 07, 2003 12:22
2	Certainly Bizarre	pat c	Fri Nov 07, 2003 12:34
3	Calm Down	John Player	Fri Nov 07, 2003 12:56
4	Cop On!!	matt	Fri Nov 07, 2003 13:53
5	Bad comparison matt	Chekov	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:01
6	Fair play matt	Paul Kinsella	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:11
7	Paul Get A Grip	pat c	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:17
8	the residue:	iosaf	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:18
9	Red Herring	Chekov	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:22
10	inspectors	pat c	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:25
11	Strangely missing from this discussion	Mike	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:26
12	You forget to mention Mike whether or not you smoke.	research and development	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:28
13	Thought this was indymedia - not the joe duffy show	ec (cmoker)	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:30
14	published two minutes ago (@ time of writing) on UK imc.	development and research	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:33
15	The arrest of a smoker	Paul Kinsella	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:41
16	Diversions	matt	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:55
17	Paul?	Moi	Fri Nov 07, 2003 14:58
18	Yes Moi it's me alright I'm back	Paul Kinsella	Fri Nov 07, 2003 15:13
19	CPSU meeting	PK	Fri Nov 07, 2003 15:18
20	FF%$&ing Politics	barry	Fri Nov 07, 2003 15:43
21	C'mon	Ciaran	Fri Nov 07, 2003 15:57
22	It has nothing to do with health	non smoker	Fri Nov 07, 2003 17:53
23	Crap	Mike D	Fri Nov 07, 2003 18:06
24	thank goodness for the rule of law	benito mussolni	Fri Nov 07, 2003 18:49
25	calm	on the whole	Fri Nov 07, 2003 20:13
26	IT ISN'T ABOUT SMOKING!	Mike	Fri Nov 07, 2003 23:17
27	Question	Questioner	Fri Nov 07, 2003 23:30
28	Mike:	Chekov	Sat Nov 08, 2003 14:12
29	Chekov	Mike	Sat Nov 08, 2003 15:11
30	WHY ALL THE SHOUTING???	Chekov	Sat Nov 08, 2003 15:51
31	Fair play to Finian	Sean Keegan	Sat Nov 08, 2003 19:56
32	Reply to Sean Keegan	Big John	Sat Nov 08, 2003 20:40
33	Define your position	Sean Keegan	Sat Nov 08, 2003 21:22
34	I'll define your position Keegan	Phuq Hedd	Sat Nov 08, 2003 21:45
35	Non smokers have rights too	Nonsmoker	Sun Nov 09, 2003 03:00
36	What about car exhaust fumes ....	otto diesel	Sun Nov 09, 2003 09:51
37	don't hold your breath on it Otto	Benito n/s	Sun Nov 09, 2003 18:04
38	Keegan sounds like most working class people in this city	ordinary man	Tue Nov 11, 2003 16:20
39	Issues that affect real people	extra ordinary man	Tue Nov 11, 2003 18:20
40	Farting to be banned in pubs!	Maurice Methane	Wed Nov 12, 2003 12:40
41	Mr Graths vote...	Myself	Wed Nov 12, 2003 13:50
42	Is Everyone Missing the Point??	Watchdog	Sat Dec 27, 2003 21:33

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