Raising the roof

Unite members joined hundreds of people taking to the streets of Dublin on Wednesday (17 June) to protest about the appalling state of affordable housing across Ireland, and demand housing for all.

With new government rules in Ireland likely to push rents even further upwards, housing completions falling well short of targets and official definitions of ‘affordability’ leaving many would-be home owners stranded, Ireland is facing a growing housing emergency.

Last year, Unite published the first in a series of policy ‘toolkits’, ‘Bringing Housing Home’.  This initiative by the union’s ROI Construction Branch and Construction RISC outlines a worker-centred housing policy spearheaded by a new public home-building, renovation and retrofitting agency.

Unite is part of the broad-based Raise the Roof campaign coordinated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. 

Unite members turned out in force for the Raise the Roof rally held outside the Irish parliament to coincide with a Private Members’ Motion on housing tabled by opposition parties, and a further rally is scheduled to be held in Cork on 21 June.

The union’s Irish Secretary Susan Fitzgerald points out that the housing emergency is down to the wrong choices made by successive conservative governments: “There is no shortage of practical ideas to address this crisis.  What is needed is the political will to deliver a housing system which serves workers and communities, rather than investors and developers”.

The huge turnout at the protest showed how concerned many people in Ireland are about the current situation, with many people on a decent wage still not being able to afford a roof over their head. 

Folk singer Lisa O’Neill and punk musician Meryl Streak opened the rally before trade union and politicians addressed the crowd, with many attending saying that they have friends and family members leaving Ireland because they can’t afford a roof over their heads. 

The Unite bloc was joined by other trade unions as well as housing and homeless agencies, community and campaign groups and student unions.

As Unite’s banner says, it’s time to start building homes – not profits!

By Keith Hatch