Michael D Higgins has paid an emotional tribute to frontline workers in a national address.
The President used his May Day speech to show his heartfelt appreciation for those fighting the coronavirus.
It came ahead of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's address from Government Buildings, which is scheduled for later this evening, on our 'roadmap' out of lockdown.
President Higgins said he wanted to remember specifically “those who have suffered, and those who have paid the ultimate price, and those who grieve with difficult if necessary constraints.”
The President was speaking from Áras an Úachtaráin where he is cocooning with his wife Sabina and their dogs, Bród and Síoda.
He said: “Today, May Day, we honour and commemorate the important role of the organised labour movements across the globe.
“We recall to memory, and celebrate the lives of workers who have marched, fought, and stood in solidarity with their colleagues, their fellow citizens, and with people all over the world, in struggles against injustice, inequality and exclusion.
“Today’s SIPTU MayFest is different, by necessity, but recognising the role of workers and their unions is more important than ever.
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“Both Sabina – who is patron of MayFest – and I take this opportunity to pay a particular tribute to all the frontline workers who have played their part for the greater good of all during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Today we remember those who have suffered, and those who have paid the ultimate price, and those who grieve with difficult, if necessary, constraints.
“For over a century, generations of Irish workers have continued to organise and fight to protect the interests of working men and women.
“The benefits and rights that workers and their families enjoy today have been won through the energy and dedication of union leaders, representatives and activist members who have negotiated, lobbied and taken action, often at personal cost, to ensure fairer and better workplaces and societies: 'there is power in a union' has been their shared motivation.
On May Day and Labour Day, lest we be tempted to rest on the laurels of these achievements, we must remember that workers’ rights are never a given, are always under threat, and continue to be undermined and eroded, for example, with the emergence in recent years of the under-regulated ‘gig economy’ which engenders minimal rights for workers with equally minimal responsibilities for employers.
“Workers face so many challenges. How we emerge from this pandemic will be vitally important to the future of workers’ rights.
“Even before COVID-19, Trade Unions in partnership with employers and civic society representatives were contemplating the impacts of technology, automation and digitisation on the future of work and the impacts of climate policies for workers in carbon-intensive sectors.
"A just transition must be achieved for such workers, and we must commit to ensuring that workers will be at the frontline in defining our response to climate change.”
