Around 65 officials and activists from several unions gathered in University College Cork (UCC) last Saturday (30th September) for a special forum to address the housing and homelessness crisis.

Proposals for a local authority-led response to the crisis (see related article at the bottom of the page), developed by the One Cork movement and which have since been adopted by ICTU, were at the centre of the forum, which was moderated by IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan.

The forum divided into ten workshop tables to brainstorm around the issues, and to develop proposals for trade union led responses.

Panel speakers included Barry Murphy, assistant general secretary with OPATSI, who was instrumental in driving the One Cork/Congress proposals; Joe Finnerty from the School of Applied Social Studies at UCC; Jane Hayes Nally, a fifth year student at Midleton College and past president of the Irish Second Level Students Union; Donal Guerin, a housing officer with Cork City Council, and speaking as a member of IMPACT’s Cork branch; and Dermot Kavanagh, director of Cork Simon.

Colm Cronin, from the Cork Council of Trade Unions, also addressed the forum which was organised with the assistance of Fiona Dunne of Congress.

Kevin Callinan said, “The One Cork initiative is proving that bringing activists from all unions together is the way to leverage the energy necessary to take on the big issues such as the housing crisis. I want to pay tribute to our own official Hilary Kelleher and our IMPACT staff and activists for their attendance and ongoing support for One Cork”.

Kevin told the forum about his recent Labour Employer Economic Forum meeting with Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Eoghan Murphy where the main item on the agenda was housing.

Preparations to launch the One project in Galway are now underway. Initial planning meetings, involving IMPACT officials and activists, have already taken place.