Dispatch · Government
Dispatch · 13 Oct 2026

Public sector strike day, and the Harold's Cross laundry women who struck first.

13 Oct 20265:303.9K views
GovernmentIrishDublin
YouTube
TL;DR
  • Dooley says that on Wednesday the 14th of October more than 300,000 public sector workers are due to go out on strike. In his account, the cause is that the government has not negotiated a new public service pay deal, and the old one expired in June. He says the 2025 programme for government promised one, and that the unions think the money set aside in the latest budget falls far short of the inflation workers face.
  • He says many public service workers are low paid and still exploited, and gives full support to those taking action over the next few days. He then films in Harold's Cross, near the entrance to Mount Jerome Cemetery, where he says the old Harold's Cross Laundry stood. Dublin had laundries in many areas, he says, and the religious orders and the Magdalene laundries undercut them with what he calls essentially slave labour.
  • The women who worked in the commercial laundries, he says, faced poor pay, damp and overheated workplaces, and spent the day in wellies. They were members of the Irish women's workers union, which he says was set up around 1913. He says the minister for industry and commerce brought in legislation in 1936 that attacked women workers, and that the same politician later led the government through the wartime emergency, when ration books left working people short while the better off used the black market.
  • The laundry workers struck for 13 weeks, he says, asking for a second week's holidays, and won despite pushback from the political establishment and media voices he says spoke for it. A handkerchief tree was planted in the park years ago to remember them. He ends by saying there is no progress without struggle and that working people must build solidarity against what he calls the corrupt establishment, and he asks viewers to share any family memories of the laundries.
Transcript
00:00

Hello everyone

Hello everyone. Tomorrow, Wednesday, October the 14th, over 300,000 public sector workers are due to go out on strike. Now, this is because the Irish government haven't negotiated a new public service pay deal, which expired in June of this year. Despite the Irish program for government in 2025, which said that the Irish government would negotiate a new public service pay deal, they have put aside 1.2 2 billion euro in the most recent budget which the unions say doesn't go anywhere near far.

Enough to cover the inflationary pressures many workers are facing. Now there are many low paid workers in the public service many who are being exploited still and at the same time full support to many of those workers who are taking the strike action over the next number of days. Now I'm in Harold's Cross today and we have a long history of ordinary workingclass people standing up for our basic rights and basic working conditions that we actually have today. And right across.

The park there just beside the entrance to Mount Jerome Cemetery is the location of the old Harold's Cross Laundry. And during that period there wereies dotted right around Dublin City, many parts of the country also. And we also know about the horrific impacts of many of the religious orders and the Magdaleneies as well which undercut a lot of these otheries by slave labor essentially by incarcerating so many people which is a dark part of Irish history. But similarly, so many of.

The ordinary working-class women were similarly in poor pay, poor conditions and being abused by big employers, all supported by the political establishment. So during that period, the workers joined the Irish women's workers union which was set up in the around 1913 by Dia Larkin, sister of Jim Larkin. Now at that stage in 1945 it was led by Louisie Bennett who did Trojan work to support the workers around that period and workers particularly women workers were under serious attack for many years. In.

1936, Sean Lamas was the minister for industry and commerce and he brought forward forward legislation which essentially attacked women's workers in the so-called conditions of employment act of that year and also in 1945 he was also minister for industry and commerce and also coincidentally became T-shock and was during the time of the emergency minister for refer to commas rations where the ordinary workingclass people were left with ration books while the better off in society and more affluent.

02:53

In Irish society were able to access goods and

In Irish society were able to access goods and services and other resources such as petrol at through the black market. So money talk, didn't it during that period much the same as it does now? But the workers took a stand and took strike action. Spent over 13 weeks on strike looking for a second week's holidays. And most of those workers worked in absolutely deplorable conditions, massive overheating, damp, spent their time in wellies most of the day as well.

“So money talk, didn't it during that period much the same as it does now”

And to supply so many of the hotels right around Dublin city like the Shelburn and many other locations as well and there was otheriesries including Dunlop to that period there was Kelso which are famous so if you have any recollections or family members worked in any of theies please share them with this video as well but they were out in strike for 13 weeks as I said during that period so many workingclass women and working-class families struggled.

And they won despite the push back by the Irish political establishment by Sha Lamass and many other media spokespeople who did the bidden for the establishment much the same as what's going on now. So uh we remember those women who took that brave stand and that's how battles for working-class people are won through basic struggles. And in commemoration there was a handkerchief tree was planted here a number of years ago in Hers Park which uh commemorates those.

Brilliant working-class women who stood up for their basic rights. So it's famous that um there is no progress without struggle without a demand and that's what people have to learn to build proper working-class solidarity to stand up against the corrupt establishments we're dealing with in Ireland today as well. So from Dublin today, remember our history, remember our past, remember those who struggled to get basic rights and conditions which were being eroded day by day by the Irish.

Political establishment and we remember them and thank them and God bless each and every one of them who struggled for our basic rights. So from Dublin today, it's long and fall. Talk to you all soon. Bye-bye.

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Dispatch
13 Oct 2026 · Government · 5:30

Public sector strike day, and the Harold's Cross laundry women who struck first.

The day before more than 300,000 public sector workers were due to strike, Dooley says the walkout comes because the government has not agreed a new pay deal since the last one expired in June. Filming in Harold's Cross, he recalls the women of the old laundries who struck for 13 weeks over a second week's holidays. He argues their win shows that rights come through struggle.

GovernmentIrishDublin
3.9K views Discussion
TL;DR
01
Dooley says that on Wednesday the 14th of October more than 300,000 public sector workers are due to go out on strike. In his account, the cause is that the government has not negotiated a new public service pay deal, and the old one expired in June. He says the 2025 programme for government promised one, and that the unions think the money set aside in the latest budget falls far short of the inflation workers face.
02
He says many public service workers are low paid and still exploited, and gives full support to those taking action over the next few days. He then films in Harold's Cross, near the entrance to Mount Jerome Cemetery, where he says the old Harold's Cross Laundry stood. Dublin had laundries in many areas, he says, and the religious orders and the Magdalene laundries undercut them with what he calls essentially slave labour.
03
The women who worked in the commercial laundries, he says, faced poor pay, damp and overheated workplaces, and spent the day in wellies. They were members of the Irish women's workers union, which he says was set up around 1913. He says the minister for industry and commerce brought in legislation in 1936 that attacked women workers, and that the same politician later led the government through the wartime emergency, when ration books left working people short while the better off used the black market.
04
The laundry workers struck for 13 weeks, he says, asking for a second week's holidays, and won despite pushback from the political establishment and media voices he says spoke for it. A handkerchief tree was planted in the park years ago to remember them. He ends by saying there is no progress without struggle and that working people must build solidarity against what he calls the corrupt establishment, and he asks viewers to share any family memories of the laundries.
Prefer to watch? The full video is on YouTube →
5:30
Transcript · auto-captions, polish pending

Hello everyone

Hello everyone. Tomorrow, Wednesday, October the 14th, over 300,000 public sector workers are due to go out on strike. Now, this is because the Irish government haven't negotiated a new public service pay deal, which expired in June of this year. Despite the Irish program for government in 2025, which said that the Irish government would negotiate a new public service pay deal, they have put aside 1.2 2 billion euro in the most recent budget which the unions say doesn't go anywhere near far.

Enough to cover the inflationary pressures many workers are facing. Now there are many low paid workers in the public service many who are being exploited still and at the same time full support to many of those workers who are taking the strike action over the next number of days. Now I'm in Harold's Cross today and we have a long history of ordinary workingclass people standing up for our basic rights and basic working conditions that we actually have today. And right across.

The park there just beside the entrance to Mount Jerome Cemetery is the location of the old Harold's Cross Laundry. And during that period there wereies dotted right around Dublin City, many parts of the country also. And we also know about the horrific impacts of many of the religious orders and the Magdaleneies as well which undercut a lot of these otheries by slave labor essentially by incarcerating so many people which is a dark part of Irish history. But similarly, so many of.

The ordinary working-class women were similarly in poor pay, poor conditions and being abused by big employers, all supported by the political establishment. So during that period, the workers joined the Irish women's workers union which was set up in the around 1913 by Dia Larkin, sister of Jim Larkin. Now at that stage in 1945 it was led by Louisie Bennett who did Trojan work to support the workers around that period and workers particularly women workers were under serious attack for many years. In.

1936, Sean Lamas was the minister for industry and commerce and he brought forward forward legislation which essentially attacked women's workers in the so-called conditions of employment act of that year and also in 1945 he was also minister for industry and commerce and also coincidentally became T-shock and was during the time of the emergency minister for refer to commas rations where the ordinary workingclass people were left with ration books while the better off in society and more affluent.

In Irish society were able to access goods and

In Irish society were able to access goods and services and other resources such as petrol at through the black market. So money talk, didn't it during that period much the same as it does now? But the workers took a stand and took strike action. Spent over 13 weeks on strike looking for a second week's holidays. And most of those workers worked in absolutely deplorable conditions, massive overheating, damp, spent their time in wellies most of the day as well.

“So money talk, didn't it during that period much the same as it does now”

And to supply so many of the hotels right around Dublin city like the Shelburn and many other locations as well and there was otheriesries including Dunlop to that period there was Kelso which are famous so if you have any recollections or family members worked in any of theies please share them with this video as well but they were out in strike for 13 weeks as I said during that period so many workingclass women and working-class families struggled.

And they won despite the push back by the Irish political establishment by Sha Lamass and many other media spokespeople who did the bidden for the establishment much the same as what's going on now. So uh we remember those women who took that brave stand and that's how battles for working-class people are won through basic struggles. And in commemoration there was a handkerchief tree was planted here a number of years ago in Hers Park which uh commemorates those.

Brilliant working-class women who stood up for their basic rights. So it's famous that um there is no progress without struggle without a demand and that's what people have to learn to build proper working-class solidarity to stand up against the corrupt establishments we're dealing with in Ireland today as well. So from Dublin today, remember our history, remember our past, remember those who struggled to get basic rights and conditions which were being eroded day by day by the Irish.

Political establishment and we remember them and thank them and God bless each and every one of them who struggled for our basic rights. So from Dublin today, it's long and fall. Talk to you all soon. Bye-bye.

Transcript generated from the video’s captions and lightly segmented — watch the original on YouTube →