Workers and Unemployed Action | |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | Séamus Healy |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | 56 Queen Street, Clonmel, County Tipperary |
| Ideology | Socialism United Ireland[1] |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| National affiliation | United Left Alliance (2010–2012) |
| Local government | 1 / 949 |
| Website | |
| wuag | |
Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA) is an Irish political party based inClonmel in SouthCounty Tipperary, set up in 1985 bySéamus Healy, who has been aTeachta Dála (TD) forTipperary South intermittently since a2000 by-election.[2] The party has endorsed and seen a number of its members elected to theSouth Tipperary County Council,Tipperary County Council, and Clonmel Borough Council.[3]
The organisation was set up in response to lack of employment and the economic situation in the South Tipperary area.
The party supports aprogressive taxation system,full employment andIrish unity.[4]
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In the2000 Tipperary South by-election, Séamus Healy was elected to theDáil forTipperary South, running as an independent candidate. At the2002 general election, Healy was re-elected.Phil Prendergast was elected mayor of Clonmel in 2003.
In 2007, Prendergast left and joined theLabour Party after being headhunted to stand at the2007 general election against Healy; neither were elected.[5] However, Prendergast was elected to the23rd Seanad on theLabour Panel.
The party was recognised by the Dáil registrar of political parties in September 2008.[6] The party was involved in discussions with other left wing groups about a nationwide alliance at the2009 local elections, which were not successful.[7] At the 2009 local elections, Martin Henzey was returned on Carrick-on-Suir Town Council, while Séamus Healy, Pat English, Billy Shoer and Theresa Ryan were elected to Clonmel Borough Council. Healy and English were elected to South Tipperary County Council, for the Clonmel electoral area.[8]
The party joined theUnited Left Alliance which was founded in November 2010, and fielded Séamus Healy in Tipperary South at the2011 general election. Séamus Healy was the first deputy elected for South Tipperary at the 2011 general election. As a result of Healy's election to the31st Dáil, Billy Shoer was co-opted to South Tipperary Country Council and Helena McGee was co-opted to Clonmel Borough Council.
In October 2012, WUA left the United Left Alliance following disagreements with theSocialist Party andPeople Before Profit Alliance over the tax affairs of Independent TDMick Wallace.[9]
Pat English was elected from the Clonmel local electoral area at the2014 Tipperary County Council election held on 23 May 2014.[10] He was re-elected at the2024 Tipperary County Council election.[11]
In 2015, it signed up to theRight2Change agreement.
In November 2017, theStandards in Public Office Commission stated that some statements of accounts had been received from the WUA, but they were found not to be compliant because the accounts were not audited. It decided against appointing a public auditor as the WUA did not receive any funding from the exchequer.[12]
Healy contested the2020 general election as anIndependent candidate, rather than for WUA, losing his seat.[13] Healy stood for the newly-createdTipperary South constituency as an independent candidate in the2024 general election and was successful.[14]