Workers from all over the country march in Dublin to protest at how the government is handling the economy.
Workers and trade unions have joined to voice their opposition to the controversial public service pay levy, pay cuts unemployment and the banking crisis.
Public and private sector workers united in opposing what they see as the unfair burden on them in this recession.
One nurse who had travelled from Sligo to take part in the protest said,
It's about time the people of Ireland stood up and said we're not accepting this anymore.
Former Waterford Crystal workers said that a fraction of what had been spent on Anglo Irish Bank would have saved their jobs.
Even the Gardaí, who aren't allowed to strike, took to the streets to protest the unfairness of the pension levy.
Organisers said today's action is the first step in a campaign for "a fairer and better way" to national recovery.
At a rally in Merrion Square President of ICTU Patricia McKeown urged protesters to make their voices heard when choosing who to vote for in the next election.
General Secretary of ICTU, David Begg, described the recent banking scandal as economic treason and said that the country's reputation had been almost irreparably damaged.
The government reacted by issuing a statement defending their actions on the economy describing the pension levy as painful but necessary and fair.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 21 February 2009. The reporter is Ingrid Miley.
