Trade unions oppose the importation of certain models of fully assembled cars.
Trade unions are calling on employers to assemble more cars in Ireland rather than importing the finished product.
The unions imposed the ban to fight falling employment in the assembly industry.
Leo Keogh outlined the effect of this ban on people seeking to buy particular models of new cars. There are normally around a dozen makes and 300 models available on the Irish market. Leo Keogh points out that between a quarter and a third of these are not available or are in scarce supply. He blames the ban on this shortage. In the month of July, registrations of new cars dropped by almost 28 per cent.
The trade union ban on imports does not include some leading car makers, including Renault, Fiat and Ford.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 August 1975. The reporter is Pat Sweeney.
