Congress General Secretary David Begg is to tell German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel that Ireland needs measures to stimulate demand and ease the bank debt burden.
Mr Begg is scheduled to meet with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin tomorrow (March 22), as part of EU trade union delegation organised by the German union confederation, DGB.
The delegation will also meet with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, parliamentary leader of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD).
Speaking ahead of the visit Mr Begg said: "Chancellor Merkel needs to hear directly that the imposition of ever tighter austerity in Ireland is not working and will not lead to recovery. Instead, it will lead to a lost decade.
"I will be saying that we need measures to stimulate domestic demand and create jobs immediately. The jobs crisis needs to be addressed as matter of urgency if we are to have any hope of recovery.
"Permanent austerity means that the debt we have will become even more unsustainable and unpayable.
"In addition, there needs to be some action at an EU level on the Irish bank debt. The citizens of Ireland cannot and should not be required to pay the debts of badly-run banks. That debt burden is hampering any prospect of recovery," he said.
Mr Begg is part of a delegation of trade union leaders from Belgium, France, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Spain and the Czech Republic who will meet for an hour with Chancellor Merkel.
The delegation will also meet with senior members of the German Parliament's influential Committee for European Affairs.
