Ivana Catherine Bacik[a] (/ˈbɑːtʃɪk/[2]) (born 25 May 1968) is an Irish politician who has been the Leader of the Labour Party since 24 March 2022 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since winning a by-election on 9 July 2021.

"[19] In an article she wrote for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, she said it was soon-to-be Irish President Mary Robinson that prevented her and students' union members from going to prison.

[24] In March 2009, Bacik confirmed claims made on a TV programme that she had taken two voluntary pay cuts of 10% in addition to a pension levy.

In November 2009, a feature by Mary Kenny of the Irish Independent included Bacik in a list of women who "well deserved their iconic status.

[30] In December 2010, she was added to the ticket as the second candidate beside Labour Party leader, Eamon Gilmore, in the Dún Laoghaire constituency for the 2011 general election.

On 27 April 2021, after the resignation of Eoghan Murphy from his Dáil seat in Dublin Bay South, Bacik announced her intention to stand in the upcoming by-election.

[33] She campaigned with an emphasis on providing affordable housing,[34] as well as improving healthcare and childcare, tackling climate change, and achieving "a true republic in which church and state are separated".

During the campaign, she described herself as having "more bills passed into law than any other Senator, on issues such as workers' conditions, women's health rights, and LGBT equality".

[35] Bacik also campaigned on increasing the number of sports amenities for children in the area, calling for unused Defence Forces football fields at the Cathal Brugha Barracks to be freed up for local sports, with the suggestion rejected by Fine Gael Minister for Defence Simon Coveney.

Consequentially, RTÉ had to show a special report on the by-election on Prime Time to "ensure fair coverage is given to all candidates".

[39] Following the election, she was described by the Irish Times as "a formidable activist and public intellectual" and that Fine Gael's perceived antipathy towards their former TD, Kate O'Connell, may have contributed to the surge in support to Bacik from women voters.

[40] In August 2021, Bacik apologised for attending Katherine Zappone's controversial party in the Merrion Hotel, Dublin, in July of that year.

[50] She has proposed that cannabis should be sold under license at music festivals in Ireland such as Electric Picnic, calling for a "rational" approach to drugs.

[54] In December 2020, she called for foreign frontline medical workers fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland to be rewarded with fast-tracked citizenship applications, as has been done in France.

[55] In 2022, Bacik called for a pay rise for workers and a windfall tax on energy companies,[56] and an increase in the minimum wage.

She has expressed support for the views of organisations like Amnesty International and the Sex Work Research Hub, which advocate for the total decriminalisation of sex work, while raising concerns about the growing exploitation in legalised systems, citing her research and discussions with those involved in the trade in Sweden.

She believes that Sinn Féin’s refusal to support a property tax is populist and contradictory to their left-wing stance.

Bacik has long advocated for an inclusive, red-green alliance focused on environmental and economic equality, which she views as the key to addressing the climate emergency.

[59] In January 2009, she declared that she wants Ireland to break off diplomatic relations with Israel[60] and in February 2009 called for a general boycott of Israeli goods.