UPDATE 1-Tens of thousands of Irish workers protest in streets

* Tens of thousands protest across eight towns and cities

* Unions want slower budget reform, govt says must cut spend

(Updates with increased crowd estimates)

By Antonella Ciancio

DUBLIN, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Irish trade unions led tens of thousands of workers on Friday in street protests against government plans to cut spending in next month's budget for 2010.

Prime Minister Brian Cowen has said he must find savings worth 4 billion euros ($5.95 billion) in the Dec. 9 budget, mostly by cutting spending, just to stabilise the budget deficit at around 12 percent of GDP, four times the EU's limit.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions hopes the demonstrations in Dublin and seven other towns will help persuade Cowen to bring the deficit in line with EU rules more gradually by 2017, and not by 2013 as Cowen has pledged to the European Commission.

"We hope that the government realises that there is a strong opinion against the budget proposals. We hope that they will look at our plan which is for a more gentle transition in the period of adjustment," ICTU General Secretary David Begg told Reuters.