As 250,000 public service workers  right around Ireland embark on a 24-hour general stoppage today in defence of their jobs, pay and pensions (as well as the public services they deliver), they face not only the combined weight of the Fianna Fail-Green Party government, IBEC, ISME. the country’s Chambers of Commerce, the “official” Fine Gael-Labour parliamentary opposition but also some of their very own trade union “leaders” who are all fully signed up to cutting up to 16bn. euro in public spending over the next 4-7 years.

Before today’s stoppage even began, CPSU boss Blair Horan and IMPACT’s Peter McAloon had already set about attempting to undermine and demoralise their very own members by publicy indicating their reluctance to go any further beyond today’s stoppage with direct industrial action.

The real truth of  Ireland’s economic crisis  is that country’s budgetary circumstances and banking collapse is so profound and so grave that,  short of the state confiscating the estimated “still-in-tact” 40-odd billion euro amassed by a “golden circle” of land speculators and property developers during the celtic tiger bubble, there is simply NO WAY BACK  for the economy. Cutting  16 bn. euro in public spending (be it over three, four, or ICTU’s  seven years) will not even “scratch the bumper”  in terms of fixing the country’s bankruptcy.  The outcome of taking that road will even further depress the economy,  possibly doubling unemployment and completely impoverishing up to 75% of the country’s population.

Public sector workers are therefore fully justified in embarking on a de-facto 24 hour general strike today and (hopefully) the country’s 450,000, mainly, private sector unemployed will take a lead from them and get themselves organised in the weeks ahead.

The Old Drogheda Society will mark this year’s centenary of the  SIPTU trade union with two events in the coming weeks. The Society’s Journal (No. 17), which is to be launched on Wednesday November 25th, will include an article entitled “Liberty Hall Peter Street – The foundation of  ITGWU-Siptu in Drogheda” and on Thursday December 4th, the ODS hosts a lecture on the theme of  ”Drogheda’s Labour History”.

I’m particularly looking forward to the “Drogheda’s Labour History” lecture, not least because the lecture is to be given by Siptu’s Francis “Francie” Devine, one of Ireland’s most respected and authoritive students of Irish labour and trade union history. Francie has written extensively on the history and struggles of the Irish labour and trade union movement, and the breadth and depth of his  knowledge is astounding.  Siptu released Francie ( for 12 months) from his regular duties and commissioned him to write, compile and edit the union’s recently published official “centenary” history. 

Given that it was myself who put together the ”Liberty Hall Peter Street” article for the upcoming Old Drogheda Society Journal, I can only hope  (from a local perspective) that I’ve made some small and worthwhile contribution to what is truly a momentus year for Siptu, and that I’ve been of some help to the ongoing work of the  ODS.

O.D.S. EVENTS (NOVEMBER/DECEMBER): Book Launch - ”The  Streets & Lanes of Drogheda” by Jim Garry, 3rd Edition  revised and updated by Deirdre-Howard Russell, at 8pm on Wednesday, November 18th in The Laurence Town Centre.  Book Launch - “Old Drogheda Society Journal No. 17″ at 8pm on Wednesday, November 25th in The Governor’s  House,  Millmount .  Lecture - “Drogheda’s  Labour History”, Francis Devine  (Siptu), at 8pm  on Thursday,  December 4th in The Governor’s House, Millmount.

The political representatives of big business have united with IBEC, and the millionaire-owned media, to declare all-out war on ordinary public and private sector workers, their families and their communities.

The Socialist Party welcomed ICTU’s decision to organise mass protests in eight centres right around Ireland on Friday last November 6th. which could be a significant start to smashing the government plan to butcher 4 billion euro worth of jobs, public services and social welfare supports out of Irish society in 2010.

Earlier this year ICTU and the trade union bosses caved in and retreated from the fight to defend jobs, wages and public services when new ”social partnership” talks were dangled in front of their faces by government. The outcome of these talks was ICTU slavishly supporting the government , IBEC, and the  Fine Gael-Labour “official” (phoney) parliamentery opposition’s united Lisbon “YES”  campaign as well as supporting “in principle” Colm McCarthy’s Bord Snip Nua in slashing and burning  jobs, health, education and social welfare services, mass wage cuts and the pension levy, in an intensification of the national “RACE TO THE BOTTOM”.

Before last Friday’s National Day of Protest even began ,ICTU leaders Peter McLoone (IMPACT) and Blair Horan (CPSU) began selling their own members down the river by openly advocating throwing civil and public service workers on the dole. Clearly their comments reveal that they greatly value their personal public status of  being “social partners” with IBEC and government much more than the jobs of the people (their members) who fork out 5 or six euro every week from wage packets as low as 300 /400 euro, to fund their 200k plus salaries, benefits and pension packages.

It’s ironic that this is all happening this year (2009), the centenery year of the foundation of what is now Siptu (formerly the ITGWU). It’s as if the Jack O’Connors, Peter McAloons and Blair Horans of the “modern” Irish trade union movement are  in unison with government and IBEC, in dragging the ideals and idealism of the late Big Jim Larkin into the gutter of the neo-liberal, free market, post celtic tiger Ireland.

Begin the fightback on November 24th with a 24-hour GENERAL STRIKE.

Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (ISME) boss Mark Fielding always seems  to get a “free ride” when he’s on Michael Reade’s Loose Talk programme on LMFM Radio. For some strange reason Fielding, invariably, is never allowed to be confronted or directly challenged.  Challenge is only allowed, in the form of soundbites via text or phone messages, AFTER  he (Fielding) has been allowed 10 or 15 minutes free airtime mouthing a diatribe of abuse at trade unions and lecturing and hectoring, in particular (but not exclusively) civil and public workers.

Perhaps Michael is is prevented by the LMFM bosses from allowing anybody on to the programme who just might have the measure of Fielding and the “baby capitalists” (small business owners)  that LMFM depends on for advertising revenue to fund  the station’s  *impartial” current affairs and political coverage.

Now if I was on the Loose Talk  programme with Fielding and having to listen to him telling all and sundry, that because his members (the baby capatilists) want to, or have to, cut their workers’ wages, or the minimum wage, and therefore dole payments, state pensions and civil or public service  jobs and wages should be cut, I’d feel obliged to say (to Fielding) the following.

Your members, the small business owners of Ireland (baby capatilists) typically “rape” their very own enterprises i.e. the  boss’s  holiday villa in Spain (or Portugal) being paid for out of the company “kitty”. Then there’s the  boss’s company car coming out of the kitty (and his second “domestic” car) and his wife’s  SUV (and the petrol/diesel for them all).

The  BIG house that the small business boss lives in, is being paid for out of his “small or medium enterprise’s kitty as well. The boss’s domestic “mobile and landline” phone bill will also come out of the company coffers, as will the mobile of his fellow director (his missus). The boss’s family grocery bill is paid for at the supermarket checkout every week with his “company credit card” and, of course, the overseas business trip (annual family holiday).

I could go on, and on and on, but I won’t.  I’ll just ask, is it really any wonder that Fielding’s “baby capatilists”  say they can only afford to pay their employees  4/5 euro an hour, and they hate trade unions, trade unionists, civil and public servants oof all grades or, indeed,  anybody who exposes or threatens their small or medium ”corporate gravy train”?   

Suffice to say I was given “the heads up” on all this by an accountant aquaintance of mine who  look s after the books of over a dozen of Fielding’s  (ISME) member companies in the south Meath and north Dublin area. My accountant aquaintance IS NOT a socialist but, strangely, he tells me that he gave me ”a high preference vote” at the polls last June.

As for Fielding’s regular “free rides” on the radio, well now you know why Michael Reade would never allow me to go head to head with the ISME mouthpiece on Loose Talk.  I’d simply crucify the hypocritic bastard (Fielding, that is) and Michael knows that only too well.

The elected members of the Drogheda Borough Council backed an emergency resolution that I tabled at last night’s (November 2nd) monthly meeting supporting the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Drogheda Trades Council’s call to local workers, community organisations and interest groups to join the November 6th ICTU Protest in Dundalk. 

The Dundalk rally this coming Friday afternoon, begining at 2.30pm at the Fairgreen, and is one of eight monster ICTU demonstrations that will be held at different locations right around Ireland, including Dublin, in protest  at the continuing unemployment crisis, proposed government cuts in vital social welfare supports, cuts in public services, workers pensions as well as public and private sector pay.

Meanwhile, the local and national “Golden Circle” of land speculators, developers, auctioneers and bankers ,who “raped” the country’s economy for a decade or more, are to be handed up to 80 billion euro (via NAMA), that will be borrowed on international money markets by the present Fianna Fail-Green government and/or a future Fine Gael-Labour administration, to buy up their massive debts. This money will be then repaid by working families, communities and society in the form of job, pay, pension, social welfare, health and education cuts for (potentially) three or four generetaions of Irish workers  into the future.

The local Siptu, Unite amd Impact trade unions, in association with the Drogheda Trades Council, have come together to organise a number of special busses, departing  from the Drogheda Bus Depot. at 1pm on Friday and returning from Dundalk at the conclusion of the protest rally. Anyone wishing to travel to the protest on these busses should arrive in good time for the planned 1pm departures as the seats will be available strictly on a “first come-first served” basis.

Published below is the emergency motion that I submitted and which was adopted by the members at last Monday night’s Drogheda Borough Council meeting

 From: “The Inimitable  Gearoid O’Tuille ” (Gerry Floyd)….

Comrade a chara,

All this fuss about Joe Coalman and his vision at Knock, many people claim visions. I, myself am subject to visions. I am a fairly balanced Irish bloke, a chip on both shoulders.
On Saturday evening on my way home from Navan I glanced up at the Moon, a beautiful harvest Moon and to my astonishment I could see a bright red and blue circle surrounding it. I pulled over and as the clouds crossed between the Moon and me they took on the shape of a face a friendly face, then I heard a deep booming voice calling to me.

Gerry, Gerry go tell the people especially the children I shall visit on the night of 24th of December, I’ve made a list I’m  checking it twice, I know who’s naughty or nice.

To be honest I got a bit of a fright. I drove on but had to stop at the traffic lights on the Slane road. While I was waiting for the lights to change to green, usually about two days, I heard a tap tap on the van window as I looked a ghostly face stared in at me and with a long bony grasping hand beckoned me to lower the window, I did, about an inch, and the figure opened it’s mouth and said, Gerry go tell the people,especially the parents, that I shall visit them on the 25th of December and shall take away all their presents, this Christmas and future Christmases for I am the spirit of NAMA and Herod is my Master. I need them for my Masters Minions, though they have many presents and a future they want your present and future.

Is mise,

O’Tuille (Gerry Floyd)

From: Gerry Floyd

Frank,

What is the Drogheda Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) doing on November 6th?

Nice to see the local TEEU president (Donnchadha Mac Raghnaill) out canvasing for a yes vote in the Lisbon referendum while his union officially called for a NO!

 

SOCIALIST PARTY PRESS STATEMENT  11/10/2009:

The Old Drogheda Society’s Annual Corcoran-Garry Lecture takes place at 8pm on Wednesday night, October 7th,  in the Droichead Arts Centre. The theme of the event will be “Traditional Boats on the Boyne” with principal speaker Criostoir MacCarthaigh from the Dept. of Irish Folklore, UCD. 

This seminar-style event will also feature contributions from leading marine archaeologists, local boatmen and boatmakers, as well as from mussel fishermen and their wives. Admission is free and there will be a book stall open on the night.

The Annual Corcoran-Garry Lecture is sponsored by the Old Drogheda Society in memory of the late Moira Corcoran and Jim Garry, founder members of the ODS and renowned local historians.

Notice and information on this event was very kindly supplied to me by Liam Reilly, Tel: 041 9833097 (office hours).

Press Statement: Joe Higgins MEP (Socialist Party),  3 October 2009.

• Campaign of fear and promises of jobs and economic recovery delivers Yes vote for establishment
• Promises will not be delivered upon –  future reality of Lisbon agenda will be opposed in workplaces and communities.

Socialist Party MEP for Dublin, Joe Higgins, responded to the emerging results of the Lisbon Treaty referendum:

“The unprecedented well financed grand coalition of the political establishment, big business , most of the print media and the EU authorities has delivered a Yes vote. Bullying and fear was combined with extravagant promises about jobs and economic recovery. I congratulate those voters who stood up against the intimidation and threats and voted no. I understand the anxiety of many who voted Yes in the hope of better job prospects and security.

“Any hope that this result will bring the promised jobs or economic recovery will unfortunately be quickly dashed as the neo-liberal policies of the EU and Irish government continue to make working class people pay for the economic crisis.

“The 10,000 Opel and Vauxhall workers in Belgium, Germany, Britain, Spain and Poland who are facing losing their jobs are victims of this approach. In Ireland, working people in the private and public sector are victims.”

 “The pro-Lisbon elements in the trade union movement have a case to answer. The striking workers at Coca-Cola and MTL Docks in Dublin, Mr. Binman  in Co. Tipperary and Manor Park Nursing Home  in Co. Longford will see no enhancement of their rights in their fight to maintain jobs with decent pay and conditions . Instead, the race to the bottom will now be pursued more vigorously by the establishment. Employers will still come running to the High Court in Ireland to obtain injunctions to prevent effective strike action.

“The fight against the neo-liberal agenda enshrined by Lisbon will now take place in workplaces and communities across Ireland and Europe. It is seen in the struggle of the taxi drivers against the horrific effects of deregulation and in the important strikes of workers across the country.

“We will now focus our energies on assisting these vital campaigns of workers to defend their jobs and conditions and of communities to fight against the brutal cutbacks which are being imposed.”

For information and confirmation contact:

Michael O’Brien 087 2400331 or Paul Murphy 086 1688050.