445 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
445 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
WORKERS SOLIDARITY
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Paper of the Irish anarchist group,
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Workers Solidarity Movement
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No 43 Autumn 1994 (electronic addition)
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Part 4
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Campaigns & Struggle in Ireland
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TEAM workers told not to expect a decent job
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Lets get together
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Anti-Water charges campaign gets off ground
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Reasons to bin the bill
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**********************
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TEAM WORKERS TOLD NOT TO EXPECT A DECENT JOB
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In recent months, over 1,500 workers at TEAM
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have been made redundant, a mass laying-off
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that dwarfs those at Digital and Irish Steel.
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We find out why...
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It has been obvious for some time that all
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was not well with TEAM. In the run-up to the
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1992 general election, local fears prompted
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Labour candidates in north Dublin to make the
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safe-guarding of the jobs one of the main
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planks in their election campaigns. Since
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then, of course, Labour TDs who were swept
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into office on the promise of an immediate
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equity injection have followed the government
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line that no cash will be given unless the
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workers accept the management's cost-cutting
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proposals.
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The workers were also aware that TEAM was in
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serious trouble. Indeed, Aer Lingus workers
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initially refused to be seconded to the new
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company, feeling that management was
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incapable of running such an enterprise.
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They only agreed to the move when assured
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that Aer Lingus would take them back should
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TEAM fail. (Management has now gone back on
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this saying that any TEAM workers returning
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to the parent company would immediately be
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sacked.)
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As time went on, the unions commissioned
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business consultants to produce a report on
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TEAM Aer Lingus. Not surprisingly, their
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recommendations were ignored by a management
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seemingly intent on running TEAM into the
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ground.
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Practically since its conception, workers
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have been making sacrifices to try to ensure
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TEAM's survival. Pay freezes and
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productivity deals have saved the company
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millions, but management keeps coming back
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looking for more. Agreements dating back to
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1986 have been renegotiated, and it seemed
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that workers would allow all the
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responsibility for TEAM's problems to be laid
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at their door, accepting any cuts to save
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their jobs.
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Management just kept looking for more cuts.
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An agreement reached in March of this year
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was no longer enough, and now workers are
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being told that they must accept a 16% wage
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cut, and an end to overtime pay - which
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translates for some into losses of over #100
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a week.
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Action had to be taken, but what sort of
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action? Most of the energy has gone into
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negotiations inside TEAM, with little effort
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being made to secure the support of other
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workers. Alongside this a campaign directed
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at forcing the eight Labour TD's in the area
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to break with the government was waged. Four
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did indeed break (on a single Dail vote) but
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this has proved to be of little value.
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The appeal to the Labour Relations Commission
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proved unsuccessful but still the unions
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seemed eager to show that they were
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reasonable and open to negotiation. It was
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obvious that TEAM management and the
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government would only negotiate on their own
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terms. Although the unions had proposed a
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plan to save TEAM, they were told that the
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LRC recommendations had to be implemented
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before this could even be discussed.
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At the time of writing, the intervention of
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ICTU has led to the examination of the union
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plan by to save the company by an
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'independent committee', It was no surprise
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when the committee reported back that the
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plan was unrealistic, putting the 'realism'
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of making profit above the needs of the
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workers.
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The causes of the job cuts and attacks on
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workers conditions in TEAM are international.
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They come about as a result of European
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integration and the drive for the various
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European airlines to be merged into a few
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super airlines. Because the process is part
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of modern capitalism it is not one that any
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government can easily be forced to back down
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on. The defeat that needs to be inflicted on
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the government cannot come about as a result
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of public relations and negotiating, no
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matter how skilled those carrying out the
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exercise may be.
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Many of the workers in TEAM doubted they had
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the power and the necessary support to win
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through strikes and occupations. These are
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indeed tough times but the numbers of TEAM
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workers turning up to the original
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demonstrations showed there was something to
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build on. The limited solidarity of those
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airport workers who walked off the job
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several times for union meetings also pointed
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away forwards.
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Finally there was a small layer of union
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activists willing to get involved. They
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probably represented little, many being drawn
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from the ranks of the far-left but if the
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TEAM workers had taken the lead they could
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have started to organise solidarity with
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them. This was most marked within the Dublin
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Council of Trade Unions, which called a march
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in support of TEAM and looked at the idea of
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calling a limited public sector stoppage.
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But on their own the tiny forces of the
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Trades Council and the far-left can not
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organise effective action. What is needed is
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for the TEAM workers to set a militant
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example and inspire active support.
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Occupation of the runways would probably be
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the most effective way forwards but like any
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effective action would bring workers outside
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the law. As such it would have involved real
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risks for individuals and met with the
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opposition of the union officials. But this
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is the only way the dispute can be won. TEAM
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cannot stand alone but it is only the TEAM
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workers who can start the ball rolling.
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Ray Cunningham
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LET'S GET TOGETHER
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THE ATTACKS on jobs, wages & working
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conditions at TEAM and Irish Steel are only
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the beginning. The government wants to slim
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down a lot of public sector jobs, with a view
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to privatising the most profitable sections.
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They also want to defeat traditionally strong
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groups of workers. Such a defeats will
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demoralise a lot of people, and thus lower
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expectations of secure jobs and good wages.
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Likely targets are An Post, Telecom and the
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ESB. Each group faces the same enemy, it
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makes sense to fight together. The leaders
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of most unions have no intention of going
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beyond aggressive speeches, empty threats and
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token action. In many cases this is as much
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to con the members as it is to frighten the
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bosses. The union leaders are, after all, in
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a "social partnership" with the employers and
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government through the Programme for
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Competitiveness & Work.
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What we do not need is the ICTU bringing
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together a collection of General Secretaries
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to arrange yet another 'orderly retreat'
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(i.e. surrender). What we do need is an
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understanding that if we fight individually
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we will be beaten individually, but if we
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support each other we can unleash great
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power. A public sector wide strike could
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stop almost everything. No buses, no post,
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no phones, no electricity... the government
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would have to give in, and very quickly.
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To pull this off would require a lot of
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explaining, convincing, organising. The
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first step is to bring together active trade
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unionists, who are prepared to argue for
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strike action, from the commercial semi-state
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sector. Such a body could organise a real
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fightback by trade unionists, and keep it
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independent of bureaucrats like Phil Flynn
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and Peter Cassells. Despite the hostility it
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will provoke from some union head offices,
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representative bodies like Trades Councils
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are well placed to take the initiative to
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launch a rank & file public sector alliance.
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*******************
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ANTI-WATER TAX CAMPAIGN GETS
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OFF GROUND IN DUBLIN
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Considerable progress has already been made
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in laying the foundations for a campaign
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against the service charges. Throughout all
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three Dublin County Council areas, residents'
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associations and local action groups have
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been taking surveys and petitions, collecting
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bills for return to the Councils, and
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organising public meetings and protests. All
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the indications are that these efforts are
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meeting with a good deal of success. In the
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Fingal area, for example, figures are showing
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77% non-payment up to mid-July. Results of
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surveys carried out in a number of areas in
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South Dublin show similar levels of non-
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cooperation.
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The Dublin Anti-Water Charges Campaign
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(DAWCC) has been the focus of much of the
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activity to date. Much credit is due to
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Militant Labour for taking the initial steps
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to get DAWCC off the ground. The fact that
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the campaign to date has been built in an
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open manner with maximum involvement of local
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activists is to be welcomed. It is
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imperative that the future development of the
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campaign continues in this open, democratic
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vein.
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A conference is being planned for late
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September to attempt to draw all the forces
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together. This conference must encourage
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maximum involvement and must be built for
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properly to ensure maximum attendance.
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Invitations should be issued as soon as
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possible to all DAWCC groups/branches, the
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Association of Combined Residents
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Associations (ACRA), the National Association
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of Tenants Organisations (NATO), trade unions
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(especially shop stewards and committee
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representatives in the local authorities,
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political groupings and residents' and other
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groups from around the state which have been
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campaigning against the charges for years -
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in fact everyone who is opposed to these
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charges and is seriously interested in
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building a campaign against them. The
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conference should be open and democratic and
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should look for motions on the future tactics
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and strategies of the campaign.
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This conference should elect a co-ordinating
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committee which would ensure representation
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for the various groupings. This committee
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would have responsibility for building the
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campaign in areas in which it does not
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already have a base and for co-ordinating the
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various activities as decided by the
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conference. The committee should involve two
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convenors/co-ordinators from each local
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authority area (Fingal, South Dublin, Dun
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Laoghaire/Rathdown and Corporation). These
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convenors would have responsibility for co-
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ordination of the campaign at a local level.
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The campaign should build - through local
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activities (petitions, pickets, lobbying of
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councillors' clinics, occupations of council
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offices, public meetings at which councillors
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would be put on the spot, etc.) for a
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rally/march before the end of the year. This
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should be aimed at putting maximum pressure
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on councillors when the budgets for 1995 are
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being discussed in December. However, it
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should not be expected that councillors will
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suddenly cave in and activists should look on
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this period as merely the first phase of the
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campaign.
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It is of extreme importance that campaign
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groups at local level remain active. Many
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working-class people who have never been
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involved in political activity before will
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form the backbone of this campaign and if it
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is to be successful, it must remain open and
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democratic. Control must rest in the hands
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of these local groups of activists.
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Above all, the campaign must remain a non-
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payment campaign. In this context, ideas and
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facilities must be put in place to ensure
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support for people who could well face court
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action or cut-off. Strong links must be
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developed between the campaign and local
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authority workers. Model resolutions should
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be drawn up calling on the relevant trade
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unions not to co-operate with cut-offs or
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legal intimidation of non-payers. As soon as
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possible after the conference, a meeting
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should be called for local authority workers
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opposed to the charges to discuss how they
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can contribute to the work of the campaign.
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As Anarchists, the Workers Solidarity
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Movement will be fully involved in building
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this campaign. We believe that these charges
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can be beaten. We also believe that they
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will only be beaten by working-class
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solidarity and by a campaign which aims to
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involve as broad a layer of our class as
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possible. It is important that all political
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groupings leave aside the one-upmanship which
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has been a feature of many campaigns in the
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past. The issue is greater than any
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political party/group and is far too
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important for petty sectarian bickering. It
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is also important that all who are angry
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about these charges become actively involved.
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Don't expect someone else to take the
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initiative in your area - do it yourself.
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Let's all stand together because we can win.
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Gregor Kerr
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***********************
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REASONS TO BIN THE BILL
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Reasons to bin that bill
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o The average PAYE worker pays #3,565 in
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income tax each year, compared to #2,642 by
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the self-employed and just #575 by farmers.
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o Last year PAYE workers paid #3,030 million -
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up #243.8 million on 1992 - due directly to
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the one per cent levy imposed by the same
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government which promised "tax reform".
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o The tax inspectors trade union says that
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last year #2,500 million was outstanding in
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taxes, and that with increased staffing much
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of this could be collected.
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o Instead the government gave the rich their
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second tax amnesty inside five years. While
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we have to pay 48% they were let off with 15%
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and no questions asked. Hundreds of millions
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of pounds were simply written off, over ten
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times the total service charges levied
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throughout the 26 counties.
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o The government refuses to raise the Rate
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Support Grant by #35 million, which could see
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all local charges abolished throughout the
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country. Yet they had no problem finding #35
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million for the beef tribunal, much of which
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ended up in the pockets of their barrister
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pals.
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Conference
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Wednesday August 3rd saw the Dublin Anti-
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Water Charges Campaign meeting in Wynn's
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Hotel. Delegates from over a dozen local
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groups discussed the next steps in building
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the campaign, and targeted new areas of work.
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A conference is being held on September 24th,
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by which time more of Dublin is expected to
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be organised. Get involved. Contact the
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campaign at 01-6772686.
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*********************
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Part 1 (Intro & Shorts)
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Socialism & freedom
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10 years of the WSM
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Thats Capitalism
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World Unemployment
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Revolutionaries
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letter from Serbia
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Part 2 (Ireland & Imperialism)
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It was always time to go..Troops out now!
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When British army chiefs refused to obey orders
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Nationalism...No Thanks
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When the Falls & the Shankill fought together
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Part 3 (Drugs)
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In this section
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Legalise it
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The heroin menace
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Part 5 (A rotten world)
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Interview with Italian anarchist
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Ireland..The land of a 1000 welcomes?
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Hicksons chemical spill
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37% illegally underpaid
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***********************
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Workers Solidarity currently comes out four
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times a year. For subscription details write
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to WSM, PO Box 1528, Dublin 8, Ireland.
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Also appearing in the near future will be a
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theoretical magazine called Red and Black
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Revolution.
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*****************
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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The Workers Solidarity Movement can be contacted at
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PO Box 1528, Dublin 8, Ireland
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or by anonymous e-mail to an64739@anon.penet.fi
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Some of our material is available via the Spunk press electronic archive
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by FTP to etext.archive.umich.edu or 141.211.164.18
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or by gopher ("gopher etext.archive.umich.edu")
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or WWW at http://www.cwi.nl/cwi/people/Jack.Jansen/spunk/Spunk_Home.html
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in the directory /pub/Politics/Spunk/texts/groups/WSM
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