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