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