Workplace News

By Ray McLoughlin

BAUSCH AND Lomb – 200, KPMG – 200, lay offs in the first week of March continue the disastrous pattern of job losses in Ireland. Over 300 people were made redundant each working day in February in the South, 63,198 signed on the dole in the first two months of 2009! Unemployment is skyrocketing towards 500,000.

Redundancies are happening in all sectors, light engineering, construction, financial services. Further job losses are being proposed in transport, education and across the public services. Workers are looking into a black abyss of job losses, with all the consequent hardships and uncertainties facing them and their families? What leadership are the trade union leaders giving to the victims of this failure of capitalism?

By Stephen Boyd

DEFEND OUR JOBS, PAY & CONDITIONS

THE DESPAIR, anger and fear felt by many at the economic catastrophe which is unfolding at an unprecedented speed is reflected in the 120,000 who marched on 21 February, the huge percentages voting in favour of strike action in union after union and the collapse in support for the government.

Working class people are looking for a way out of the crisis. However, they have no faith in the government’s ability to deliver a recovery.

Brian Cowen falsely claims the government has no choice – it must cut public expenditure otherwise the budget deficit will spiral out of control and the national debt will be a major burden for years to come.

By Matt Waine

A PLANNED strike by Dublin Bus drivers and staff was postponed after an eleventh-hour intervention by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). The strike threat came after the company announced its intention to sack 290 staff, including 160 drivers as part of a “cost cutting” plan.

As we go to press, talks are still continuing at the LRC. However, it now appears that the company is using the threat of redundancies and cuts to the service as a cover for their real agenda - to force through major changes to work practices. A key component of this would be the introduction of part-time work and talks are presently deadlocked on this issue. 

• Fight for Nationalisation of Waterford Crystal now!

 

THE DECISION by the Waterford Crystal Deloitte and Touche Receiver to sell part of the company and the rights to the Waterford Crystal brand has left the workers high and dry. The Socialist spoke to Donie Fell, a Waterford Crystal worker, about what this means for the workers, their families and the wider community.

By Denis Keane, CPSU Executive member (personal capacity)

FOLLOWING ON from our demonstration of 4,000 people outside Dail Eireann on the 18 February, CPSU members took part in a one-day strike on 26 February. This protest and one day strike were in reaction to the pay cuts (pension levy) being imposed by the government.

The strike had the overwhelming support of other public servants. Even though they were threatened with disciplinary action, many public servants refused to pass the picket and in some cases joined our picket lines with their home made placards. On the day there was almost universal agreement amongst all grades that our unions needed to take co-ordinated and united action against the pension levy.

• No to social partnership
• For democratic fighting unions

 

ONE HUNDRED and twenty thousand marched through Dublin in the biggest workers demonstration in 30 years. Following on from the success of the 21 February demonstration the ICTUs’ executive committee called for all of its affiliates to ballot their members in the South for a one-day national strike on 30 March. Here STEPHEN BOYD looks at the situation.

Joe Higgins, Socialist Party, speaking at Dublin Bus workers rally against cuts in services from Paula Geraghty on…

By Peter Kinsella

BY DE-REGULATING the taxi industry in 2000, the Fianna Fail/PD government sentenced thousands of taxi drivers and their families to years of unnecessary economic hardship and strain.

Taxi drivers today are working 16 hour days and are still unable to earn a living wage. There are 14,000 taxis in Dublin, more than New York that has ten times the population! This is the neo-liberal market gone mad.

THE ELECTION for the next General Secretary of Amicus/Unite is now well underway, but there have already been many twists and turns.

By Stephen Boyd

THE COUNTRY is hurtling at full speed into an economic and social catastrophe. Some claim there could be 500,000 unemployed by the end of the year. Workers and their families at companies such as Celestica, IBM, Boston Scientific, and many many others are reeling from the shock of thousands of job losses.