Workers Party Press Release

national | miscellaneous | news report

Tuesday November 26, 2002 21:56

by Comrade - Workers Party

wpi at indigo dot ie

Workers Party Trade Union Group (WPTUG) raises issues for National Agreement

The Workers Party Trade Union Group (WPTUG) have produced a significant pamphlet "National Agreements Have they a future?" The first batch of 500 were distributed at a Dublin SIPTU members meeting to discuss the second referendum on the Nice Treaty (Interestingly the Dublin members rejected the SIPTU leaderships' support for Nice, and called for a NO vote).
This initial pamphlet challenges the conventional wisdom on National Agreements and states: "if there is to be national agreement the Workers Party Trade Union Group believe that we should prioritise a number of issues - Low Pay, Education, Housing and privatisation".
LOW PAY
WPTUG argue that low pay means that "we cannot say that we live in a fair and equitable society" and proposes "that €500 gross per week is not unreasonable". This would take the thousands of workers in both the private and public sectors currently on low pay some way towards a decent standard of living. At the same time it is essential that the Minimum Wage should be increased to €8.50 "statutorily protected", to ensure that all workers benefit.
EDUCATION
In a wide ranging critical assessment of the education system, from pre school to third level, WPTUG proposals include the demands for no more than 24 children in a primary school class, increased provision of teachers with special skills, more counsellors, rebuilding and refurbishment of schools equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century, realistic financial support for students in third level "to allow for the participation of the less well off" and a review of the working conditions and pay of people clean the schools.
HOUSING
"Today for many workers and their families having their own home is becoming an impossible dream", WPTUG calss for "a realistic and urgent local authority building programme, a Housing Regulator overseeing house prices and rents, an end to instant evictions and the control of the price of development land." They are also seeking "the implementation of the proposals in any new National Agreement."
PRIVATISATION
WPTUG attacks the thatcherite policies of privatisation and "some leaders of the trade union movement [who] are joining with the robber barons of capitalism to steal the main public service companies of the country." They claim that Bus Eireann, Iarnrod Eireann, Aer Lingus, Coillte, An Post, Bord Gais, Aer Rianta and E.S.B. are all targets of the neo-liberal economic policies of the government.
They also point out that the privatised electricity companies in Northern Ireland and Britain are 20% dearer than that of E.S.B. in the Republic! In an examination of the history of State companies in the republic, they show that "they were the engine of our economy for decades and provided hundreds of thousands of jobs when the vulture capitalists were running for cover and putting their money in offshore accounts". This did not prevent Fianna Fail and Fine Gael/Labour from selling off vital State owned assets in banking shipping and communications. WPTUG point out that State companies are not owned by government but are held in trust by government for the people.
In calling for a fight back by workers and the trade union movement, WPTUG state that, "It is a matter of great concern when we have directors and managers of public enterprises openly touting to sell-off the companies they have been entrusted to serve and build. Any director appointed by the government, who engages in such activity should be dismissed."
"It is naturally our first priority is to halt and prevent the sale of any further public companies and this can be best achieved if the trade union movement is mobilised to force the government to change its policy of privatisation and begin develop a dynamic and profitable public sector."
"National Agreements-Have they a future?" is a small pamphlet of just eleven pages. But it should be a "must-read" for every trade unionist, in fact all workers, in the country. it is a sustained attack on the neo-liberal i.e. procapitalist policies of both Irish and British and other European governments. Undoubtedly considerable more work needs to be done on this issue and the WPTUG should set about this as soon as possible. They are to be commended for their efforts, accomplished on very little resources. Branches and members seeking copies of the pamphlet should contact their Regional offices

CONTACT
THE WORKERS PARTY
Dublin: 23 Hill Street Dublin 1.
tel: 01 8740716 fax: 018748702
email: wpi@indigo.ie
Belfast: 6 Springfield Road, Belfast BT 12 7AG
tel: 90328652/90328663 fax: 90333475
email: info@workers-party.org
Cork: 15 Father Mathew Quay, Cork
tel: 021 4270409 fax: 0214270445
email: wpcork@eircom.net
Waterford: 58 barrick street waterford
tel / fax 051 590987
email: cllrjhalligan@representative.com