December 9th

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Tuesday December 13, 2005 00:47 by Mik W mik334 at hotmail dot com

Marching Toward Justice

On December 9th 2005 Irish people from all walks of life who care about people been treated with decency and honesty in the workplace took to the streets to protest Irish ferries attempt to introduce slavery into Ireland. The protest was more akin to a people marching toward justice rather then the carnival like anti war demos of recent years. The march in Dublin was my first of view of how Irelands labour movement looks when mobilized and it looks good. Imagine what we could achive if the leaders of that movement woke up and fought for the people they are supposed to fight for? What follows is my account of the march. I am a memeber of the IBOA however the opinions given in the article are entirly my own.

I had always been sceptical as to weather Irish people cared or not. It seemed to me that all we as a race concerned ourselves with were reading property supplements on a Thursday, surfing myhome.ie and planning our next holiday. Even when 50,000 of us took to the streets to protest America’s planned colonisation of Iraq I was not convinced that we cared, after all we did not want to upset the American multinationals that so many of us rely on one way or another for our daily bread. On December 9th I changed my opinion and now realise that many Irish people do care. It is unfortunately true that there are Irish people who agree with the Irish ferries executives plan to use slave labour to maximise profits on the high seas. I imagine Brian Goggin the CEO of the company I work for prays nightly for Irish ferries to succeed. If they win it will make his plan to get rid of a lot of the people who made him 8 billion Euro last year easier to implement. He and many greedy CEO’s like him are right behind the Irish ferries executive and their plans to use slave labour. Goggin does not plan to use slave labour, he just plans to sack hundreds of people and pay a mega rich multinational loads of money to do the work instead.

There are however many people living and working in Ireland who do care about human beings been treated honestly and respectfully in their working lives. Thousands of these people who care took to the streets on December 9th. I am not sure exactly how many people marched and how many people showed solidarity by lining the streets and applauding. Your interpretation of the estimated number of marchers will no doubt depend on where you stand on the issue. This is not an issue where you can sit on the fence. You either care about people been treated respectfully in the work place or you are in favour of greed and slavery, there is no middle ground in this fight. As I crossed the Liffey on my way to Parnell Square the march was already, making its way across O Connell bridge and it’s leaders had already passed Tcd’s front gates. Thousands more were making their way down O Connell street and when I arrived at Parnell square thousands more were queuing up waiting their turn to march. The INTO delegation were just setting off on their march when I arrived at the assembly point, the teachers getting a great cheer from those supporting from the sidewalks. Mary Hanafin are you watching, stop talking rubbish about docking pay and start doing something to stop the introduction of slavery to Ireland. If Irish ferries get away with their evil plot there will be no work for teachers or anyone else for that matter as we will end up back in the dark days where families will have to put their kids to work as early as possible just to put food on the table. I waited for an hour or so for the rest of the marchers to pass and joined in with the rear guard which was made up of socialist party and socialist worker party delegations.

As we marched toward the Dail the sense of togetherness coming from the marchers and the feeling of good will and support projected from the people on the footpaths was wonderful. It lifted the spirits to be part of it. Even the gardai on duty seemed to be supportive of the march and its cause. It is the first protest I was at where our protectors and servers smiled and waved at the protesters. They normally seem angry with the extra workload such occasion’s lumber them with however on December 9th they seemed quiet happy to be part of the occasion. Thanks lads its good to know some of you care as well. I suppose Mcdowell would not be against paying you guys less for doing more if he could get away with it. As we marched I engaged in conversation with a wonderful lady from Modolva who has moved to Ireland lock stock and 3 kids. A member of the SWP she has enriched Ireland simply by being here, running ladies marathons to raise money for the hospice and the like. Welcome to Ireland and thank you and the many wonderful people from all over the world who have moved to Ireland and made the country all the more beautiful for your being here. Our conversation was the normal stuff of protests, how useless politicians are and how spineless our trade union leadership is. We spoke of Moldova which is still finding its feet as a country after the fall of the USSR and how the riches of the country ended up in the hands of a few while the majority struggle to keep going. I have no doubt that some wide boys from Ireland engaged in that rape and pillage as they have done all over the world. It is quiet possible that Rothwell and his henchmen (preferred outsourcing partners) will conduct slave raids in Moldova. On December 9th we marched not just for Irish Ferries workers but for workers worldwide.

All creeds and colours were represented in the march. I am reliably informed that the IBOA was represented and along with the ones already mentioned saw banners from the communications workers union, the bus workers, the postal workers, the labour party, sinn fein, the UCD student union, The TUI, the ATGWU, ICTU, the Nurses Union and many more. Many people like like myself marched behind no banner except the one of freedom from slavery and corporate greed. People of different backgrounds and with different world views all agreed on one thing that we will not allow ships using slave labour sail in and out and out of Irish ports and we will not accept human beings been treated with disgust and contempt by greedy corporate executives. One of the eye-catching banners read ‘fianna failed’, how true that is. The soldiers of destiny have long since deserted the people for whose freedom they once fought and have sold out to corporate greed. I read today that Harney called for the pay of all civil servants who marched to be docked. I did not see any of her partie’s banners at the march. The pd’s I’m sure were too busy buying shares in Irish ferries and adding to their property portfolios. When it comes to people who care and people who are just plain greedy the pds to a person fall into the latter category. When one of them comes looking for your vote, ask them one simple question, ‘Where were you on December 9th?’

As we made our way into Merrion square, the speeches were just ending, thankfully. I did not want to hear union leaders talking about what’s right and wrong, I want them to show some balls and stand squarely with the Irish ferries workers until justice is done and slavery abolished once and for all. Three gardai joined us and marched the last 100 yards or so with us, they were in full uniform and on duty but I got the sense from them that for those brief few yards they were showing solidarity. It was quiet a site to see 3 officers of the law marching beside the SWP banner, one of the times I wished I had a camera. Merrion square was completely full of people with many already making their way off and home. Looking at the crowds I imagine that those in the vanguard had been waiting a couple of hours in for the last of the marchers to arrive. As we walked past the office of An Taoiseach I could not help but wonder how many homeless people could be housed in that magnificent building? I read that Bertie claimed he was powerless to stop Irish ferries racing to the bottom. If the leader of this country is powerless to stop a company with Irish in its name introducing slavery perhaps he should not be leader of the country and have such a fine office to work in. If he is that powerless he and his office are a waste of space. Walking through the packed Merrion square and making our way back into town along Westland row the feeling of righteous anger from fellow marchers was powerful and energizing. We bumped into some retired Irish ferries workers in full uniform out in support of the current workforce at that company. Good people who are now also been treated like scum by the executive of a company they once served with pride.

I wonder did the lads in the control room of the Isle of Inishmore get our message of support and solidarity. I hope the union leadership shows courage and does not sell out these heroes’ in the name of partnership or some other Uncle Tomism. While tens of thousands of Irish people who care marched against slavery on December 9th, corporate Ireland is full of greedy CEOs and their lackeys in executive management who see nothing wrong with treating human beings like scum. While hope springs eternal that at the back of it all these leaders of corporate Ireland are decent people I fear this is not the case. Every year our universities churn out people educated in the dark art of adding value and cutting costs. Some of these little monsters grow up to be despots who see human beings as infinite resources to cynically exploited and costs to be cut savagely. They play games of power with people as pawns and cannon fodder, collateral damage in their greed driven ego tripping game that is racing us all to the bottom. The trade union leadership should call a complete boycott of Irish ferries. Just as our brave ancestors defeated tyranny in the 19yh century and gave the word boycott to the world, today we should boycott Irish ferries until evil is defeated again. Evil flourishes when good people do nothing. On December 9th thousands of good people decided to do something about the evil greed of corporate ireland. On December 9th we gave ourselves a chance to change our history for the better, lets not waste it!