Monday saw the beginning of negotiations between the government and Trade Union officials on the implementations of €4 billion worth of budget cuts in the public sector. €1.3billion of this burden is set to fall on public sector wages. (RTÉ November 9) This follows on from the ICTU demonstrations of over 100,000 across Ireland on Friday in opposition to cuts, and precedes the upcoming public sector strike on November 24th. It is all too clear that the past politics of social partnership can only lead to diminished service, job losses and attacks on pay and conditions.
In this situation it is no surprise to hear that Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, commented on RTÉ’s breakfast program on the question of divisions between the public and private sector:
“For the sake of the country, we have to get our Budget through and restore confidence into the country. We need to come out of this fighting, but not fighting against each other.”
According to the logic of Mr Ryan it was teachers, nurses and low paid government clerical staff that were responsible for the greed and financial speculation behind the capitalist crisis and they must pay their ‘fair share’ to make amends! The anger of public sector workers was clearly reflected in Friday’s demonstrations that spanned across all of Ireland with over 70000 marching in Dublin alone. Monday saw the Irish Nurses Association announce the results of a ballot on industrial action to defend pay and conditions that saw an 85% vote in favour. This comes after the recent IMPACT ballot that saw a marked increase in both turnout and the proportion in favour of action on a similar ballot from earlier this year. 86% voted in favour on a 69% turnout as opposed to 65% on a 59% turnout last time.
We must be clear that attacks on the public sector represent an attack on the entire working class. Redundancies, pay cuts and longer hours do not just harm workers in the public sector, but working class people that use these services on a day to day basis. Services such as education, health and the wider social services are gains that we have won over generations of struggle. However, under capitalism such gains are not permanent and under the present condition of crisis the ruling class has been forced into a position whereby it has little option but to unleash an all out attack on public sector workers to resolve the crisis in state finance. It has been estimated that public sector workers and their dependants represent approximately 25% of Ireland’s population and is a bastion of trade union organisation. If there is a place where the fight back against the crisis urgently needs to happen and where the means to do it are clearly there it is here.
The struggle of public sector workers has taken centre stage yet we have also seen struggles around Thomas Cook, Visteon, Waterford Crystal, at the Dublin Docks and TEEU members in the electrical contracting industry in recent months. It is evident that there is an all out bosses’ offensive across the board at the current time, particularly in the case of the Registered Employment Agreements. Public sector workers must be supported by their brothers and sisters in the private sector, at the current time we are both fighting part and parcel in what is at root a unified struggle. The bosses will do everything in their power to try to play public sector against private sector workers. We cannot let that happen!
This is quite clearly indicated by the fact that the retailers’ association RGDATA has come out in support of lowering the minimum wage at the same time as attacks are mounted on the public sector. Contrary to the barefaced cynicism of Ryan’s talk of sharing out the burden the bosses in the public and private sector are intent that it will be the workers and their families in both areas who will have to pay for the crisis.
Unfortunately in this situation parts of the trade union leadership are failing to echo the militant mood of their membership. This was clearly seen when IMPACT leader Peter McLoone was reported as saying he expected to see job losses in the public sector over the next period, and ICTU general secretary David Begg indicated his allegiance of the ideas of social partnership. This only reflects the politics of yesterday! The bosses have made it clear the only social partnership they will agree to will be one whereby the burden of the crisis falls squarely on the shoulder of working people.
Only a militant response can provide any solution in this environment. As a first step Fightback urges its supporters to support the public sector strikes on November 24th to help turn them into a 100% solid public sector general strike. The position must be clear, not a job lost and not a cent off the pay!
- Make the 24th November a 24 hour Public Sector General Strike
- Turn out picketing and demonstrating on November 24th!
- No cuts in the public sector!
- For united action across the private and public sector!
- Defend the minimum wage – no wage cuts to pay for the speculator’s greed!