65,000 teachers in the primary and secondary education, further education and third level institutions have voted to back the strike action on 24th November. The action covering both academic and non academic staff means that effectively the entire education sector will be shut down for the day. The four unions involved INTO, TUI, ASTI and IFUT which organises two thirds of university teachers have all returned huge votes in favour of strike action.
It’s no surprise to be honest, as Sheila Nunan of INTO explained teachers have suffered a 14% wage cut already this year and the ballot results in other parts of the public sector are an indication that the general mood has hardened dramatically over the past few months. Teachers conditions and University research grants are all under threat and there comes a time when the only choice is to fight back.
With further ballots taking place in the run up to November 24th, its very likely that the momentum will continue to grow. Already today the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants with 3,300 members has weighed in with a 60:40 vote in favour of strike action and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) with 6,000 members voted by more than 4:1 in favour.
Combined with the votes that have already come in including the IMPACT and Nurses votes; the scene is set for a Public Sector General Strike on 24th November.
But what is going on behind the scenes? Here’s what the Sunday Business Post says on the matter:
“Can impasse be broken?”
“Department of Finance officials were asked by the unions to quantify two specific areas linked to savings: the contribution that public servants will make in 2010, 2011 and 2012 through the pension levy, recruitment embargo and pay freeze.
They were also asked to outline the department’s plans for public service numbers and ‘transformation’ over the next two to three years.
So far, the officials have not returned with this level of detail although moves to invite the unions back to the talks for further discussions are likely.
Breaking the deadlock would require the government to outline its detailed plans for the public services in the medium term in order to begin to negotiate with the unions for adjustments in the short term.”
So in other words the likelihood is that the unions will be presented with a set of projections for cuts which they will look to negotiate around. But as we’ve said the truth is that any compromise based on the principal of “social partnership” under the present conditions would be full of holes. But the pressure is having an effect the article explains that none of the trade union leaders is likely to stick their head over the parapet given the pressure from the members.
The article explains that both sides have realised for months that these strikes were more or less inevitable, doubtless because of the size of the crisis and the mood of the workers:
“Union leaders are blaming the action, organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), on the slow progress of talks with Department of Finance officials. Yet weeks ago all sides believed the momentum for strike action was unstoppable whatever emerged from the negotiations.”
The lesson of this situation for the active workers in the trade unions has to be keep up the pressure and fight against back door deals that sell the movement short. The trade union leaders will be anxious as well not to lose control of the movement if it continues to develop and may be forced to tack to the left to ride the wave of opposition, but they lack a clear socialist programme and perspective.
The only way to defeat Cowen and Lenihan is through the mass action of the working class.
- All out on November 24th
- For a one day Public Sector General strike
Source: Fightback - Ireland