April 2012Vol. 11 No.3

ISSN 0791-458X

ORGANISING FOR FAIRNESS AT WORK AND JUSTICE IN SOCIETY • WWW.SIPTU.IE • JOIN ONLINE

Larkin Hedge School

Page 4-5 Page 10 Page 31

So where is mybail out?

Lagan Brick dispute

Building workers’ charter launched

Vote onTreatydependson jobs plan

By Frank Connolly

By Scott Millar

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 2

Launch of BetterHealth Care, BetterJobs Campaign see page 21

Fiscal Compact Treaty specialpage 13-18

Anew campaign is askingbuilding workers tocommit to rescuingtheir industry, and the

wider economy, by pledgingto support a ten pointBuilding Workers’ Charter.

The charter not only calls onworkers to unite to defeat theattempts by building employers toslash their wages but also demandthat the Government takes actionto kick-start the economy.

In January the ConstructionIndustry Federation (CIF) revealedits latest wage cutting demands.These include reducing all build-ing workers wage rates by 20%,slashing allowances and pushingthe wage rate of new entrants tothe industry down to the mini-mum wage of €8.65 per hour.

Congress Industrial Officer

The National Executive Council(NEC) of SIPTU has decided it willrecommend in favour of theFiscal Treaty referendum proposal

if the Government commits to an offbalance sheet stimulus plan to create“tens of thousands of jobs” – but only ifit does so.

In a detailed policy document analysing theissues the NEC has characterised the strategyunderpinning the Treaty as a one-sided austeri-ty approach, principally at the expense ofworking people, which will not work.

The detailed NEC statement issued onThursday (19th April) said that a more rationalroute would entail a less severe “debt brake”accompanied by other measures to share theburden and engender growth.

It calls for an off balance sheet domesticstimulus plan in addition to the projected capi-tal spend. It would be based on a number ofcomponents, including investment by privatepension funds incentivised through exemp-tions from the pensions levy.

According to SIPTU General President, JackO’Connor, this could provide the growth stimu-lus in the domestic economy that is absent atEU level, generating tens of thousands of jobs.

He said; “Ireland is between a rock and ahard place. The Treaty imposes, what webelieve, to be an unnecessarily severe “debt

Lagan Brick workers bring campaign to Belfastpage 4-5

Photo: Peadar Whelan

NewsLibertyAPRIL 2012

2

Advertise in LibertyTo advertise in Liberty, contact the Communications Department on 01 858 6372 or email communica-tionsdepartment@siptu.ie • Liberty offers very competitive rates for advertisements which reach SIPTUmembers countrywide

Abbeyleix Hospital protestPage 6

Workplace Committee:Automatic PlasticsPage 7

Dominic HanniganintervewPage 9

Liberty viewPage 19

Is there a prayer forpeace in a troubledMiddle East?Page 25

Sport - St Pat’s wonder goalPage 34

Social Media dos and don’tsPage 26

Liberty is dedicated to providing a platform for progressive news and views.

If you have any ideas for articles or comments please contact: communcationsdepartment@siptu.ie

Liberty is published by the Services, Industrial, Professional & Technical Union,Liberty Hall, Dublin 1

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor • Vice President, Patricia King •General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn

Production: SIPTU Communications Department, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, Tel: 01 8588217 • Email: communicationsdepartment@siptu.ie

SIPTU Head of Communications, Frank Connolly • Journalist: Scott Millar • Design: Sonia Slevin (SIPTU) & Joe Mitchell (Brazier Media) • Publications Assistant, Deirdre Price • Administrative Assistant, Karen Hackett

Produced, designed, edited and printed by trade union labourPrinted and distributed by The Irish Times, City West, Dublin.

In this month’sLiberty

LibertyView

Labour Court chairman, KevinDuffy, led mediation discussionswith SIPTU representatives andthe owners of Vita Cortex in thelatest effort to resolve the longrunning dispute at the formerfoam manufacturing in Cork.

Duffy, who is assisted by former

Labour Court officials, Jack Nashand John Doherty, convened thetalks in Dublin on Thursday (19thApril) which will centre on thedemand by the Vita Cortex workersfor their agreed redundancy pay-ments from the company.

They received their statutory

redundancy entitlements of twoweeks per year of service from theDepartment of Social Protection inFebruary.

The workers have been occupy-ing the Vita Cortex plant on theKinsale Road in Cork since 16thDecember last.

Vita Cortex mediation talks convene

Fergus Whelan, who is leading theBuilding Workers’ Charter cam-paign, said; “When workers com-mit to the Charter they’re not onlymaking clear what they oppose butalso what they want.

“We’re saying we are against theslashing of wages, robbing of pen-sion rights and a decline in safetystandards. What we are for is Irishworkers pension funds being usedfor job creation in Ireland, theprospect of worthwhile apprentice-ships and the maintenance of

Registered Employment Agreementswhich guard against exploitation.”

The campaign was launched onWednesday (18th April) following ameeting of the ConstructionIndustry Committee of Congress.

When workers commit to theCharter they will be kept informedof what actions are being plannedto ensure its aims are achieved.

SIPTU Construction andUtilities Division Organiser,Christy McQuillan, said; “Thelaunch of this Charter marks the

first stage of a major campaignaimed at ensuring the buildingindustry plays its role in economicrecovery. The industry can onlyplay that role by creating sustain-able and direct jobs.”

He added; “Fundamental to thefuture of the industry are robustcompliance requirements andenforcement.”

To view the Charter visit;www.ictu.ie/constructioncharter orcollect a leaflet from your localtrade union organiser.

Continued from page 1 - Building workers’ charter launched

Music, politics, poetry, protest,film and the world of work featurein the 2012 May Day Festival,

which runs from 28th April to 12thMay. The Festival has been organ-ised jointly by Congress, theLarkin Hedge School and DublinCouncil of Trade Unions (DCTU).

Workers Memorial Day will bemarked with an event in Dublin’sNational Gallery, on 28th April,while the growth of precarious andinsecure work will be the focus of apublic talk in Liberty Hall, on 30thApril, by Dr Guy Standing, authorof a new study on the issue ‘The

Precariat’ (Bloomsbury).On 1st May, DCTU will hold a

march and rally, while 2nd Maywill see a special screening of thepowerful Swedish labour filmAdalen 31 at the Irish Film Centre.On 5th May, the Belfast calendar ofevents starts with a protest rally,while the annual Jim ConnellSummer School takes place inCrossakiel, Meath, on 4th, 5th and6th May.

See page 31.

Continued from page 1 - Vote on Treaty depends on jobs planbrake”. However, if we do not rat-ify it we will not have access tothe ESM fund. The immediateproblem is the imposition of a co-ordinated contraction over twentycountries without any offsettingstimulus for growth. This one-

sided austerity approach will notwork. We can provide our owninvestment stimulus with thepotential to generate several thou-sand jobs through innovative useof our pension funds. If theGovernment commits to doing it,

we will go along with the Treatydespite our reservations because itwould give us all a fighting chanceof emerging from this nightmare.Otherwise we cannot endorse it.”

See pages 13-18.

Congress President Eugene McGlone addressing the NI Committee of ICTU on Wednesday 18th April as NI Executive Junior Minister, MartinaAnderson looks on. In her speech she pledged to oppose as much as possible “the British Coalition’s so-called Welfare Reform” and to introduce aBill of Rights.

LibertyAPRIL 2012

3News

ESB workers vote for cost-saving planESB workers have voted infavour of a cost-saving dealagreed between the semi-state company and unions.

The ballot result was announcedon the 10th April with 63% votingin favour.

The cost-saving proposals –which see basic pay rates protect-ed – will include a voluntaryredundancy package to help cutthe ESB’s 6,300-strong workforceby 1,000. Some €56 million will be

saved after agreement was reachedover cuts to some allowances andother pay-related areas.

The rest of a projected €140 mil-lion in overall savings by 2015 willbe brought about by reducing theworkforce. This will achieved

through 700 voluntary redundan-cies with the rest by “natural attri-tion.” SIPTU Energy SectorOrganiser, Greg Ennis, welcomedthe acceptance of the proposals.

He said: “The ESB Group ofUnions set out to protect basic payand pensionable pay, ensure therewere no compulsory redundanciesand to retain as many agreementsas possible and they have clearlydone so in an unprecedented set ofdifficult negotiations.”

CIT strike deferredINDUSTRIAL action set to takeplace at Cork Institute ofTechnology last month has beendeferred.

It follows the reinstatement ofsix SIPTU members to the insti-tute’s catering staff.

A scheduled one-day strike onWednesday, 21st March, wascalled off after talks betweenSIPTU, CIT management, andrepresentatives of StudentServices Ltd — a private compa-

ny which manages the institute’scanteens and shops.

SIPTU Organiser, Bill Mulcahy,told Liberty: "We’re glad thingsare back on track. The staffnever wanted to ballot for indus-trial action in the first place butwere left with no option.

“This deal just shows thatwith proper communication anda bit of give and take the loss ofjobs and income can be avoid-ed."

IRISH Cement workers beganstrike action on the 3rd Aprilin a bid to secure moneyowed to them by the highlyprofitable firm.

Workers claim they were left withno other option but to take indus-trial action at the company’s pro-duction plants in Castlemungret,county Limerick, and Platin, countyMeath.

The dispute arose after the com-pany failed to honour a LabourCourt recommendation to pay whatit owes its employees.

Pickets were placed on theentrances to the both plants follow-

ing the decision by the Irish CementGroup of Unions to go on strike –for the first time since 1970.

Irish Cement Group of UnionsSecretary, Karan O’Loughlin, said:“Earlier this year the Labour Courtmade a recommendation that thecompany must pay monies whichare outstanding to its employeesand which amount to between€5,500 to €9,500 per worker.

“The Labour Court recommendedthat Irish Cement Ltd immediatelypay the monies it owes the workersbut the company is insisting that apay cut of between 15% and 18% isimplemented first. Acceptance ofsuch a pay cut does not form part of

the Labour Court recommendation.“Workers are particularly

annoyed at the hypocrisy of IrishCement’s parent company, CRH,which at the same time as it isrefusing to pay its employees themonies they are owed, is sanction-ing massive pay rises for seniorexecutives.”

More than 100 workers areemployed at the two productionplants affected by the action.

Irish Cement Ltd is part of theCRH Group, one of the world’slargest building materials compa-nies. The Irish Cement Group ofUnions includes SIPTU, TEEU andUnite.

Strike begins at Irish Cement after bosses ignore Labour Court recommendation SIPTU members held a

successful official 24-hourwork stoppage at distribu-tion company Eddie Stobartin Ballymun, Dublin, in lateMarch.

The stoppage, which started onWednesday, 21st March at8.00a.m. was the second industri-al action by drivers at the compa-ny this year. A similar action washeld in February.

The actions were aimed at high-lighting Eddie Stobart’s refusal todeal with drivers’ concerns overroster and fatigue issues.

SIPTU Organiser, KaranO’Loughlin, told Liberty: “Thecompany has refused to engagewith the workers on their legiti-mate grievances over excessiveworking hours and health andsafety issues.

“The workers are adamant thattheir campaign will continue untilthese very serious grievances aredealt with satisfactorily.”

During both stoppages, driverstook part in an official picket ofthe Ballymun depot – used by thedistributor for delivering goods toTesco stores across Ireland.

SIPTU Vice-President, PatriciaKing, has called on Eddie Stobartto engage in talks to resolve theissues that gave rise to the indus-trial action.

She said: “The behaviour of theemployers in failing to discussthe legitimate grievances of thesedrivers has left them with noalternative but to undertake acampaign of industrial action.

“It is of paramount importancethat the company enters discus-sions to resolve the serious issuesat the heart of this dispute.”

Second strike atEddie Stobart

As part of the 2012 MayDay celebrations SIPTU is hosting theDublin Dock WorkersPreservation Society photographic exhibitionin Liberty Hall Theatrefrom 9th May to 16thMay. The exhibition of 40 photographs features images of lifeand work on the DublinDocks from 1940 to1990.

For more informationsee www.siptu.ie

Lagan Brick WorkersLibertyAPRIL 2012

4

By Scott Millar

HE owners of Lagan Brick got a big sur-prise on Wednesday, 4th April, when abus load of workers turned up at theirBelfast HQ to demand management

opens talks to end the long-running dispute atthe firm’s manufacturing plant in Kingscourt,county Cavan.

When managers refused to accept a letter calling fornegotiations to begin, dozens of workers and their sup-porters entered the entrance area of the company officesand refused to leave.

The peaceful occupation ended after about 20 min-utes when company representatives agreed to accept theletter from a four-person delegation that included SIPTUOrganiser, John Regan.

John Regan said: “The workers have been in disputewith the company for more than 100 days. They believea just settlement is possible but have met with a com-plete refusal by the owners to enter a meaningful nego-tiations process.

“The workers had no option but to bring their protestfrom county Cavan to the headquarters of the LaganGroup in Belfast. The owners of this company areamong the richest people in Ireland and must accept

their obligation to honour long-established redundancyterms for these workers.” Before the protest, workersmet with Belfast Lord Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile andseveral other Sinn Féin elected representatives.Councillor Ó Donnghaile said the Lagan Brick workershad his full support, adding that Sinn Féin would “do allit can to assist the Lagan Brick workers in their struggle.”

SIPTU activist Jim McVeigh, who is leader of the SinnFéin group on Belfast City Council, was among thosewho took part in the occupation of the Lagan Groupoffices. The workers also met with Belfast Trades'Council Secretary, Kevin Doherty.

Workers at the Kingscourt plant were informed it wasclosing only hours before it ceased operation on 15thDecember. Since then, 25 SIPTU members at the planthave been in dispute over the company’s failure to payestablished redundancy terms.

Emmet Mullen“I STARTED work at LaganBrick in June 1988. I work inproduction making specials. Itwas really cut – cut all the timein the lead up to this dispute.

They were using tactics which wereaimed at pushing the working mandown and down – that is it in a nut-shell.

On 15th December we were leftwith no alternative but to take action.

I was one of a delegation who metwith Jude Lagan [a company director]in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan, inMarch and basically his message washe would just do as he wishes. It waspointless talking to him.

Everyone that works in the factoryis from the surrounding area so it’s abig hit to the workers and the com-munity.

I was at the protest outside theplant on Christmas Day, New Year’sDay and will be there as long as ittakes.”

Laurence Shekelton“I WORKED at Lagan Brick for 23 years in vari-ous jobs. For the first 20 years I was there, itwas a good employer. It was only in the lasttwo years that things changed.

We gave a pay cut of 8% and we gave up all our payrises from 2007. Everything taken together, it works outat about an overall pay cut of 16%.

Other men retired or took voluntary redundancy.They were not replaced but the same amount of workwas still done. We appreciated that times were toughbut thought that last year things were improving andthen in December they told us they were closing theplant.

We were all devastatedbecause no one was expectingit at that time because therewas worked lined up.

The last few months havebeen tough maintaining theprotest at the gate every daybut we have to do something. Ihave a wife and three kids anda mortgage on the house so itis very hard. With the loss ofmoney and that of the hauliersand others, it is having a bigimpact on Kingscourt. The factory was there for over 50years and it’s not a big town so the impact is massive.”

I will protest for as longas it takes

Last few months have been tough

T

Lagan Brickworkers takegrievances tocompany HQ

Shop steward Emmet Mullen: ‘This is a big hit to the workers and the community’

The Bord na Móna Group ofUnions has recommended to its2,000 members acceptance of apay offer from management atthe semi-state company.

On Thursday, 12th April,Group Secretary and SIPTUOrganiser, Oliver McDonagh,said; “We are putting forward arecommendation for acceptanceon the basis that this is the bestdeal we could achieve under thepresent circumstances.”

Workers at Bord na Móna weredemanding the semi-state com-pany honours a 3.5% pay increase

due to them under the first phaseof the Towards 2016 transitionalagreement.

Under the terms of the payoffer the workers will receive asettlement of €1,000 each along-side an immediate pay increaseof 1.7% and a further 1.7% per-formance based increase payablein two years time.

Unions will be meeting indi-vidually with their members inBord na Móna over the comingweeks to discuss the pay offerbefore a ballot on its acceptance.

Bord na Móna unions recommend pay offer

As Liberty went to print on Thursday (19th April)efforts commenced to establish a mediationprocess to resolve the dispute at Lagan Brick. SIPTUConstruction Division Organiser, Christy McQuillansaid; “This initiative presents the best possibilitythus far to find a resolution to this dispute. Clearlythis strike has gone on too long but our membersare determined to secure a fair recognition of theirlong service with this company.”

Laurence Shekelton

SIPTU members in theMusgrave Group com-menced strike at the com-pany’s warehouse in Corkon Wednesday, 18th April,in a dispute concerningchanges to their conditionsof employment.

The industrial action involvesapproximately 135 salaried staffmembers withdrawing theirlabour at the Cork Chill ware-house.

SIPTU Organiser, KaranO’Loughlin said; “The workersdecided to take this action due tothe management of the companyattempting to introduce changesto their terms and conditions ofemployment which were notagreed.”

The Musgrave Group is thecountry’s largest retailer supply-ing a number of supermarketchains including SuperValu andCentra.

Strike action atMusgraves in Cork

Ex H.W. Wilson workersredouble efforts tosecure payoutsFORMER employees of USpublisher H. W. Wilson havecalled on new owners Ebscoto honour a Labour Courtrecommendation on redun-dancy payments.

The 19 workers, who lost theirjobs when the long-establishedfirm closed its Dublin offices, areusing a range of means – frompublic protests to social media –to highlight their fight for justice.

US corporation Ebsco offeredthe workers the legal minimumof two weeks pay per year ofservice but the Labour Court rec-ommended that employeesshould receive double thatamount.

Ebsco will recoup 60% of anypayment from the Irish state andis continuing to publish and mar-ket products under the H. W.Wilson brand. The former H.W.Wilson employees have soughthelp from other workers andtrade unions and have under-lined the general principle thatLabour Court recommendationsshould be respected.

Their campaign can be followed on Facebook

[WilsonPickets], on Twitter [@WilsonWorker1] and on a cam-paign blog [wilsonpicketdot-com.wordpress.com].

The ex-Wilson staff also plan toprotest at an “information day”Ebsco is holding at ClontarfCastle on Tuesday, 15th May.

Supporting the workers’ stand,NUJ Irish Secretary SéamusDooley said: “What has hap-pened here is a disgrace. Ebscoshould honour the ruling of theLabour Court. H.W. Wilson tookpart in the hearing and failed toconvince the Labour Court thatworkers should only receive thelegal minimum redundancy.

“It follows that the determina-tion of the Labour Court shouldbe respected. The new ownershave a moral obligation to theworkers, only a handful of whomwere union members, since H.W.Wilson had refused workers theright to collective representation.

“This case clearly illustratesthe need for urgent legal reformin the area of employment rightsand the absolute imperative forlegal recognition of the right tocollective representation.”

LibertyAPRIL 2012

5Lagan Brick Workers

Phil Clarke“I WORKED at Lagan Brick from June1988. I was a kiln operator and workedweekends, bank holidays, workedChristmas Day – it didn’t matter I wentto work.

In February 2011, new management came inand the first thing they looked for was a 10%wage cut. We had already taken an 8% wage cutand agreed to work practice changes. We rejectedthe February wage cut. The company could have

gone back to the Labour Court but they didn’t dothat. When it didn’t take that step we thought wewere OK.

Then on 15th December the shop stewardswere called in and received notice that the facto-ry was closing from that day.

We were already on a temporary lay-off, whichwas normal at that time of the year, but had beentold it would only be for a short period. We weretold if the plant ever opened again, we would bere-employed but through an agency at €8.65 anhour. As with a lot of employers, the manage-ment used the downturn as an excuse to reduce,reduce, reduce.

I don’t know what they are going to do if theyhave every employee in the country working for€8.65, I don’t know who they are going to get tobuy their products.

The last 100 days has been terrible for our fam-ilies. I have two girls, one moved to London toget work and the other is in university in Wales.

They understand we are not only protestingfor ourselves but for every other employee in thecountry. It is us today but it could be themtomorrow.”

ElizabethFleming“MY HUSBAND, Gerry White,was a worker at Lagan Brickfor 23 years. This dispute hasturned our life upside down.Our whole life has changed.

There is no routine – you neverknow when he is going to be homeor out protesting.

I work part-time and have threechildren and you never know whenhe is going to be away and plus wemiss the Lagan wage coming in.

Because the news that the plantwas closing came on the 15thDecember, it was a serious shockand overshadowed the Christmasperiod but we lived in hope becausewe never thought it would be so badand go on so long.

I just think the owners of LaganBrick should sit down and talk tothe workers so everyone can gohome.”

Used downturn to reduce, reduce, reduce...

Our life ischanged

Shop steward Phil Clarke: ‘We areprotesting not just for ourselves but forevery other worker’

Elizabeth Fleming: ‘I never thought thedispute would go on for so long’

Workers from the Lagan Bricks plant in Kingscourt, county Cavan, travelled to the Lagan Group’s HQ in central Belfast on Wednesday, 4th April to hand in a protest letter over management’s failure to engage in talks to resolve the dispute

SIPTU Organiser John Regan,left, handed in a letter ofprotest with Ann Smith (wifeof Pascal Smith) StephenBurns and shop steward PhilClarke

NewsLibertyAPRIL 2012

6

Hospitalpay cutsuccessSIPTU has welcomed the restora-tion of pay to previous levels forworkers at a Dublin hospital as a“clear vindication” of the union’sposition.

Catering assistants at St.Vincent’s Private Hospital hadbeen offered new contracts as gen-eral assistants resulting in a 29%pay cut.

But SIPTU members – who hadpreviously voted to accept a wageslink with the public sector –claimed this was a clear breach ofan agreement reached with man-agement.

SIPTU officials met with hospitalchiefs at the Labour RelationsCommission following a threat toballot for industrial action.

After talks, it was agreed that thefull pay rate would be restored andmonies owed to members paid.

SIPTU Sector Organiser LouiseO’Reilly said: “The settlement ofthis claim and the outstandingmoney due is a clear vindication ofthe union’s position and is goodnews for our members.”

THE terms and conditions ofemployment of more than 250employees at Balfour Beatty CLGLimited have been protectedunder a new agreement betweenunions and management.

SIPTU and TEEU representa-tives signed the cost-saving dealwith the management of theconstruction company onMonday, 16th April.

SIPTU Organiser, John Regan,said: “The jobs of 320 tradeunion members were transferredto Balfour Beatty CLG Limitedearlier this year when the com-pany was awarded a 10-year con-tract to provide network servicesto Bord Gáis Networks.

“The company originallysought 76 redundancies.However, following negotiations

this figure was reduced to a max-imum of 65.

“A voluntary redundancy pack-age of 4.5 weeks pay per year ofservice, inclusive of statutoryentitlements plus allowancesbased on service, has beenagreed.”

The proposals were endorsedby a large majority of SIPTU andTEEU members at Balfour BeattyCLG Limited in a 28th March bal-lot.

Balfour Beatty CLG was estab-lished in 2011 as a joint venturebetween Balfour Beatty and CLGDevelopments to carry out net-work services and works forBord Gáis Networks. The compa-ny has a number of depotsaround the country and a head-quarters in Finglas, Dublin.

SIPTU is backing a protest marchorganised by the AbbeyleixHospital and District Action Groupon Sunday, 29th April.

The march by nursing unit resi-dents, their families and support-ers will begin at 2.00p.m. at theManor Hotel in Abbeyleix, countyLaois, and end at the hospital.

SIPTU Organiser, John Hubbard,said: “SIPTU members will be join-ing with all parts of the communi-ty to protest the HSE’s failure toengage in meaningful dialogue overits decision to close these facili-ties.”

He added: “A clear message willbe sent to the HSE on Sunday, 29thApril, that communities will nolonger accept its continued attackon vital local health services.

“Community care must be thebasis of health provision not aservice to be outsourced to privatecompanies whose main objective is

SIPTU backs Abbeyleix hospital protestSavings plan agreedat Balfour Beatty CLG

the creation of profit.”In November 2011, the HSE

announced it intended to close theAbbeyleix Hospital nursing unit,which will result in the moving of28 long-stay residents as well asthe redeployment of more than 70nurses and care staff.

That month the HSE alsoannounced its intention to close St

Brigid’s Hospital, a 28-bed commu-nity nursing unit in Shaen, with its28 long-term residents and threerespite clients being relocated toother facilities.

More than 5,000 people attendeda protest march organised by theAbbeyleix Hospital and DistrictAction Group on the 20thNovember last.

Flashback: Protest march to save Abbeyleix Hospital in November last year

SIPTU members in St Patrick’sUniversity Hospital will be offeredthe chance to re-train as healthcare assistants following agreementreached at the Labour RelationsCommission.

Eight members of staff will beselected by interview and trainingwill start in late June.

SIPTU’s Convenor, Marie Barry,said: “This is a major victory whichhas taken some time to achieve forour members. It is important that

opportunities for up-skilling bemade available to all grades.

“We believe that this will be asuccess for both the staff and thehospital. Education is an impor-tant part of health care deliveryand it is past time that the oppor-tunity to avail of further educationwas extended to all staff.”

Those selected by interview overthe next few week will be trainedto FETAC Level 5.

Up-skilling deal atuniversity hospital

The spirit of ‘Big’ Jim Larkin paid a visit to the children at St. Patrick’s National School, Ringsend, Dublin on the 27th March.Bringing to life the 1913 Lockout was actor Jer O’Leary playing the role of ‘Big’ Jim and young historian, Donal Fallon, who madea short presentation on the major events of the period. The event was organised by Home School and Community Liaisonteacher, Helen Sherry. It followed the children’s reading of Across the Divide by Brian Gallagher (published by O’Brien Press), a book that is set during the 1913 Lock Out.

Jer first played the role of Jim Larkin in the 1975 production of John Arden and Margaretta D’Arcy’s ‘Non-Stop Connolly Show’ inLiberty Hall. Paying his respects to Arden, who died aged 81 in Galway on Wednesday, 28th March, Jer said he was “a theatricalgenius and steadfast campaigner for human rights and progress.”

SIPTU members in theRehabGroup are currently votingon proposals that emerged fromtalks between union and man-agement representatives.

These deal with implementingtwo Labour Court recommenda-tions over compensation for paycuts imposed by the companywithout agreement.

Under the proposals, if accept-

ed, workers affected by the rec-ommendations will each receive€1,000 payment, €200 in vouch-ers and an additional day’s annu-al leave for 2012.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, LouiseO'Reilly, told Liberty: “TheRehabGroup workplace commit-tee is satisfied that the positionof the union has been vindicatedand that our members are going

to get adequate compensation. “These proposals represent a

significant settlement for ourmembers, many of whom arelow-paid workers, and it is a trib-ute to the perseverance and dedi-cation of the committee mem-bers that we have been able toachieve this result.”

RehabGroup workers voteon compensation proposals

LibertyAPRIL 2012

7Workplace Committee

By Scott Millar

ESTLING deep in thehills of south Wicklow,the Automatic Plasticsplant in the small village

of Tinahely celebrates its 40th yearin operation this Summer.

Over those four decades workersin the plant – which produces avariety of plastic items from con-tainers for the pharmaceuticalindustry to ice coolers – have bene-fited from union representation.It’s a tradition the company’s cur-rent shop stewards are proud tomaintain.

Betty Dalton, who has been ashop steward for more than fiveyears, said: “Everyone in the plantis a SIPTU member including thoseonly working here for a short timein seasonal jobs.”

The factory employs approxi-mately 70 workers in three shifts –day, evening and night. Althoughmen make up most of the work-force, currently the three shopstewards, representing each shift,are women.

Bernie Keogh,who has beenwith AutomaticPlastics for nineyears, claims a keyfactor in the tradeunion committee’ssuccess are theskills learned fromprevious shopstewards.

She told Liberty:“Joe Donlon was theshop steward formany years. He is awonderful man and someone who Ilearnt an awful lot from before heretired. He doesn’t work at theplant any longer but I stay in touchwith him and he has always been a

great source of advice.”Aileen Carthy has worked in the

plant for 14 years and has servedas the day shift shop steward forthe last year.

She describes her first year inthe role as “alright”, adding, “I’m

Before working at AutomaticPlastics, Betty was employed at theBraun factory in Carlow.

Contrasting both workplaces, shesaid: “The managers there werefrom Dublin and even Germany.The three supervisors here arelocal so it is very different talkingto them.

“We can always get advice fromour trade union official but wehave never needed too much help.We deal directly with the manage-ment on disciplinary issues andother union matters,” Bernieadded.

Last year saw the shop stewardsface their most serious challengewith management claiming thatgreater competition for orders hadresulted in a need for cut backs.

Bernie said: “We had quite a fewmeetings with management lastyear because of the wider [econom-ic] situation.

“All employers were looking forcutbacks. To be fair to our employ-er, they didn’t look for pay cutsimmediately.

“The management presentedtheir figures for profits and costswhich we had verified by theunion. The management then cameup with a list of cost-saving meas-ures and we came up with a list.

“After a lot of coming and goingwe found something that wasagreeable to all shifts and a one-year deal was concluded.”

That agreement will be reviewedthis summer. Bernie, Betty andAileen are confident they will onceagain secure the best deal possiblefor their colleagues.

Betty said: “It may involve a lotof meetings but I believe everyoneis interested in ensuring the plantkeeps getting orders.

“I believe it’s been a better yearthis year and the measures agreedpreviously have been a success.”

N

Shop stewards from left: Bernie Keogh, Betty Dalton, Aileen Carty

not run off my feet or anything.”“The role is mainly just listen-

ing to your work colleagues andmaking sure their concerns aredealt with.”The workforce is drawn from the

local area and many families haveseveral members employed atAutomatic Plastics.

“I work nights and my husbandworks days,” said Bernie, whojokes; “We have survived 30 yearsof being married – maybe that’s

because we hardly see one anoth-er!”

Betty, whose two sons also workin the plant, added; “AutomaticPlastics is key to employment inthis area and everyone wants towork in a way which ensures itcontinues to provide these jobs.”

Industrial relations issues at thefamily-run business have alwaysbeen successfully dealt with bydirect negotiations between shopstewards and management.

HUNDREDS of people have takenadvantage of the FREE one-daycomputer training course beingoffered by IDEAS Institute.

From Sligo to Cork and across toDublin participants have learnedhow to use computers through aninnovative course designed by theSIPTU-owned training company.

In Sligo, large numbers of SIPTUmembers and others attendedcourses held at the local SIPTUoffice.

John McCarrick, of SIPTU, com-mented: "We in this area takeadvantage of any course offered.

You can’t beat education and train-ing.”

In Cork, local SIPTU staff mem-ber Sharon Cregan joined with theunemployed members’ group andCork Council of Trade Unions inencouraging people to take up thekeyboard challenge – and many ofthem had never sat in front of acomputer before.

All went away confident theycould now use the technology.

But the course is not limited totrade unions – the IDEAS Institutedelivered the course in partnershipwith Ballymun Jobs Centre and the

Arc Cancer Support Group.It introduces participants to

computers and teaches them howto buy a computer, explaining allthe jargon used by sales people.

When this section is complete,those taking the course – which isfunded by the Department ofCommunications Benefit3Programme – find out how to usethe internet for searching, bank-ing, accessing government servicesand e-commerce.

Participants then learn how toset up an email address, send andreceive emails and how to attach

documents. Finally they are taught how to

use the computer to make tele-phone calls and for managing pho-tos. All in all, a busy day – but onethat participants enjoy.

Places are still available oncourses throughout the country.

For more information phoneIDEAS on 01 4531440.

Hundreds log-in for FREE with IDEAS Institute course

Pict

ure:

Eur

opea

n Pa

rlia

men

t

Wicklow shop stewards getting best deal

NewsLibertyAPRIL 2012

8

Mick Coughlan,Offaly County Council general operativeworker and a SIPTU shop steward

“I’ve worked for Offaly County Councilfor six years. I was rede-ployed last June whichresulted in a big loss of earn-ings. When I started with thecouncil I was a van driver andreceived an extra €12 dailyrate for driving. I was told thatI had to transfer to Clara andwould no longer be driving. Thismeant a €60 loss of earningsand an extra €60 a week inpetrol to go to work.

“I lost the steady income that Ihad built my life around in previ-ous years. At meetings to discussmy transfer I told the managementthat I could not afford the loss inearnings and the extra petrol money.I said I would have to sell my hometo maintain my job. After several meetings, Ieventually received less than €2,000 in com-pensation.

“I’m now down from earning on average€500 a week to €380 after tax. It’s a cut ofover 20% to my wages. I could understandsome cuts if they could show it from the topdown but it’s the ordinary guys that are tak-ing all the hits.”

HE Croke Park Agreement has resultedin major changes to work practices forlocal authority workers and a signifi-cant loss of earnings for many – facts

that have been widely ignored by the media. SIPTU Organiser, Brendan O’Brien, said: “The

reforms introduced in public sector workplacesas part of the agreement have disproportionate-ly affected SIPTU members. It is now time thatother, usually higher paid, staff played their fullpart in the reform of public services.”

Following the Annual General Meeting ofSIPTU local authority workers in Tullamore, Co.Offaly, Liberty asked members how changesbrought about by the Agreement over the lasttwo years have affected their lives.

T

Joe Mills Tullamore Town Council worker

“I’ve worked for the council for 38 years. Ido a bit of everything such as carpentry andkerb repair. I get a rate for using tools. Mytake home pay was around €680 and it isnow down to €497. I’ve had cuts toallowances and over time. With the wagecuts I no longer go out anymore to socialise.

“The work that we where doing is nowgetting put out to private contractors. I’ve

worked on houses aftercontractors where we have had to go

back in and finish the work. I don’t knowhow that is saving money.”

Seamus GriffinTullamore Town Council worker

“On my basic wage, I’m down €80 a weeksince the cuts came in. We are losing staffall the time through retirements and they’renot being replaced.

“In recent years the numbers working inour council are down from 32 to 20. All thework is now going to private contractors.

“They’re looking to privatise everything,street cleaning and grass cutting, every-

thing. I think the privatisationpush is coming right from thetop. It doesn’t matter that directcouncil labour can actually dothe work cheaper. A decisionhas been made to put work outto private contractors.”

Austin WalshOffaly County Council road maintenance worker

“I’ve worked 27 years withthe council. For the last 14years I have driven a oneman operated patchingunit as part of the county’s

road maintenance programme.“The ban on overtime means I no longer

get paid for the time it takes to fill the vehi-cle with tar and chips so I can arrive at theplace of work ready to go at 8.00a.m.

“Now I only start in the yard and have tobe back to the yard within the normal work-ing hours. What has happened now is thatthey have hired in patching units whichneed three men to operate them to coverthe areas I can no longer work.

“The ban on overtime has seen me lose inmoney terms up to €500 a week.Thankfully, I have my last girl in collegealready. There is less and less surface dress-ing of roads and they are clearly deteriorat-ing. You can see the roads going back to theway they were in the 1980s.”

Croke Parktwo years onHigher paid should share the pain...

Mick Coughlan

Joe Mills

Seamus Griffin

Austin Walsh

Setting record straight on state assetsTHERE has been a lot of disinfor-mation concerning the role of theEU/ECB/IMF in pushing the sale ofstate assets, not least in commentsmade by Fianna Fáil leader,Micheál Martin, on RTE’s MorningIreland some weeks ago.

Martin had described as “barefaced lies” a suggestion by theLabour Party that the Fianna Fáil-Green Party government hadagreed to the disposal of €5 billionin state assets in its Memorandumof Understanding with the Troikain November 2010 and that all pro-ceeds from their sale would go ondebt reduction.

Some five months before theprevious government was forcedinto the November 2010 surrenderof sovereignty and the MOU, it hadestablished a review group headedby economist Colm McCarthy,which recommended the disposalof some €5 billion of state assets.

The MOU referred to theGovernment making an assessmentof the McCarthy report and, onfoot of its findings, discussing pri-

vatisations with the EuropeanCommission.

No specific reference was madeto a sum of money or that all theproceeds of asset sales would beused to write down state debt.

When the FG-Labour administra-tion took power in March 2011, itwas faced with implementing theMOU requirement on the sale ofstate assets and was informed that

the McCarthy figure of €5 billionwas the target for disposal.

It was also told that 100% of theproceeds would go on debt reduc-tion.

The Government returned withan offer of €2 billion for disposal,and based on a series of strict con-ditions, which the Commissionrejected as not “robust enough”.

Further discussions took place

after which a figure of €3 billion ofdisposals was agreed with onethird of the proceeds going towardsjob creation rather than debt reduc-tion.

The Minister for PublicExpenditure and Reform, BrendanHowlin, told Liberty last monththat no state assets that aredeemed to be of strategic impor-tance will be sold.

He said that no assets will besold unless it is at the best priceavailable.

“We have made it crystal clearthat if there is not a fair deal forthe tax payer, we are selling noth-ing,” Howlin added.

According to CommunicationsMinister, Pat Rabbitte, the FiannaFáil leader was attempting to re-write history when claiming thatthere was no requirement on theincoming government to privatise€5 billion of state assets and that itwas for the purpose of writingdown state debt.

“The figure being mooted whenwe checked was an expectationthat we would dispose of up to €5billion of state assets,” Pat Rabbittetold RTE’s Morning Ireland in mid-February last.

At the Labour Party conferencein Galway on Saturday, 14th April,delegates voted against the sale ofstate assets.

Brendan Howlin: Nothing sold without securing best price Micheál Martin: Accused by Labour Party of ‘rewriting history’

LibertyAPRIL 2012

9News

OR Dominic Hannigan theupcoming EU Fiscal Treatyreferendum is a clearchoice between copperfas-

tening the survival of the euro or opt-ing for more economic instability.

The Meath East TD, who is chair-man of the recently-establishedOireachtas Committee on the EUTreaty, told Liberty:“This treaty isgood housekeeping for the countryand for Europe.

“What it will do is give more confi-dence to the EU and businesses look-ing at investing in Europe because itwill reintroduce confidence, securityand stability into the system.”

Hannigan dismisses those whoargue that giving more power overour economic policy to the EU runscounter to the Labour Party’s claim tohave placed restoring Ireland’snational sovereignty as its numberone priority.

He explains: “We are not givingaway sovereignty, we are pooling sov-ereignty. When we joined theEuropean Union and the euro it gaveus a range of benefits but also respon-sibilities. To ensure that all the EUstates behave properly we have afacility that all state budgets will bescrutinised. That is not just part ofthe Fiscal Treaty but is already in theprevious agreements we have entered

into.“I don’t think there is anything to

be afraid of having our partners inthe EU project look at our budgets,comment on them and suggest thatsome things should be looked atagain.”

Hannigan stresses that acceptanceof the Fiscal Treaty and its aim ofreducing EU state deficits to 3% ofGDP does not rule out Labour sup-port for state-backed economic devel-opment.

“In relation to the deficit targetswhat people forget is there is nothingto stop us spending more money. It isjust that we would need to tax moreto do that. We can be a high spendand high tax country. Frankly, it is theview of many in the Labour Party thatwe do need to tax more.”

He believes that the issue ofincreasing the State’s income tax takewill be a major point of debatebetween the Labour and Fine Gaelparities during 2012.

Hannigan said: “The statement bythe Taoiseach last year that we wouldhave no income tax rises, I see that asa one year commitment.”

Hannigan also believes that theother key target of the Fiscal Treaty,to bring EU states’ debt-to-GDP ratiosto under 60%, does not hamperadopting policies aimed at providing

an economic stimulus.“In the next couple of years Ireland

will probably have a debt-to-GDPratio of about 120% – there are twoways to get the debt-to-GDP ratiodown to 60%, we can cut, cut, cut orwe can grow.”

“What happened in the 1990s wasour debt-to-GDP ratio went downfrom 95% in 1991 to 35% in nineyears.

“During that period we didn’t payback one cent of debt but it was doneby growing the economy. If we canget growth in the economy, then ourdebt-to-GDP ratio can go down.”

Hannigan is pleased with hisparty’s position in government.

He describes his move from being aSenator to becoming a governmentTD as “like moving from third year tofifth year at school. You know whereeverything is – it’s not like you’vechanged school but you’re treated alittle more seriously.”

He adds: “I’m really enjoying it,notwithstanding the fact that I have atough job to do and that I’m veryaware of the pain people in the coun-try are going through. It is a difficulttime but it is a very rewarding job.”

SIPTU backsLabour Partymotion onmigrants

F Dominic Hannigan: ‘We are not giving away sovereignty butpooling sovereignty’

Colm Keaveney: Election as Chairperson a ‘privilege’ in party’s centenary year

THE Migrants Rights CentreIreland and SIPTU have welcomedthe support of the Labour Partyconference for a motion calling forthe regularisation of undocument-ed migrants in Ireland.

MRCI spokesperson, EdelMcGinley, said: “This is a very sig-nificant step in realising thehuman rights and dignity of undoc-umented men, women and chil-dren living in Ireland.”

Jayson Montenegro, an undocu-mented migrant living in Irelandfor over eight years and spokesper-son for the Justice for theUndocumented Campaign toldLiberty: “I want to recognise thesignificance of this motion for thelives of the estimated 30,000undocumented people includingfamilies and children living inIreland. Our undocumented statusmeans that we are much more vul-nerable to mistreatment.”

SIPTU Services DivisionOrganiser, John King, added: “Thismotion is an important victory forthe Justice for the UndocumentedCampaign. It is important that theconditions of all migrants inIreland are regularised to preventthe undermining of their rightsand entitlements as workers.”

Former SIPTU official, ColmKeaveney, has been elected chair-man of the Labour Party.

Keaveney first contested a gener-al election in 1997 and was electedto Galway County Council in 2004.

In 2011, he became the first-everLabour TD in the Galway East con-stituency since the foundation ofthe State.

Since his election, Keaveney hasbeen involved in the importantcampaigns to reverse the cut to theminimum wage and to protect theRegistered Employment Agreementand Joint Labour Committee wagesetting mechanisms. He has alsoworked with SIPTU and otherunions in fighting to retain theCommunity Employment schemesand on reforming and securingfunding for mental health services.

Colm Keaveney first becameinvolved in radical student politicsin the early to mid-1990s when hejoined the Union of Students ofIreland (USI) and embarked on acampaign for free tuition fees. Helater served as president of USI.

From there, he joined the LabourParty and began working with

SIPTU official electedchair of Labour Party

SIPTU in Galway as an organiser inthe health sector.

Speaking to Liberty, he said thathis priority was to improve theparty’s communications andengagement with working people.

“The responsibility of the LabourParty is to protect the interests ofworking people. We need to have abetter engagement with people sothat we can bring them along withus on the road to recovery and therestoration of economic sovereign-ty,” Keaveney said.

He said that it was a privilege tobe elected chairperson in the cen-tenary year of the Labour Party’sfoundation by Jim Larkin andJames Connolly.

“I think it is appropriate that thesolidarity of the trade union move-ment and Labour is acknowledgedin the year that we celebrate thefounding of the party by two greattrade union leaders,” he added.

His election at the party confer-ence followed intense lobbying ofdelegates by Keaveney and the twoother candidates, outgoing chair-man, Brian O’Shea, and GalwayWest TD, Derek Nolan.

Adrian Kane, Sector Organiser for theInsurance, Finance, Print Media andRelated Sector, was re-appointed toLabour’s Executive, topping the poll.Adrian has served a number ofterms.

Loraine Mulligan, a policy analystin SIPTU’s Policy Research Unit, re-joined the Labour Party ExecutiveBoard at the recent Labour PartyConference in Galway. Loraine hasbeen successfully elected to theposition since 2009.

“We can cut, cut, cut or we can grow” Scott Millar talks to Labour TD Dominic Hannigan

LibertyAPRIL 2012

10 EconomyLibertyAPRIL 2012

During 2012 SIPTU Manufacturing Division will be rolling out theSupporting Quality Campaign. Representing almost 50,000

workers in the manufacturing industry, the Supporting QualityCampaign will see SIPTU working with unionised firms to ensure

that together we can provide maximum exposure to theirbrands among our entire membership.

SIPTU encourages you and your family to choosequality Irish goods manufactured in unionisedworkplaces. Making a decision to buy suchproducts will help protect quality jobs in Ireland and support the local economy.

Think UnionBuy Union

Protecting Quality Jobs in IrelandPromoting Quality Irish Products

SUPPORTINGQUALITY

Even choosing one additional quality Irish good

for your shopping basket can have a huge impact.

T’S the economy stupid” wasthe maxim that propelled BillClinton to office in 1992.Clinton is a big believer in

Ireland’s recovery story, but whenhe visited last year his chief caveatwas on personal debt.

With what must have soundedlike music to the ears of the manyIrish people drowning in debt, hesaid that writing down personaldebt more aggressively wouldspeed recovery. Many activists andeconomists are in agreement onthis, and the IMF recently weighedin with its support.

Perhaps the biggest brake ondomestic demand, growth andemployment is not austerity, butdebt.

People are earning less, andspending a smaller proportion ofthese reduced earnings than previ-ously.

Recent analysis by our CentralBank shows that Irish householdsare, perhaps unsurprisingly, amongthe most indebted in Europe andhave been busy paying down debtsfor the past three years.

Would we better off as a nationif we wrote down debts to spurgrowth? Is it fair for prudent tax-payers who did not over-borrow topay for the debts of those whodid?

If you could wave a magic wandand write down debt without cost,there is no doubt that a reduceddebt burden would free up dispos-able income and boost growth.

Iceland, which has been to theforefront of unorthodox policyresponses to the financial crisis,has written down mortgage debt inexcess of 110% of the propertyvalue.

Although leading parliamentari-ans were among its chief benefici-aries, and the total cost came to awhopping 13% of GDP, Iceland isnow growing. For the IMF, Icelandis ‘exhibit A’.

Ireland’s main problem is thatwe don’t have a magic wand, andwe can’t print our own currency.Given that our banking system islargely state owned, it follows thatany write-down of debts involvesthe effective transfer of wealthfrom taxpayers to debtors.

A blanket debt reduction is notan option because of resource con-straints, and may not even bedesirable.

It stands to reason that thebiggest beneficiaries from debt

So where is my bailout?

By Vic Duggan

Former US President Bill Clinton warnedof Ireland’s personal debt problems

relief are those who hold the mostdebt. Usually, it is those with thehighest incomes and most assetsthat run up the most debt.

Since 2007, incomes in Irelandare down, asset values have been

decimated, and many are no longerin a position to service their debts.

Of the three quarters of a millionmortgages outstanding, nearly onein seven are either in arrears ofmore than three months or have

been restructured. The situation isgetting worse, not better.

Arrears are even greater forinvestment properties, and recentreports that as many as one in fourof these cases could be investors

choosing not to pay in the expecta-tion that their debts will be writtendown is quite disturbing.

For those who won’t pay, thereshould be zero tolerance, and theyshould not be able to benefit fromthe proposed Personal Insolvencylegislation. Taxpayers have alreadypaid enough to bail out undeserv-ing investors.

For those who can’t pay, there isno option but to write down theirdebts. The quicker, the better.

It was for precisely this reasonthat the banks were stuffed withenough taxpayers’ money last yearto withstand losses even in aworst-case scenario.

So far, this worst-case scenario is,according to some measures, com-ing to pass. If the decline in houseprices continues to accelerate, andthey do not level out next year, thebanks may require further taxpayerbailouts to meet new, stricter capi-tal requirements.

Any generalised mortgage write-down could run up the taxpayers’tab even further.

Given the shock to our economy,debt write-downs are inevitable.Where they must happen, theyshould happen quickly. Mass repos-sessions and fire-sales are in theinterests of nobody.

New bankruptcy laws and anextra-judicial debt settlementmechanism are long overdue.Increasing flexibility on the side ofthe banks, such as allowing peoplein negative equity to move housein certain circumstances, is to bewelcomed.

Mortgage interest relief andother supports should be re-direct-ed to those who are in most diffi-culty. We need policies that areprogressive, not populist.

Pictures: Photocall Ireland

‘I

LibertyAPRIL 2012

11Economy

Knuckle under toGermany? Not a winning platform Tight-fisted German approach on economy won’t garner many referendum

votes in Ireland Picture: Photocall Ireland

ON’T know about you,but I’m bracing myselffor some pretty ropeyweeks leading up to the

Fiscal Treaty referendum. So many people are having their

doubts about the clarity of think-ing in Europe that fears that thecountry is locked deeper into aregime which is unshakeably guid-ed by the principle that economicdepression can only be improvedby pain – and then a bit more pain– will find popular support prettydamned difficult.

It isn’t just the unwashed whoare having their doubts. So too arethe experts. The renowned econo-

mist Paul Krugman has returned tothe theme recently.

He, like the rest of us, believedthat last autumn the EuropeanCentral Bank had opened up realis-tic credit lines; banks were beingsupported and governments werebeing taken off the hook. The timehad come to initiate the process ofstimulating growth.

What happened? Nothing. In thiscountry there was fiddling aroundwith promissory notes and promis-es – no, not promises, winks andnods – suggesting that the grievousburden would be somehow liftedfrom our backs.

On cue and just as soon as the

smidgeon of hope had lifted theIrish mood, stern-faced Germansarrived to tell us our problemswere our own fault and that thepain and suffering was the price ofour failure – get used to it.

Anyone who thinks that this is away of rallying support going intothe referendum is quite mad.

Krugman was focusing in on theproblem in Spain which is the lat-est concern on the bond markets.

Economically Spain sinks deeperinto recession. Youth unemploy-ment is running at a staggering50%. Spain wasn’t an improvidentor spendthrift country. It just hadthe misfortune to have a housing

bubble that it could not cope withand the mess deepened.

What’s the recommended solu-tion coming from Mrs Merkel andthe chaps in Frankfurt? You’veguessed it, bundles more austerity.

Krugman makes the point thatthe most famous occasion whensuch an economic circumstancecropped up in the past was duringthe Great Depression in America.

Then the answer was an exitfrom the Gold Standard. He sug-gests the equivalent solution forthe current European mess is todump the euro and return tonational currencies.

If this isn’t to happen then the

policies of Austerity Abu have tochange and it has to happen really,really fast.

In Ireland we are about to beasked to vote on a referendum thatwill secure the euro.

Do we have a promise that thedisastrous policies that have beenpursued by Berlin and Frankfurtare going to change?

I haven’t heard any. All I see isfinger-wagging and reminders ofour improvident past (which, inci-dentally, was never reflected in mypay packet).

If this Fiscal Treaty is going toget past the Irish people, someoneis going to have to get real.

By Martin Fitzpatrick

D

IPTU is one of 23 unions affiliatedto Congress which is funding theNevin Economic Research Institute.The new Institute is an all-island

research body established to provide analternative story and response to the onewe are only too familiar with in recenttimes.

Named after Dónal Nevin, trade unionist,scholar and socialist, the Institute aims toundertake high-quality research of rele-vance to trade unions and broad society.

We were formally launched on 27thMarch. Our first Quarterly EconomicObserver contained an overview of theeconomy North and South as well as a pro-posal for an investment stimulus in bothparts of Ireland.

Building on work already done in rela-tion to a proposal for the diversion of pen-sion funds into much needed infrastructur-al projects, the Observer challenged theclaim that there is little or nothing that canbe done to reverse the disastrous and con-tinuing high level of unemployment andunder-employment.

Staffed by four economists spreadbetween Dublin and Belfast, the Institutehas an ambitious and challenging pro-gramme of work covering a wide range ofissues including investment, jobs, fiscalpolicies, macro-economic forecasting andthe euro crisis.

We look forward to working with other

economists in the trade union movementas well as beyond. As part of the EuropeanTrade Union Related Institutes (TURI) net-work we plan to contribute to, and draw onEuropean trade union research capacity.

NERI’s website – www.NERInstitute.net –contains information and links to recentpublications including:

• Quarterly Economic Observer whichwill appear every quarter and provide an

alternative view and set of policy options tothat offered by other research groups; and

• Quarterly Economic Facts which will beupdated every quarter to provide a widerange and selection of indicators of labourcosts, employment, unemployment, publicfinances and debt.

With a focus on the all-island economy aswell as ‘east-west’ economic ties betweenIreland and Britain, we aim to develop ananalysis and debate around what sort ofsociety is possible in 2022 and what type ofeconomic models are needed to achieve aflourishing and egalitarian society in thefuture.

Some of the different and evolving‘Nordic’ models with high labour marketparticipation, good social safety nets andemphasis on lifelong learning and flexibili-ty provide an interesting focus for research.

We appreciate the support of affiliateunions and welcome opportunities to con-tribute to thinking, analysis, capacity-build-ing and policy development on economicmatters.

These are very challenging times – per-haps the worst of times and the best oftimes – and more than ever we need tobuild on the strengths and capacities thatreside across the entire trade union move-ment – Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann anpobal – we live in each other’s shadow.

Tom Healy is director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute

By Tom HealyS All-island resource for unions

We need to build on the strengths and capacities across entire union movement

... we live in each other’s shadow

Domestic economy needs stimulusRECENT downward revisions of 2012growth projections by both the CentralBank and the Fiscal Advisory Council(FAC) cast doubt on the Government’sown projections for the coming year.

All of the evidence demonstrates thatausterity is hurting the domestic economyand blocking growth.

Despite this, the Government andindeed the allegedly independent FACcontinue to advocate austerity. Indeed theCouncil thinks more austerity is required.

While 2011 produced anaemic GDPgrowth, the fact that GNP continues tocontract is deeply worrying. Worse stillwas the two quarter GDP drop.

With a negative outlook for theEuropean economy overall, theGovernment’s export-led growth strategyis clearly now in question.

The domestic economy urgentlyrequires stimulus. Sinn Fein, along withmany in the trade union and academicworld, have long been arguing for a majorGovernment-led investment in jobs.

There are funds available to theGovernment from the National PensionReserve Fund, from the EuropeanInvestment Bank and from the privatepensions industry.

The problem is not a lack of investmentcapital but a lack of political will.

Worse still, the Government and its EU

counterparts are seeking to impose a eurozone-wide contraction, via the AusterityTreaty.

Such a course of action will have a dev-astating impact on the living standards of

ordinary working people and will furtherimpede a return to growth at home andacross the EU.

It is time for a change of policy.Sinn Féin’s alternative budget, pub-

lished last October, outlined in detail whatsuch an alternative could look like.

Austerity will not reduce the deficit norwill it enable a return to growth. We needprogressive tax reform, investment in jobsand services, and a new approach to theeuro zone crisis.

The referendum on the Austerity Treatyon May 31st offers the voters of this statea clear choice.

Do you support increased levels of aus-terity; on-going bailouts of toxic privatebanking debt; increased charges on lowand middle income households; and cutsto vital front line services? If so, then sup-port the Government’s Austerity Treaty.

However, if you believe that there is abetter way; If you want governments toinvest in jobs and services; if you want anend to the use of taxpayers’ money tobailout bondholders; if you believe thatthose who have the most must pay themost; then you should vote no.

Doing so will send a signal, both to ourown government and to the EuropeanCouncil, that there is opposition to auster-ity in Ireland and that people want a bet-ter, fairer way.

Pearse Doherty is Sinn Fein TD for Donegal SouthWest and is the party’s Finance Spokesperson

By Pearse Doherty TD

EconomyLibertyAPRIL 2012

12

Fiscal Compact Treaty

6 page special

The Thirtieth Amendment of the ConstitutionThe Bill provides for the insertion of the following subsectionafter subsection 9 of Article 29.4 of the Constitution, in order to ratify the Stability Treaty and enable the Oireachtas to adopt anylegislation necessary in order to implement its provisions:

• New fiscal rule: a balanced budget.

• Definit ion of the new rule: it is even more onerous than the term “balanced budget” suggests. The structural part of the government’s budget deficit may not exceed 0.5% of GDP over the medium term. So even after the gap is closed between tax revenues and current expenditure in Ireland in 2014, Ireland will still have a structural gap owing to the size of our debt servicing payments.

• To date: Under the Six Pack of measures introduced in December 2011, a member state must first reduce its general government deficit to below 3% as a share of GDP. In the three years after this, if the debt exceeds 60% as share of GDP, the member state must move towards reducing its debt by one twentieth each year (or the average of 1/20 over 3 years).

• Impact of the new fiscal rule:The fiscal compact raises the bar on existing debt and deficit rules. The impact will be an attempt to bring about a more rapid reduction of the Government’s overall debt level.

• Compliance and Sanction:Any attempt by member states to deviate from the medium term adjustment programme as agreed in advance between the European Commission and the member state will trigger an automatic correction to the budget plan. A government’s capacity to determine its own changes to taxes and spending plans will be severely limited. Exceptional circumstances are provided for, but the actual definition is not entirely clear.

• Conditions attached: The EU’s new permanent bail out facility, the European Stability Mechanism, will be established in July 2012. Access to assistance from this fund will be conditional on approving the new Fiscal Compact Treaty. This is stated in the preamble to the Treaty.

• Ratification: In contrast to other treaties that depended on the unanimous support of all member states, the new treaty only requires the ratification by 12 member states for it to come into force. Unlike other occasions, Ireland does not have a veto over the introduction of this treaty. In all, the leaders of 25 member states have signed up the draft treaty, with the UK and the Czech Republic opting out.

• Signing into law: The failure to set down, in full, the provisions of the Treaty in the Member state’s constitution or in legislation could mean a member state will be brought before the EU Court of Justice and a penalty will apply.

THE DETAILS

“The State may ratify the Treaty on Stability, Coordination andGovernance in the Economic and Monetary Union done at Brussels 15on the 2nd day of March 2012. No provision of this Constitution invalidates laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the Statethat are necessitated by the obligations of the State under that Treatyor prevents laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by bodiescompetent under that Treaty from having the force of law in theState”

LibertyAPRIL 2012

13

FiscalCompact Treaty

OBJECTIVES OFTHE STRATEGY

A SYNCHRONISED FISCAL CONTRACTION

he Referendum on the pro-posed Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance inthe Economic and MonetaryUnion known as the “FiscalCompact Treaty” arises in the

context of the most serious crisis in theCapitalist System since the GreatDepression of the 1930s. The crisiscame about as a result of the dismantle-ment of the global financial regulationinfrastructure in the interests of people atthe top of the financial services industry.Recklessly unsustainable lending leftbanks across the developed world com-pletely over-exposed when the musicstopped. The consequences have beenparticularly acute in Europe. Major banksacross the Continent are carrying trillionsof euro of public and private debt on theirbalance sheets. The irrational exuberanceof the past has given way to fear and iner-tia among the moneylenders of the world.Greece, Portugal and Ireland have found itimpossible to borrow at sustainable rates,resulting in the need for EU/ECB/IMF pro-gramme funding. Other countries suchas Spain and Italy are precariously on theprecipice. The crisis threatens dominodefaults, the collapse of the banks, thebreak-up of the euro and the implosion ofthe global financial system.

Germany, because of the size andstrength of its economy, is now at centrestage. Together with France (jointlyaccounting for 48% of Eurozone GDP) itis determining the direction of the policyresponse. They are applying remediesthat reflect their interests, concerns andthe lived experience of their ruling elites.The “Fiscal Compact Treaty” mirrors asimilar measure to one which was enact-ed in Germany in 2009 providing for anew “budget rule.”

The strategy underpinning the Treaty isdesigned to:• bring about an “adjustment” in

costs in the indebted countries in order to boost competitiveness, (principally through cutting welfare and public services, driving down the price of labour and curtailing people’s rights at work)

• reassure the moneylenders of the world that they will get their money back;

• placate public opinion in Germany

which is underwriting the bills and which underwent a severe “adjustment” a decade ago.

It entails an internal devaluation; a one-sided austerity approach. The Germanperception of their own experience in thetwo decades post re-unification may wellcolour the view on what needs to bedone. However, the macroeconomic con-ditions were very different then fromthose which apply in Europe today. Whilethe country never actually dipped intorecession, the post reunification bill dur-ing the 1990’s imposed huge costs onthe German public finances. TheGovernment response was to effect an“adjustment” through cutting unemploy-ment benefits and diminishing workers’rights. Their response floated on the backof the dot-com recovery globally, export-ing to buoyant neighbouring economies.

Today things are very different. USdomestic economic activity appears to beimproving, but its recovery throughout2012 and 2013 will remain constrainedby a fragile housing market, with negativeequity weighing heavily on householdsalongside significant uncertainty for thepublic finances after the Presidential election later this year. The Eurozone isabout to slip back into recession. Latestprojections envisage lower global growthrates. Unemployment is rising exponen-

tially. Aggregate demand has declined invirtually every Eurozone country.

The policy underpinning the Treaty will notsolve the problems of Ireland or ofEurope. In 2012, the EuropeanCommission expects that 20 out of the 27EU member states will be in breach of the3% deficit target (see figure 1). Thus theywill be under the “excessive deficit proce-dure” requiring them to reduce publicexpenditure and increase taxation sharply. A synchronised, fiscal contraction acrossthe European Union can only have theeffect of depressing domestic and internal

(within Europe) export demand along withliving standards.

The prescription is to redistribute incomefrom Labour to Capital in order to bolsterinternational competitiveness, shore upprofitability, encourage investment andultimately create employment.

However, if economic activity is stagnat-ing across almost all Eurozone memberstates and US growth is insufficient toshore up export demand from the EU,

how will the recovery come about? One-sided austerity won’t work. The onlyroute to sustainability is through job cre-ation and the stimulation of aggregatedemand, through investment. The effectof the contraction could be alleviated byparallel measures such as debt sharing(Eurobonds) and/or massive structuralfunds to stimulate growth in the stressedcountries. However, there is no sign ofeither.

The mandate of the European CentralBank (ECB) should be expanded to inter-vene directly in the bond markets and topursue growth promoting policies.However, the only initiative of significancethus far has been the provision of €1.06trillion by the ECB, through its longer-termrefinancing operation (LTRO). This hasbeen made available to the Europeanbanks at a rate of 1% interest over 3

years. It was provided to avert a secondcredit crunch. Banks could avail of theliquidity provided at a rate of 1% to buyGovernment bonds at 5 to 6% returns.This would simultaneously calm the bondmarkets enabling countries to borrow,while alleviating the pressure on the bankbalance sheets (through increasing thevalue of existing bond holdings) and alsoprovide a guaranteed margin of return.This did happen, at least initially. It washoped the initiative would buy somerespite from the funding crisis for two to

The Government has scheduled Thursday, 31st May, as the date for a referendum onthe “Fiscal Compact Treaty”. This paper offers an analysis of the proposed Treaty andthe issues that arise from a trade union perspective. The purpose is to examine thelikely effects, implications and alternative options facing workers in Ireland.

BACKGROUND

����� ���� ���� ���� ���� ��� ���

�� ����������������������� ��� ���������� ���� �� � �!"#����!�$��� �%��!� �%�� ��&!��� ��������'�(���!����")�*��+�,��!-���,�� �� . �� &!�� � �'�(���!����")/ ��� 0��+�� ��"1!"�� /��+! �� 2!�� � � &"���� #!�� � /!3��-�!���� � ���� ���4����

���� ������������$�5����� �����5��� "�

6

Figure 1

Source: EU DG Economic and F inance affairs, Ameco database

General Government Deficit - 2012 forecast

LibertyAPRIL 2012

14

T

FiscalCompact Treaty

WHAT THEN FORIRELAND?

ONE SIDED AUSTERITY IS THE WORST POSSIBLE RESPONSECENTRE RIGHT PARTIES

NOW DOMINANT IN EUROPE

three years. Clearly the strategy is to keepthe system afloat while the “adjustment” iseffected (principally at the expense of work-ing people). However, the wheels may becoming off it already. Take Spain for exam-ple. The Spanish people recently elected agovernment of impeccably right-wing cre-dentials with an overwhelming majority. It went on to announce the most severeausterity budget since the demise of theFranco dictatorship. All seemed to be goingaccording to plan. However, the moneylenders don’t appear to be buying it. Theywant to know where the growth is going tocome from to repay them. They know onesided austerity won’t work.

The current approach is driven by theCentre-Right Par ties now dominant inEurope. It reflects the interests of those atthe top of the banking and financial sys-tems, who ironically caused the crisis in thefirst place.

This is a long way from the outlook of thegreat French socialists, Francois Mitterrandand Jacques Delors, who championed theconcept of Social Europe in the run up tothe Maastricht Treaty of 1992. Indeed, ECBPresident, Mario Draghi has stated in aninterview with the Wall Street Journal1 that“Europe’s vaunted social model – whichplaces a premium on job security and gen-erous safety nets – is already gone.”

The proponents of the Treaty contend that itis an essential prerequisite for German sup-port for further measures to assist. Thismay be so, but there is little evidence ofany. Indeed, the current German FinanceMinister Herr Schauble has argued that dis-tressed countries would not carry out the“adjustment” if such were to be provided.In any event the proposition, as it stands,entails a one-sided austerity agenda only.

It is also asserted that the Treaty is merelythe reaffirmation of measures already inexistence such as the Stability and GrowthPact which is enshrined in the 1992Maastricht Protocol. This obliged countriesto observe fiscal limits of a max 3% deficitand a 60% debt/GDP ratio.

This is true to a considerable degree.However, it differs in a number of importantrespects:

• the requirement to incorporate it into primary national legislation (i.e. Constitutional level or equivalent);

• the focus on a structural deficit of 0.5% of GDP (as distinct from an overall general government deficit of 3%);

• the requirement for countries with debt levels in excess of 60% of GDP to reduce them to that level by annual increments of 1/20th, (although this is also enshrined in the recently adopted ‘Six Pack’);

• The exclusion of Countries that do not ratify the Treaty from access to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

(Economists do not actually agree on theway to calculate structural deficits. Indeed,some contend that ongoing compliancewith the 0.5% limit in a low growth econo-my would result in debt levels well belowthe 60% target.)

In the longer term (if it lasts), the“Compact” will impede countries from sup-porting their economies during downturns.However, the most immediate effect of thestrategy underpinning it is a dramaticreduction in public spending and increasesin taxation across the continent in face ofsevere recession. A more rational approachwould entail a less severe “debt brake” balanced by other measures to share theburden and stimulate growth. However,this is not on offer! One-sided austerity isthe worst possible response.

So this is not the correct course for Europe.It is both unfair and infeasible.

Here there is a further complication. We areafflicted by a debt level which is expected topeak at 119%/GDP in 2013, second only toGreece. See Figures 2 and 3.

This is the result of the socialisation of therecklessly incurred private debts of ourbanks by the last Government. Ironically,even if the Treaty had been in place duringthe boom years, it would not have prevent-ed the mess created by the banks.

Moreover, our banks (now predominantlypublicly owned) continue to rely on billions ofEuro from the ECB to stay in business. Sincethe end of 2010 our Government has beenunable to borrow the money required at sus-tainable levels to run the country and servicedebt. We are currently funded by theEU/ECB/IMF Troika through a programmewhich can extend to the end of 2013.

The current European funding mecha-nisms; the European Financial StabilityFacility and the European FinancialStabilisation Mechanism (EFSF and EFSM)are due to expire in 2013. They will bereplaced by a new vehicle called the ESM.The sting in the tail is that countries thathave not ratified the “Fiscal CompactTreaty” by 1st January 2013 will not haveaccess to it.In January 2014, about €8bn of national

Source: Dept of F inance Budget documents and Medium Term fiscal statement 2011

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

�

��

� ���� ��� ���� ���� ���� ���� ���� ���� ���� ��� ��� �� ���

�� �������������������������

�� �������������������������

�

Figure 2

Source: EU DG Economic and F inance Affairs, Ameco database

�

��

��

��

��

���

���

���

���

���

����� ������� ���� ���� ���������

�

Figure 3

LibertyAPRIL 2012

15FiscalCompact Treaty

Government Debt to GDP Ratio

General Government Debt 2012 (forecast)

1Wall Street Journal, 24th February, 2012

debt falls due. We will have to borrow toroll it over. Will the moneylenders provideit, knowing that we will not have access tothe ESM if we are not able to pay themback? If they don’t we may have todefault which could become a one-wayticket to the Stone Age.

People opposing the Treaty argue other-wise. They make a number of pointsincluding the following:

• that the changes to the Treaty on theFunctioning of the EU, which makesway for the establishment of a permanent bailout mechanism has not yet been ratified and by threatening to veto it we could get better terms of access to the ESM;

• that even if we find ourselves unableto borrow in 2014, the European Council will not allow us to default anyhow because of the danger of domino repercussions across the Eurozone;

• that we could borrow from the IMF ifall else fails.

None of these contentions should be dis-

missed. They are at least as valid as theassertion that a recovery can be engi-neered through forcing 20 countries in aneconomic union to cut spending andincrease taxation simultaneously during arecession.

However, we cannot see the sense ofvetoing the changes to the Treaty on theFunctioning of the EU which establishes afund upon which we ourselves may needto rely. Moreover, it would play into thehands of hard line elements in the

German establishment and that of othertreble ‘A’ rated countries. They areopposed to any system of financial assis-tance for the stressed countries whatso-ever. We should be careful what we wishfor.

Similarly, we cannot be so sure that thoseat the top of the European institutionswould not allow us to default. They wereready to let Greece go over the edge inFebruary, ultimately forcing them toaccept barbaric austerity. Indeed, theyfloated the prospect of an “escrowaccount” from which external liabilitieswould be discharged while Greece itselfwould be fed to the wolves.

The fly in the ointment of these strategiesis that those at the top of the Europeansystem have more to lose by capitulatingto them than by standing firm. Concedingto us would undermine the credibility ofthe whole “Fiscal Compact” edifice in theeyes of the money lenders of the world.Moreover all the stressed countries wouldbe queuing up for similar arrangements.Admittedly, it could work but it is unlikelyand therefore it is like playing Russianroulette with potentially awesome conse-quences.

Arguments have been made by those

opposed to the Treaty that there are viablealternative options which could be madeavailable from the IMF, when the currentflow of funding from the Troika ends in2013. The IMF has five distinct pro-grammes for the granting of loans oroverdraft facilities to debtor countries.Ireland currently depends on an “extend-ed fund facility”. This vehicle is specifi-cally intended for countries which requirelonger periods to pay back the debt. Theargument goes that post 2013, Irelandshould be able to make use of other IMF

loan facilities. In particular, the “flexiblecredit line” has been identified as a possi-ble alternative. This in effect is an over-draft facility. No conditions are attachedwhen using it and there is no cap on thecredit allowed. However, there are verystringent pre-conditions relating to eligi-bility for funding. It is necessary to havea capital account position dominated byprivate flows, sound public finances,including a sustainable public debt posi-tion and no bank solvency problems thatpose systemic threats to banking systemstability. On each of these criteria, Irelandfails to meet the requirements.Consequently, it is clear that Ireland wouldnot qualify unless very significant actionwas taken to write down our debt.

Then there is the option of default itself.In 2014 we are projected to have a pri-mary surplus. Revenue will exceed thecost of running the country before debtservicing is taken into account.Theoretically, we could default on ourexternal and official creditor debt and stillget by, but a major flight of capital out ofthe country could follow. We are one of the most open economies

in the world. We cannot anticipate theimplications. Thousands of jobs in ourfinancial services industry could evapo-rate. Foreign direct investment could dryup. How long would the global manufac-turing companies continue to locate here?Again it could work but the fact is wedon’t know what would happen and there-fore it’s not a place to go unless there isno alternative.

Even if we ratify it the Treaty will not affectus directly until 2015 because we are inan EU/ECB/IMF Programme anyhow.However, before 2015, compliance withthe Treaty by other EU member statesmay well affect us indirectly because aco-ordinated contraction in Europe coulddamage exports and tourism.

After 2015, it is not very clear at this pointin time what the exact impact of the vari-ous fiscal rules will be on the Irish publicfinances and which ones will directlyapply. Should Ireland meet the 3% gener-al government deficit target by 2015(which will not happen in the absence ofsignificant growth), Ireland will exit theexcessive deficit procedure. However, wewill still have a debt to GDP ratio in excessof 60%. As a result, the country wouldbecome subject to the debt reduction ruleset down in the EU Six Pack and Irelandwill have a three year transition perioduntil 2018 to commence reducing thenational debt by an annual average of1/20th per year.

Before then it is expected that our own fis-cal rules which will be published this Junein the Fiscal Responsibility Bill (a require-ment of the Troika agreement) will applypost 2015. The exact nature of theserules and how they will interact with thestructural deficit rule and the debt reduc-tion rule are not entirely clear. Either way,Ireland is facing into a long period oftough budgets.

In the longer term, if it survives in its pres-ent form the Treaty will have big implica-tions, especially as our National Debt cur-rently stands among the highest in theEurozone, at 115% of GDP. It also pro-vides for a high level of scrutiny of ourcompliance with the Compact by the EUCommission and by other member states.The difficulty in observing a structuraldeficit limit of 0.5% in a country carryingour level of National Debt cannot be over-stated. As long as the rate of debt serv-icing payments (See Figure 4) exceedsthat of economic growth the GeneralGovernment Debt will keep increasing andthe structural deficit will pop up each fol-lowing year. Indeed it may well be a nearimpossible task.

That being said, it is not a choice betweenan idyllically prosperous utopia outsidethe Treaty and brutal austerity inside. Thefact of the matter is that we are going tohave to run primary surpluses for severalyears in order to bring down the ratio ofdebt to GDP in any event. Otherwise wewill not be able to borrow at sustainablerates.

It is not as though we can leverage a bet-ter deal by voting ‘No’ either. This is notan EU Treaty. We cannot veto it. It is amultilateral Treaty that requires theapproval of only 12 countries to proceed,so it will go ahead without us.

MEDIUM TO LONG TERM IMPLICATIONS

���

���

���

���

��

��

��

��

��

���

���

�� � ���� ���� ���� ��� ���� ���� ���� ���� ���� ��� ���� ���� ���� ��� ���� ����

����������������������������� � � �

ALTERNATIVES

Source: Dept of F inance Budget documents and Medium Term fiscal statement 2011

Figure 4

DEFAULT?

FiscalCompact TreatyLibertyAPRIL 2012

16

Debt servicing as share of GDP 1998-2015 (forecast)

The proponents of the Treaty argue that itis critical that we adopt it and continue onthe same path as the majority of EU gov-ernments. They contend that remaining“integrated” in Europe is key to our econ-omy. This is because so many enterpris-es are located here due to our being per-ceived as a core Eurozone country. Theywarn of uncertain outcomes in respect offuture foreign direct investment, retentionof global companies, market perception,etc. They are correct in this respect.

We are often advised of the importanceof being with all the others on that trainwhich is departing on 1st January 2013(the date on which the Treaty becomeseffective or before then if 12 or more participating countries ratify it). However,one wonders if this should still apply evenif the train is heading over a cliff?

The really difficult issue is the exclusionfrom access to ESM funding if we do notratify the Treaty. The Government believesthat reassuring the money lenders thatthey will be bailed out if we cannot repaythem is key to getting back to the mar-kets. Otherwise, it will be like trying toget a mortgage without insurance. Thismakes sense as far as it goes.

However, it will take more than that toconvince the money lenders of the worldto fund us. They will focus on our debtservicing requirement over the mediumterm, (See Figure 4) our zombie banksand our unemployment rate running at14% plus. (See Figure 5).

If we are unable to borrow at sustainablerates we will be faced with another“bailout” even if we ratify the Treaty. Thismay be better than running the gauntlet ofdefault but it will be horrendous nonethe-

less, (if the current outlook still prevails inEurope). They will insist on further tight-ening the austerity screw. This will entaila further savage attack on wages and thedivestment of remaining state assets thatare critical to growth as well as ongoingretrenchment on public provision.

Therefore, the key to the future is a cred-ible strategy for growth. That meansaddressing the issue of consumption anddomestic demand (which has collapsedhere to an unparalleled degree).

Exports are critically important and theyare performing well but they will notaddress the jobs deficit. The real prob-lem is that our domestic economy is

stagnant. Unless domestic demand isstimulated we will see neither jobs norgrowth of any significance and we won’tbe able to borrow anyhow.

Gross fixed capital formation has con-tracted by 67% from €48.5bn down to€16bn (at current market prices)between 2007 and 2011, with an evenlarger collapse in building and construc-tion activity. The private sector hasretreated from the scene. There will beno significant growth without investment.

The Government cannot directly fund astimulus because the Troika Agreementrestricts public spending. However thereare other ways of doing it. The tradeunion movement has developed a pro-posal with the potential to create tens ofthousands of jobs. This involves a com-bination of use of the National PensionsReserve Fund (NPRF), money incen-tivised from the private pension schemesthrough exemptions from the PensionsLevy, and resources leveraged from theEuropean Investment Bank (EIB).

There is still about €5bn remaining in theNPRF. Already the investment mandate ofthe NPRF has been changed under theprevious Government to accommodate5% investment of the fund’s resourcesinto infrastructural activities in Ireland.The Government could direct the NPRF tostep up this domestic investment and,where appropriate, co-funding from theprivate sector would need to be sought inorder to ensure that such investmentremains “off balance sheet”, to meetEurostat criteria. The private pensionfunds currently carry more than €70bn ofassets on their balance sheets. Theyhave been levied at the rate of 0.6% perannum over a four year period – totalling2.4%. A system could be devised toincentivise each fund to invest 5%-7% ofits assets in job-generating enterprises in

the domestic economy through an infra-structure fund along with the NPRFmoney in return for exemption from thelevy. Additional money could be lever-aged from the European Investment Bank(EIB).

A fund of upwards of €10bn could bedeveloped over three years, investing€3bn per year. (The Nevin EconomicResearch Institute (NERI) believes itcould be extended to €15bn over fiveyears.)

The concept has not been rejected by theGovernment. (Indeed, we believe a num-ber of ministers agree with it.) Howevertime is passing and nothing tangible hashappened. We are unclear as to whetherthis is due to official inertia or non-coop-eration from the Pensions Industry (asdistinct from the Pensions Funds) or oth-erwise. It may also be that some ele-ments of officialdom still believe that paycosts across the economy should beallowed to fall further before any initiativeis taken. However, even those whobelieve in such stuff, will acknowledgethat “Ireland is now competitive” e.g.Goldman Sachs (See“ Achieving Fiscaland External Balance”, March 15th and22nd). Domestic demand here fell by anunprecedented 24.2% between the firstquarter of 2008 and the fourth quarter of2011 – well in excess of any other EUcountry (See Figure 6).

Employment from peak to trough herehas fallen by more than any other indus-trialised country since the GreatDepression. Moreover, Irish cost com-petitiveness in terms of unit labour costsacross all sectors of the economy andmeasured relative to our main tradingpartners improved by 19% between Q.22008 and Q.1 2011 (Source, CentralBank, 2012). (See Figure 7).

� � �� �� �� ��

������ �� �������� ������ ����

�� ���� ����� ����

������! ����"�����#$ � �% ���&

'�� ��(�����#��) ��*����

�����"���

+'�,�-������ �./�����

+���� ��,�-������ �.0�����+�����!�����#��)�&�����������)�* ����/������� � #���

'� ������ ���������+'��-�" ����1�����

2

LibertyAPRIL 2012

17

GROWTH IS KEY

Source: eurostat

EXCLUSION FROMACCESS TO ESM FUNDING

GDP Domestic demand

Germany 0.5 2.1Austria 0.01 2.2France -0.3 -0.2Netherlands -2 -2.3Euro area -2.1 -2.6Finland -2.3 3.8Portugal* -3.7 -7.5Spain -3.9 -11.6UK -4 -6.5Italy -5.2 -4.8Estonia -7.4 -15.8Ireland* -9.6 -24.2

*Most recent data to third quarter 2011

Source: eurostat

EUROPE’S SHRUNKEN ECONOMIES: % CHANGEFROM FIRST QUARTER 2008 TO FOURTH

QUARTER 2011

Figure 5

Figure 6

FiscalCompact Treaty

Unemployment rate across EU 27 February, 2012

package of legislative meas-ures, known as the ‘SixPack’, adjusting the Stabilityand Growth Pact and intro-ducing additional monitor-ing requirements, came intoforce across European

Union in December 2011. Euro Areamembers in breach of the 3% deficitrule may ultimately face sanction ofup to 0.2% of GDP for not taking stepsto ameliorate the public finances posi-tion, unless a majority on the Counciloppose (“reverse qualified majorityvoting”). The new ‘expenditure rule’means a country’s rate of publicexpenditure must not exceed its medi-um-term growth rate, unless financedthrough taxation/revenue-raising. TheCommission can prompt changes innational budgets to ensure adherenceto deficit reduction targets.Furthermore, Member States are sub-

ject to a debt reduction rule if theratio exceeds 60% of GDP. Thisimplies an annual reduction of 1/20th(on average over three years), after atransitional period of three yearswhich commences when the 3% deficitthreshold is achieved. A fine of 0.5% ofGDP may become payable by EuroZone countries that, for a lengthy peri-od, neglect to tackle debt.

Moreover, a new ‘Excessive ImbalancesProcedure’ (EIP) is provided for toanticipate the emergence of unsustain-able macro-economic imbalances.Surveillance is undertaken based on ascoreboard of indicators which maytrigger an alert, prompting theEuropean Commission to carry out anin-depth study of the problem. Tenindicators are to be evaluated: currentaccount balance; net internationalinvestment; real effective exchange

rate (REFER); share of world exports;house price developments; private sec-tor credit flows; private sector debt;general government debt; unemploy-ment rates and nominal unit labourcosts. Eurostat defines the latter ascomparing employee remunerationand productivity (GDP per personemployed, including self-employed),as expressed in the percentage changeover three years. It is a matter of con-cern that this measure could be usedcrudely as an instrument to exertdownward pressure on wages.Member States are required to submitan action plan and progress reports tothe Commission to address macro-eco-nomic/competitive imbalances if iden-tified. Under reverse majority voting,Euro Area countries can eventuallyincur for a fine of 0.1% of GDP for fail-ing to take corrective action.Programme countries, such as Ireland,

are not examined under this processbecause they are already subject toextensive obligations.

Member States must adopt legislationat national level to facilitate multi-annual fiscal planning and the imple-mentation of deficit and debt rules, assignalled in the forthcoming FiscalResponsibility Bill.

The Fiscal Compact Treaty incorpo-rates the debt reduction rule that iscurrently contained within the ‘SixPack’. The European Commission hasproposed a further two regulations forMember States in the Euro Zone,allowing for greater oversight of budg-etary plans and strengthening surveil-lance mechanisms for countries infinancial distress.

‘Six

Pac

k’

Accordingly, if the Government commits to proceed with a stimulus initiative along the lines outlined above, in addition to the projected capital spend,on a sufficient scale to create tens of thousands of jobs, we will recommend in favour of the proposition being put in the Referendum on 31st May next– but only if they do so. Otherwise we are unable to endorse it, as apart from the inherent unfairness of the strategy underpinning it, one-sided austeri-ty will not succeed in any event.

CONCLUSION

A

The initiative could provide the domestic stim-ulus that is absent at European level. It wouldalleviate the misery of unemployment andoffer some hope. According to theConstruction Industry Council each €1bninvested in infrastructure would generate10,000 jobs. Over time, it would be self-financing, (vis a vis the cost offset of the pen-sion fund levy) reducing the budget for socialtransfers and increasing tax revenue.

It would enhance the productivity of our econ-omy as well as facilitating skills retention anddevelopment. Moreover, it would help stimu-late demand and place us on a growth trajec-tory. Along with the reassurance of access toESM funding it would help improve our creditrating. It would provide us with a fightingchance of being able to borrow at sustainablerates to fund the needs of our people again.

It would offer the prospect of a future free ofthe brutal strictures of another “bailout” oralternatively running the gauntlet on default.

We could possibly ratify the Treaty and workalong with other countries to try to change itfrom within. One thing is sure – change it will,because one-sided austerity will not work. Bythe time it affects us directly, the Treaty and thestrategy underpinning it, will have caused somuch turmoil in Europe that it will have been off-set by other measures, amended or abandoned

altogether. In this regard, the wording of the ref-erendum proposal would merely enable theOireachtas to ratify the Treaty (See page 13).

It does not seek to enshrine it in theConstitution, lock, stock and barrel. This isimportant in that we would not be left stuckwith a rigid inflexible formula in perpetuity andit at least offers the hope of changing directionunder improved political conditions in thefuture.

A DOMESTIC STIMULUS

LibertyAPRIL 2012

18

���� ���� ���� �� ��� ��� ���

������

����

����

�����

������

��

����

������

�������

������

����������

������

������������

��������������

�������

����

�����

�����

����!���"���

#�$��"����

��%�&����

������������������"����������������'��()����������������������������������(**+,(*-(

Source: EU DG ECONOMIC and F inance affairs, Ameco database

Figure 7

%Change in real unit labour costs across EU 27 and other industrialised countries 2009-2012

FiscalCompact Treaty

LibertyAPRIL 2012

19Liberty View

By JACK O’CONNORSIPTU General President

LibertyView

Liberty Quiz*Answer the six questions correctly and you can win a weekend away for two in one of Ireland’s Fair Hotels.

*Terms and conditions apply.

1) Who was recently elected chairperson of the Labour Party?2) What year was John Arden’s play the ‘Non-Stop Connolly Show’ staged in Liberty Hall?3) Tom Healy is the director of a new all-island research body, what is its name?4) In which county is the Irish Workhouse Centre?5) Who directed the docudrama The Enigma of Frank Ryan?6) Meath man Jim Connell wrote which famous song?

Last month’s winner was: Fiachra Trench, Musicians Union of Ireland

The proper title of the Treaty is theTreaty on Stability, Coordination andGovernance in the Economic andMonetary Union. It involves 25 ofthe 27 EU countries.

In Ireland, a referendum is requiredto ratify it. In the other countries itmerely requires a vote in their nation-al parliaments. It has come aboutbecause several countries includingIreland have been experiencing diffi-culty, borrowing the money they needto pay for services, debts etc. This isbecause the people at the top of thebanks and the financial system wereallowed to run riot during the boomyears, running up unsustainabledebts. The money lenders of theworld are now fearful that they maynot get their money back because ofthe risk of defaults. Therefore theyare reluctant to lend to highly indebt-ed countries.

Already Eurozone countries are sub-ject to a 3% deficit target rule and the60% debt target rule as containedwithin the Stability and Growth Pact.Ireland’s current adjustment pro-gramme aims to bring our generalgovernment deficit down to the 3%target. This current treaty raises thebar further.

The outcome is that 22 out of the 25member states participating in theTreaty must get their finances backwithin these limits by a combinationof cutting spending and increasingtaxes. The problem is that as they alldo it simultaneously, it reducesdemand making the problem worse.This could be offset by a major invest-ment plan for jobs and growth.However, there is no sign of it at present at EU level.

Consequently there will be continu-ing downward pressure on wages,workers’ rights and social benefitsand public services.

Therefore on the face of it, it wouldseem logical to vote no. However,countries that do not ratify the treatywill not have access to a special fundthat has been set up in the EU calledthe European Stability Mechanism(ESM). This means that they mightnot be able to pay off their debts orprovide the services that their popula-tions need. This could result in a veryscary scenario indeed.

The treaty will not affect us directlyuntil 2015 at the earliest. Indeed itmight not affect us until 2018 or later.This is because the only place we can

get money is through EU/ECB/IMFtroika for the moment. We must com-ply with a very strict austerity pro-gramme to continue to receive it any-how.

Some of those opposed to the Treatyargue that when it comes to thecrunch, the people at the top of theEU system will not let us go to thewall even if we don’t have access tothe ESM. We are not so sure. Theywere prepared to send Greece back tothe stone-age last February.

The National Executive Council (NEC)of SIPTU considered the whole matteron Thursday 19th April. It was decid-ed that in the absence of a stimulusplan for growth at EU level the Treatyprovisions would mean misery forworking people. However, we hadalready put forward our own plan lastSeptember. This envisaged using Irishpension funds to create thousands ofjobs in this country.

Accordingly, the NEC decided that ifthe Government implemented such aplan or an alternative, we would beprepared to recommend in favour ofthe referendum proposal. Otherwise,we cannot endorse it.

Fiscal Compact Treaty- the issues at a glance

CommunityLibertyAPRIL 2012

20

8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.,Monday - Friday

SIPTU Membership Information & Support Centre (MISC)

Activists push for ‘social clause’ for NI voluntary sector

Centre seeks interim CE funding

A SIPTU delegation is to meetwith the Stormont Assembly’sSocial Development Committeeon 26th May as part of theCommunities Uniting campaignto have a “threshold of decency”clause applied to state fundingfor the community and voluntarysector.

The union has also welcomed acommitment in the Programmefor Government to insert a socialclause into public procurementcontracts.

Speaking ahead of the meeting,community activist SeanMcMonagle said: “The Executiveshould be applauded for this pos-itive step, but we believe a ‘com-munity and voluntary sectorsocial clause’ should also beincluded. This should stipulateminimum employment standardsto be applied to any worker deliv-

ering services in this sector. “A ‘minimum standards’ or

‘threshold of decency’ socialclause could resolve many of thedifficult issues faced by commu-nity sector organisations and theworkers within them.”

The Social DevelopmentCommittee which advises SocialDevelopment Minister NelsonMcCausland plays a key role indeveloping legislation.

The variety of services providedby community and voluntarygroups is extensive – from sport-ing groups to meals on wheels,health services, peace building,information centres, and child-care services to environmentalactivities and residents’ associa-tions.

The sector also plays a vitaleconomic role. While communityand voluntary groups receive on

average about 43% of their run-ning costs from the state, theygenerate £4 for the local economyfor every £1 of state funding.

Workers in the sector have lit-tle or no job security and rates ofpay and conditions of employ-ment vary widely.

Due to funding gaps, they areoften required to go for frequentand extended periods withoutpay. This is further compoundedfor those organisations thatreceive multi-stream funding.

Around 3,000 workers in thesector have lost their jobs in thelast two years, with the remain-ing 27,000 attempting to fill thevoid at a time of increasingdemand for their services.

Community workers providevital state-funded services to themost disadvantaged yet are treat-ed less favourably than their col-

leagues in the public sector. Catherine Pollock, who will

represent SIPTU at next month’smeeting, said: “If we accept thatthese workers are providing serv-ices for the state, then we as citi-zens have an obligation to ensurethe people providing these servic-es are treated in a reasonablemanner.

“We do this for public sectorworkers yet the same provisionfor community sector workers isnot yet available.”

Organiser, Martin O’Rourke,from SIPTU, added: “We believethat minimum standards on payand conditions should be agreedbetween all the stakeholders in atripartite forum – the funders,the employer organisations andtrade unions representing work-ers in the sector.

“Such a forum could review

A HIGHLY-REGARDED communityemployment scheme in LowerBallyfermot in Dublin is seekinginterim funding from theDepartment of Social Protection tocontinue its work.

The Markievicz Centre currentlyprovides FETAC level 5 and 6 train-ing in childcare and interim fund-ing will enable 29 participants tocontinue with their course whilethe department carries out anational review of all CommunityEmployment schemes.

Centre manager TheresaMcGouran said: “Training has beenbrought to a standstill because ofthe cut to the materials and train-ing grant.

“There is still huge uncertaintybecause of the review but if we cansecure interim funding we can con-tinue to provide training over thenext three months.”

At the time to going to press,Theresa was still awaiting a deci-sion on the application.

The Centre has an unrivalledreputation for excellence withinthe childcare sector and hasalready helped more than 250 peo-ple into employment over the last10 years.

It has a success rate of close to100% when it comes to course par-ticipants finding work.

these conditions of employmenton a periodic basis, and in addi-tion seek a resolution to issuesarising within the sector.“

Meeting: Minister, Nelson McCausland

Markiewicz Centre Manager Theresa McGouran and current participants on the CE course.

Pict

ure:

DU

P Ph

otos

‘Government might just listen’

While taking pride in this fact,Theresa is also keen to stress theimportance of the personal devel-opment of those taking the course.

She said: “An emphasis on self-development is a crucial part of thework we do here. Getting a job isimportant but there’s much moreto the work we do here.”

This point is echoed by the par-ticipants themselves who talk pas-sionately about the changes intheir outlook and confidence since

taking up a placement on the CEscheme.

Michelle Carrig described howshe originally left school at 15 andspent 11 years at home before tak-ing up this course.

She told Liberty: “My whole lifehas changed as a result of theopportunities I have had here.”

Michelle is currently completinga FETAC course in Caring for Carerswhich is likely to offer her goodprospects for employment as a

fully-trained carer.But Theresa McGouran warns

that these are opportunities thatmay not be available to lone par-ents in the future.

She said: “The new rules on sin-gle payments for lone parents andthe disabled are going to be a bigbarrier to future participation fromthese groups.

“When you think of the costs ofchildcare, lone parents are going tobe effectively barred from taking

up a course like ours. There aregoing to be no opportunities forthem.”

The Markievicz Centre has comea long way from its humble originsas a neighbourhood watch group in1990. Local community activistsdeveloped this into a tenants’ asso-ciation and from there into a localcommunity association.

Today it is well established at theheart of the local community pro-viding a wide range of education,advice and support services to localpeople alongside a communitycrèche.

While Theresa is worried aboutthe future, describing the currentsituation as “just living from day today wondering if we’re going to becut further”, it is clear that thestaff and participants will do all intheir power to ensure it has afuture.

Theresa added: “There’s powerin numbers so it’s up to all of usworking in CommunityEmployment to raise our voicesand work together to fight for ourfuture.

“If people understand the fullvalue of the work we do, and thedifference it makes to communi-ties, then the Government mightjust listen.”

LibertyAPRIL 2012

21Health Workers Campaign

IPTU’s Health Divisionkicked off its ‘Better HealthCare, Better Jobs’ nationaldiscussion with a rally in

Cavan town in early April.According to Health Division

Organiser Paul Bell, a significantnumber of SIPTU members signedpledges at the rally on Wednesday,4th April to become more involvedin protecting jobs and services inthe sector.

He told Liberty: “Our membersare acutely aware of the outsourc-ing threat. They expect the unionto forge a strategy with their inputand that is what we intend to do,having identified the key chal-lenges for the health service in ayear that will see the HSE frag-mented into seven new direc-torates by mid-summer.”

The union will engage withmembers at 16 locations through-out the country with the campaignlaunching offically at the end ofJune.

It will help alert the public tothe demonisation of health sectorworkers and the destruction ofdecent pay and working conditionsas well as the sell-off of services tofor-profit organisations.

Paul Bell said: “Our members arefed up feeling that they almosthave to apologise for working inthe public service and in the serv-ice of the public and for the com-munities in which they live.”

He added that the campaignwould also underline how theCroke Park Agreement is the bestway of delivering “tangiblereforms” as well as ensuring “aplatform of decency” for serviceusers and health services workersalike. So far, the national discus-sion has highlighted the impact

Front line views

cuts are having on staff numbers,compounded by €1.6bn in spend-ing cuts over four years as well asthe hundreds of millions doled outto for-profit organisations.

Paul Bell said: “Our members arechallenging the constant propagan-da issued against them in themedia, which claims that highwages and lucrative pension potsare the order of the day for front-line health workers.

S “I CAME here tonight because Ifeel that home helps are beingdone a great injustice. Ourwork is being outsourced tocontract carers and our hoursare being cut.

At the moment I’m getting 10 hours a weekwhere I was getting 39 hours. When a patientdies we are not being given new work. Anynew work that’s coming into the community isbeing given to contract carers so our work isreally going downhill.

The patients themselves are being cut in thethings provided to them. We’re told that a padnow has to do a patient a full day. Even if it’sdamp we have to put it back on them.

Unless it’s soaking wet and soiled we’re toldnot to change it. I cannot do that.

I cannot put on a damp pad on a patient atlunchtime when she might have to sit in ituntil ten o’clock at night until I go back. Ican’t do it.

I’m hoping that this campaign will help us tohold on to our jobs, that we will get the securi-ty that we need within our jobs, and that wewill be able to continue with care for elderly inthe community.”

Mary Caffrey, home help,Kingscourt, county Cavan

Seamus Quinn, craft andmaintenance worker, CavanGeneral Hospital“WAGES are being cut, peopleare afraid of their pensions andthe services have diminishedenormously especially for olderpeople due to the lack of enough

staff to actually care for them. As people are retiring they’re not being

replaced. It puts more pressure on people.We need a campaign that will get us back on

track to get better care, better jobs and protec-tions for workers. Whether it takes the bus toDublin, to march on Leinster House and lobby ourTDs, we will fight the campaign that’s needed.”

“We are determined to dispel

this myth and that is why our dis-

cussion and campaign will rely on

the real facts about our members’

wages, conditions and pensions.

The campaign will also emphasise

health workers’ pride and commit-

ment in servicing communities.”

Myth-busting campaignon health set to launch

‘We’ll relyon real factsabout ourmembers’conditions,pay andpensions’

LETTERKENNY: Mount Errigal Hotel, Ballyraine, Letterkenny, 23rd April, 8:00pm

LIMERICK: South Court Hotel, Raheen Roundabout, Limerick, 25th April, 8:00pm

TRALEE: The Brandon Hotel, Tralee, 26th April, 8:00pm

WATERFORD: Granville Hotel, Meaghers Quay, Waterford, 3rd May, 6:30pm

WEXFORD: Talbot Hotel, The Quay, Trinity Street, Wexford, 8th May, 5:30pm

KILKENNY: Newpark Hotel, Castlecomer Road, Kilkenny, 9th May, 7:30pm

MULLINGAR: Bloomfield Hotel, Belvedere, Mullingar, 10th May, 8:00pm

TULLAMORE: Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore, 16th May, 8:00pm

ATHY: Clanard Court Hotel, Dublin Road, Athy, 17th May, 8:00pm

DUBLIN: Tallaght Hospital, 23rd May (9:00am – 3:00pm)

CLONMEL: Park Hotel, Clonmel, 23rd May, 7:00pm

DUBLIN: The Auditorium (Theatre), Liberty Hall, 24th May, 2:30pm

DROGHEDA: Droichead Arts Centre, Stockwell Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth, 31st May, 8:00pm

Health care workers gather in Cavan town on Wednesday, 4th April for the first ‘Better Health Care, Better Jobs’ rally

HealthCampaignrallies

LibertyAPRIL 2012

22 News

Waking up topension reform

By Rachel Ryan

THE Government should post-pone its plans to introduce anew State pension age from2014 on, an ICTU-organisedpensions conference heardearlier this month.

Delegates at the Wake Up to StatePension Reform event on Thursday,5th April also heard calls for a stake-holders forum to be set up to addressthe looming pension crisis.

There are currently two funda-mental reforms for the State pensionbeing planned.

The first is a change to theamount – or rate – of State pensionthat is payable depending on a per-son’s PRSI contributions.

This comes into effect inSeptember 2012 for new applicants.

The second is a change to the ageat which the State pension becomespayable from 1st January, 2014. Therate of State pension a personreceives depends on their PRSIrecord.

To receive the maximum rate of€230.30 a week, it is necessary forpensioners to have made a yearlyaverage of 48 PRSI contributions overtheir working life. Those with a year-ly average of between 20 and 47 PRSIcontributions receive €5 less thanthis.

However, under these reforms,those with a yearly average of 30 to39 contributions will receive €23 lessthan the maximum and those with ayearly average of 20 to 29 contribu-tions will receive €34 less.

Clearly for those with any gaps in

their PRSI record – perhaps due toperiods spent outside the workforce,for example, caring for children orelderly relatives – these changes willmean the amount they receive fromthe State pension will be significant-ly less than they expected.

This issue was highlighted at theconference with contributors callingfor it be to immediately addressed bythe Government.

Currently, the State pension(Transition) is payable at 65 years of age with the State pension(Contributory) becoming payable at 66.

Under the reforms, from 1stJanuary, 2014, there will no longer beany State pension payable from 65years of age.

The State pension age fromJanuary 2014 will be 66 years of age,from January 2021 will be 67 andfrom January 2028 will be 68.

These changes are likely to haveimplications for a range of issuesfrom equality to industrial relations.

As workers “wake up” to state pen-sion reform, they may start to assesstheir own workplace retirement age,how their occupational pension – ifthey have one – may be affected.

If they do not have one, how theycan have an income from the timethey leave employment to the timethe State pension becomes payable.

Equally as employers “wake up”they may wish to assess the needs oftheir business and whether that will,or will not, involve allowing workersto remain on in employment untilthey are able to draw down theirState pension.

A SIPTU delegation met withLabour Party TDs ArthurSpring and Colm Keaveneyand raised concerns over theparty’s role in proposals to cutdisability allowance outlinedin the last budget.

Sector Organiser Andy McCarthyand SIPTU activists Bill Blair andPaudie Power joined members of theunion’s Disability Focus Group forthe 14th March meeting at the Dáil.

The deputies said they felt

Minister for Social Protection JoanBurton had not been given thechance to outline clearly the propos-als to replace the current system.

This had resulted, they claimed, ina “frenzied attack” on her in themedia and by opposition TDs.

They underlined to the delegationthat there had been no intention toleave families worse-off but only torevise the way in which paymentswere made.

The deputies claimed that theparty had met with many lobby

groups since the budget in a bid toclarify matters.

Spring and Keaveney also offeredto arrange a meeting with theMinister if the Focus Group neededfurther detail on the proposedchanges.

They also spoke of the difficultiesfaced by the Labour Party because itformed a minority within the coali-tion government.

The deputies pointed out thatFine Gael’s initial objective in deal-ing with the economic crisis on

entering government had beenthrough cutting spending to taxincreases on a ratio of 75 to 25.

Because of Labour Party influence,this ratio now stood at 51 to 49 whencapital spending was excluded fromthe calculations.

The SIPTU delegation expressedsatisfaction with the meeting.

SIPTU Disability Champions canbe contacted at disabilitychampi-ons@siptu.ie or by calling Frank orRhonda at 01 8586440.

Meeting: Deputies Spring and Keaveney

CIVERSHIPSREBMEM

IPS

SECHIP

UTIP

DEEEDE E

ARAA RUG

NNNC

AAANRE RAUURSNIINEMMME

OHO

M

HHOR

HEERP A E HHE CCH EETTE

NNNT

AA N

EECCE

k onal Bartnee Chy td betaluges rimid Lnalers Irekore BcnarusnT ILLT IJ

1

ylpps anoitidnod cns amreTTe

n w oos nl ulaC

. dnalerf Ik odnalerT ILLT Is Jg anidard tetim

vo a t5740300891

l Oaiceps Sif thl oiav

reffl O

Disability fears raised at Dáil meeting with TDs

CIVERSHIPSREBMEM

IPS

SECHIP

UTIP

Waking up topension reform

LibertyAPRIL 2012

23Fair Hotels

Fair Hotels crucial in Dublinsecuring UNI Global event

By Scott Millar

HE SIPTU Fair Hotelscampaign has playeda crucial role inDublin to beat off

competition from other inter-national capitals to host amajor conference.

In June, Dublin’s GreshamHotel will host the GlobalMeeting of the UNI GlobalProperty Services Division.UNI Global is an internationalfederation of trade unionswhich represents up to 20 mil-lion service sector workers.

The conference will see morethan 80 delegates from as far afieldas the US, Australia and Brazil visit-ing the capital for three nights.

Director of the Property ServicesSector at UNI Global, Alice Dale,said: "We are delighted that ourGlobal Meeting is taking place in aFair Hotel. We want to support thecampaign because it makes sensethat the labour movement uses itspurchasing power to win betterlabour standards for workers.

“We chose Dublin as the destina-tion this year so that we couldlearn first hand about SIPTU’sorganising of property servicesworkers in Ireland.

“We want to meet and hear fromyour leaders in the Fair Deal forCleaners Campaign and in thesecurity sector and understandtheir fight for RegisteredEmployment Agreements for their

industries.”Conference tourism is a high-

yield sub-market of the overalltourism industry.

It is bucking the trend and is amarket segment that is actuallygrowing at present.

Gresham Hotel Conference Sales

Manager, Jamie Phillips, said:“Hosting conferences is an essen-tial part of hotel business. Dublinin recent years has seen a develop-ment of this sector particularlysince the Convention Centreopened.

“The Fair Hotels Campaign is cer-tainly a factor that can help attractbusiness and it is an angle we willbe looking to develop in thefuture.”

SIPTU National Equality andCampaigns Organiser, EthelBuckley, said: “The decision by UNIGlobal to use a Fair Hotel for itsGlobal Meeting is a great boost to

the Fair Hotels Campaign. Itshows yet again that ethical con-sumers, particularly trade union-ists, will use their purchasingpower to reward hotels that recog-nise the right of workers to collec-tive bargaining.

“The labour movement inIreland has thrown its collectiveweight behind the Fair Hotels

Campaign. Congress and individ-ual affiliate unions are collaborat-ing closely with us to make surethat where there are unionisedhotel options that these are chosenover non-union hotels.

“The next stage of the campaignis to support our members workingin the Fair Hotels by convincingthe labour movement internation-ally to choose unionised hotels inIreland as the venue for their meet-ings and conferences.”

Fáilte Ireland research from 2009shows that the international con-ference visitor is a big spender. Thetypical conference delegate spends€876 during their stay on accom-modation, food, drink, transportand shopping.

Ethel Buckley added: “Along withsecuring the jobs of our membersin the Fair Hotels, internationalconferences delegates bring amuch needed injection of cash tothe economy.”

T

Thinkingof holidaying

in Ireland?

Make the right choice

for you and your family -

make the Union choice

of a Fair Hotel

Dublin’s Gresham Hotel – a Fair Hotel – will be the venue for the next Global Meeting of the UNI Global Property Services Division

“We chose Dublin as the destinationthis year so that wecould learn firsthand about SIPTU’sorganising of property servicesworkers in Ireland.”

“The labour movement inIreland has thrownits collective weightbehind the FairHotels Campaign.”

Conference tourismis a high-yield sub-market of theoverall tourismindustry. Alice Dale

HealthLibertyAPRIL 2012

24

YOURHEALTH

MIND

By ILLONA DUFFY

Effective OSH neededfor ageing workforce

By Sylvester Cronin

Proportion of older workers set to increase.

Ways to combat heartburnare not hard to stomach....

THERE is a trend across theEuropean Union to increase theretirement age of workers andextend their working lives.

Within the EU’s 27 memberstates, the proportion of olderworkers is set to increase signifi-cantly over the next few decades.

The working population agedbetween 55 and 64 is expected toexpand by around 10 million – ormore than 16% – by 2030.

Figures published by the Healthand Safety Authority (HSA) last yearshow that the workers in the 55-64age group had the lowest rate ofwork-related injuries and the sec-ond lowest rate of work-related ill-ness for 2009.

A recent report, Promoting ActiveAgeing in the Workplace, publishedby the European Agency forOccupational Safety and Health(EU-OSHA) states that “long-termhealth problems and chronic dis-eases increase with age”.

This has implications for olderworkers in terms of ensuring their

safety and health is taken care of tooffset the risk of work disabilityand premature retirement fromwork.

It is generally truethat as we get olderwe lose physicalcapabilities – it isgenerally acceptedthat our muscularstrength decreasesby about 1% to 2% ayear after 30.

However, thereport goes on toclaim “the majorityof older workers”can enjoy “goodhealth and adequatephysical capacity”.

An excellentexample for us inSIPTU is that of ourretired colleague Kevin McMahonwho conquered Mount Aconcaguain the Andes – one of the highestmountains in the world – inFebruary [see March edition of

Liberty]. Workers’ ability to work to older

age is highly dependant on theirhealth, both mental and physical.

In turn thehealth ofworkers gen-erally is afunction ofhow welltheir safetyand healthwas takencare of whileat work.

There aresome verygood exam-ples of goode m p l o y e r sdoing theright thing.H o w e v e r ,there areother employ-

ers who do not look after theirworkers’ safety and health withsome employees having to retireearly due to work-related injuries,diseases and illnesses. An example

would be the construction sectorwhere large numbers of workersretire from that industry before theyreach normal retirement age.

If there is going to be an economicimperative for extending the retire-ment age for workers, then there willneed to be a vast improvement inoccupational safety and health (OSH)for workers of all ages.

Governments and employers willhave to accept the reality of whatneeds to be done if workers’ working-lives are to be extended and, in theEuropean context, this equallyapplies to the European Commission.

From what we have seen over therecent past, the Commission, ourGovernment and employers areattempting to row back on advancesmade in OSH legislation.

This includes a reduction inresources for the HSA and a cut inthe number of inspectors leading toa drop in the number of safety andhealth workplace inspections.

All of which will most probablylead to a deterioration in safety andhealth standards and an increase inwork-related accidents and illnessesin the workplace.

EARTBURN is a symptom most peoplewill have had at some stage in theirlives. It is typically described as aburning pain behind the breast bone

in the chest occurring when food and acid escapefrom the stomach and reflux up the tube leadingfrom the mouth to the stomach (the oesopha-gus).

It can occur intermittently following alcohol orrich and spicy food. However, some people cansuffer from this daily.

Causes include pregnancy and increasedweight, both of which cause increased pressureon the stomach especially on lying down.

Another cause is hiatus hernia when part ofthe stomach slides up into the chest through thediaphragm. Heartburn can be treated by usingmedications which reduce the amount of acid inthe stomach, coat the lining of the oesophagus orpromote emptying of the stomach.

Many people will buy non prescription med-ications to self treat the symptoms and theseinclude Rennies, Gaviscon and others.

If you are using these medications regularly ordevelop unexplained weight loss or difficultyswallowing you will need an endoscopy, where acamera is passed down the back of your throatinto your stomach.

The stomach is a sac where food initially gath-ers after being ingested. Acid is produced in thestomach to start breaking down the food.

The lining of the stomach can become irritatedcausing inflammation (gastritis) or a break in thestomach lining can occur (ulcer).

Patients will often complain of a pain in theirupper stomach which is often worse after eating.They may also complain of a constant emptyache in their stomach and an over-full feelingafter eating along with increased belching andnausea.

Gastritis and ulcers are more common insmokers, heavy alcohol drinkers and in thosetaking certain painkillers (aspirin and neurofenare examples).

Commonly, a bacteria called HelicobacterPylori is found on endoscopy and this can betreated with antibiotics and medications toreduce acid production.

You can protect yourself from heartburn, gastritis, stomach ulcers and cancer by doingthe following: • Quit smoking,• Watch your alcohol intake,• Eat regularly and avoid long fasts,• Limit your use of medications such as

neurofen and aspirin, and• Avoid being overweight.

Finally, if you have persistent heartburn, unexplained weight loss, black bowel motions or difficulty swallowing, seek medical advice.

Illona Duffy is a GP and member of the Irish Medical Organisation

H

Within the EU’s 27member states, theproportion of olderworkers is set toincrease significantlyover the next fewdecades.

LibertyAPRIL 2012

25International

Is there a prayer for peacein a troubled Middle East?

IVIL war, controversialelections and loomingconflict continue to markthe political landscape of

the Middle East as the seasonaltemperature rises in the region.

In Cairo, campaigning in the firstpost revolution presidential elec-tions has become intense.

In Syria, a UN-sponsored cease-fire was put under early pressurewhen government forces attackedthe city of Homs with artilleryshells and mortars while anti-gov-ernment militants continuedattacks, according to media reports.

In Egypt, the controversial deci-sion by the Muslim Brotherhood tostand a candidate, despite earlierassurances that it would not, hascaused a crisis.

Some liberal and secular criticsclaim it’s all part of a power grab

by the Brotherhood, who alreadyhave a working majority in parlia-ment and in the important consti-tutional assembly.

Many worry that the democraticArab Spring is becoming a narrowIslamist moment in Egypt.

In contrast to the Islamists, therevolutionaries and the broad polit-ical left have not rallied behind asingle candidate in the up-comingelection.

While politics heats up, labourdisputes continue across Egypt.

At the beginning of April, thegrowing confidence within thenewly-independent trade unionmovement was shown during avery high profile 10 day public busdrivers’ strike in Cairo.

The strike was victorious,despite attempts by the militaryleadership to break it.

A driver’s bonus for end-of-serv-ice was increased to two monthsfor each year in service, whereasworkers who have been workingfor 36 years will now receive 72months worth of bonuses, accord-ing to Al-Ahram newspaper.

While Egyptians get to choosetheir new president at the end ofMay, the current Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad, while politicallyweakened, retains power.

Violence continues across thecountry, threatening to furtherdestabilise Lebanon, and leading toclashes along the Turkish border.

A UN observer team arrived inDamascus on 16th April as violencecontinued around the country.

The UN puts the death toll atmore than 9,000 deaths since thecivil war began last year betweenforces looking to oust al-Assad andtroops loyal to his regime.

West of Syria in Israel thedebates over whether that countrywill attack Iran continues openly inmedia and political circles.

The Benjamin Netanyahu-ledgovernment alleges that Iran isdeveloping a nuclear bomb andthis poses “an existential threat” tothe Israeli state.

However, negotiations on thenuclear issue between Iran and the

five permanent Security Councilmembers plus Germany, havebegun on a “positive note” inIstanbul, according to reports.

Palestinian leader MahmudAbbas has recently sent a letter toPrime Minister Netanyahu on the“stalled peace talks”. The confiden-tial letter apparently lays out theconditions for returning to directnegotiations that ended in lateSeptember 2010.

Next month marks 64 years ofstatelessness for the Palestinianpeople. Most observers hold outlittle hope that any resumed talksunder present circumstanceswould bring the creation of anindependent state any closer.

David Lynch’s most recent book is ADivided Paradise: An Irishman in the Holy Land (New Island). He blogs fromCairo at www.arabspringinmystep.com

C By David Lynchin Cairo

Free Syrian Army members take time out fromfighting to pray in a Damascus side streetPicture: FreedomHouse; Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Know Your RightsLibertyAPRIL 2012

26

GETTING caught reading a news-paper at work when one shouldbe otherwise engaged would prob-ably lead to no more than a rapon the knuckles, unless of courseyou were driving a bus at thetime.

Misusing social media toolssuch as Twitter and Facebook, onthe other hand, could lead to dis-ciplinary action, and even dis-missal.

In a recent study carried out byPeninsula, 67% of employeesadmitted to checking their socialnetworking sites during work and73% of Irish employees haveadmitted to bad mouthing theiremployers on social media. Sohow can it become a disciplinaryissue?

What type of posting could get me into trouble?If the content contains a disclo-sure of confidential information,defamation and/or bullying andharassment of colleagues or oth-ers then you are on a sticky wick-et.

In UD643/2007, an EmploymentAppeals Tribunal (EAT) case, ashop employee posted derogatorycomments about her manager onthe company’s Bebo site, withoutnaming the shop or the manager.

The employee was sacked andthe Tribunal subsequently foundthat the sanction was dispropor-tionate. The award was limited to€4,000 on the basis that theemployee had contributed signifi-cantly to her own dismissal byposting the comments on the site.

What if I post comments outside of working time? The same effect, I’m afraid. InUD933/2010 (another EAT case)the posting of electronic messageson an employee’s Facebook whichwere directed towards a member

of management amounted to abreach of trust of such signifi-cance as to render her employ-ment untenable.

The Tribunal found that therewas clear reputational damage tothe manager concerned in thiscase. Issues like reputational dam-age and how wide the scope ofthe posting was, e.g. to a limitedor wider audience, will be exam-ined by a Tribunal when deter-mining the severity of the sanc-tion.

The above examples relate toderogatory comments directedtowards members of managementbut similar outcomes have been

reported with regard to derogato-ry comments directed at fellowemployees.

What is the advice on using social network such asTwitter and Facebook sites inrelation to my employment?Some employments requireemployees to use these sites formarketing and communicationpurposes and this is alright aslong as the employee exercisescaution and sound judgment indoing so.

Avoid referring to your employ-ment if you fall outside the abovecategory and confine your com-

ment to interests other than yourjob. The most innocent of post-ings can get you into trouble. Forexample, the posting of photo-graphs of colleagues at Christmasparties or other social occasionswithout their permission mayhave an unexpected outcome.

The chances are that some peo-ple will not want the world seeinghow they behaved and will possi-bly make a complaint of inappro-priate posting. Your innocentposting to the world at large sud-denly becomes a work-related dis-ciplinary issue. Seek out thecompany internet policy and tryto avoid the pitfalls that lay with-

in. The union shop stewardshould have a copy of this. Becareful with your general postingsif you see yourself seeking promo-tion or changing jobs at somestage.

Most companies now checksocial media pages to get a senseof the real you – of course, it’s theone you haven’t dared to put onyour CV. Remember a verbal warn-ing lasts for about 12 months onyour record, Facebook lasts forev-er! Tom O’Driscoll is Head of the SIPTULegal Affairs Unit.

By Tom O’Driscoll

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Social Media do’s and dont’s

Twitter ye not! Beware the perils of using social networking sites both in and outside of working hours Picture: Photocall Ireland

Paddy Connolly RetiresPaddy Connolly has been deliveringwholesale items to the union fortwenty odd years. A close friend toa lot of people in the trade unionmovement, especially those inSIPTU, Paddy started doing busi-ness with the FWUI in ParnellSquare and then after the merger in1990 he took on Liberty Hall. Paddyhas now retired and we'd like towish the best of health and happi-ness for the future for him, his wifeMary, daughter Fionnula and sonThomas. Paddy will be replaced byhis colleague, Michael Murphy.

Are you receiving Liberty Online? (SIPTU’s e-zine sent out via email to members) If not send your emailaddress, together with your name and membership number to info@siptu.ie

Are you receiving Liberty newspaper to your workplace? If not, send your name, workplace address, and phone details to info@siptu.ieand we will add you to our distribution list. Please specify how many copiesof Liberty you would be able to distribute.

Do you use the SIPTU website?The SIPTU website is updated daily with all the latest news, stories and features

visit www.siptu.ie

Stay Informed!

LibertyAPRIL 2012

27Community

HE Sliabh Aughty RuralSocial Scheme has playeda key role in developing anew and unique tourism

attraction in East Galway.The Irish Workhouse Centre is a

major conservation and redevelop-ment project which aims to restoreand develop a significant historicalsite into a vibrant centre telling thestory of the Irish workhouse.

The project is centered on the8.2 acre site of the old PortumnaWorkhouse.

The seven-building complexdates back to 1852 and was derelictuntil just under a decade ago whena local community developmentcompany, South East GalwayIntegrated Rural Development,recognised its potential and beganto make plans to restore it.

A substantial part of the clearing,conservation and refurbishmentwork has been undertaken by ateam of up to 20 Rural SocialScheme (RSS) participants.

Their efforts helped transformthe area from a dilapidated, run-down and dangerous site litteredwith waste into a truly inspiringand tourist attraction.

Sean Larkin, RSS Supervisor onthe project and a member ofSIPTU, speaks with some passionabout the quality of work carriedout by the team since September

2010. He told Liberty: “Our objec-tive in Sliabh Aughty Rural SocialScheme is to provide leadership,transparency, accountability andcreate awareness of and promotethis creative facility.

“As part of our work we iden-tify and recognise individual tal-ents using their skills, knowl-edge and expertise to enhancethe Irish Workhouse Centre.”

Sean Larkin added: “We havea highly skilled and dedicatedteam. Painting, cleaning, wash-ing, general labouring andgeneral maintenance have allbeen carried out – and thelevel of work has been out-standing.”

Working with local volun-teers and other agencies, theRSS workers, who areemployed through the GalwayRural Development Company Ltd,have been crucial to the success ofthe project which opened to thepublic for the first time last sum-mer.

The progress of the restorationhas also been photographed andseeing these images allows visitorsto appreciate the huge work thusfar.

Ursula Marmion, Co-ordinator ofthe Irish Workhouse Centre, said:“We would not have been able toget the site ready to be open to thepublic without the team’s input.”

The project is a great example of

T

Project workers MartinMoroney, Sean Larkin, Liam Smith, UrsulaMarmion, James Blake and Kevin Gaffey

great contribution Rural SocialSchemes make to local rural com-munities. Sean Larkin is also keento stress the many other benefitsof the scheme.

He said: “We like to look on theSliabh Aughty RSS as a catalyst inpromoting, conserving and devel-oping the rich heritage that wehave in South East Galway.

“Apart from taking people off thelive register, our scheme enablespeople to do work of real value, to

learn new skills and make a lastingcontribution to local communities.

“There is also the very importantsocial aspect of the work itself,which has a tremendous signifi-cance for many of our partici-pants.”

One such participant is JamesBlake who has been working onthe Irish Workhouse Centre projectfor the past 14 months.

He is extremely proud of thework carried by the team and told

Liberty: “It’s a fine project.I’ve been involved withcleaning, whitewashingand lime-washing of thebuildings.

“We work as a team andthere have been big changesto the site over the lastyear. The project has greatpotential for tourism, partic-ularly with Portumna Castlebeing so near. It meanstourists can now see the con-trast in how the rich andpoor lived at that time.”

A visit to the IrishWorkhouse Centre inPortumna is an astoundingand chilling insight into whatlife was like for so many peo-ple in the 19th century.

It is also a testament to thehard work and dedication ofRSS workers who continue toplay an vital role in the eco-

nomic development of so manytowns and villages throughoutIreland.

Indeed, the work at the IrishWorkhouse Centre continues withplans to begin restoration of theold hospital that is part of the orig-inal complex.

The Irish Workhouse Centre isopen seven days a week from9.00a.m. to 6.00p.m. from April toSeptember. Further details can befound at www.irishworkhousecen-tre.ie or telephone 090 9759200.

By Paul Gavan

Chilling insight intoworkplace life

ReviewsLibertyAPRIL 2012

28

Victims of the sea... and of class

The IrishAboard Titanic By Senan MolloyMercier Press, 2012

A SHORT walk from LibertyHall was the Rutland Streethome of a young boy whosome – wrongly – believe wasthe inspiration behind thecharacter played by LeonardoDiCaprio in the 1998 filmTitanic.

According to the 1901Census, he was then 12 years.Eleven years later he was a coaltrimmer in the Titanic’s engineroom when he was lost alongwith most of the crew and pas-sengers.

His body – identified by hisunion card – was buried inHalifax. Nova Scotia; his gravebearing the inscription, “JDawson“.

There were approximately120 passengers and roughly 30crew from Ireland on boardTitanic on its maiden (andfinal) voyage.

They were among the nearly30,000 – mostly young and sin-gle – migrant workers fromIreland who sailed west to theUS and Canada that year.

In the main, though notexclusively, they were labour-ers, farm workers, and domes-tic workers from 24 of the pre-partition Ireland’s 32 counties,the vast majority travelling inThird Class steerage – part of acontinuous stream of nearlyfive million such migrantsfrom Ireland between 1855 and1912.

Economic migration as wellas the carriage of mail meant

big money and profits for ship-ping lines such as the Titanic’sWhite Star Line.

The author, Senan Moloney,notes this was steady yearround business, in which themany poorer Third Class pas-sengers cross-subsidised thetravel of the much fewer richFirst Class voyagers.

It brought huge turnover andmassive cash flow, allowingshipping lines to build bigger,faster, and, for the few, moreluxurious ships, such as theTitanic and her sister ship theOlympic.

If cross-subsidisation bymigrant workers made theTitanic possible, brutalaccounting must have dictatedthat she would sail with only20 lifeboats, far less than need-ed to save all on board.

Even with that, there was afurther ingredient that sealed

the fate of the majority of theIrish migrant workers andcrew.

The first lifeboat waslaunched at 12.45a.m. on thefateful night, less than half fulland with First-Class passengersand crew only.

For the next 35 minutes,another six lifeboats followed asimilar exclusive First Classpattern. However, it was nearlyan hour after the first launchbefore most of those onboard – i.e. the Third-Classsteerage passengers and crew –

were allowed to access theremaining lifeboats from theirenforced confinement belowdecks.

It is, therefore, with somejustification that the authornotes with considerable irony,“So the famous cry might wellhave been ‘First-Class womenand First-Class children first!’”

Accordingly, the survivorsstatistics tell it all. Of the First-Class passengers, 63% (nearlytwo thirds) survived. Of theSecond-Class, 43% in this cate-gory lived to tell the tale.However, of the majority of thepassengers, those in Third-Class steerage, only 23%, lessthan a quarter, were saved.

As for the 766 non-sailing(below decks) crew. a few –only 22% – survived, most –including eight Harland andWolff workers – sharing thefate of young Joseph Dawsonfrom Rutland Street. It could be said with justifica-

tion that the price of your tick-et decided life or death.

This book tells the stories ofthe Irish who survived and themany more that did not.

There is heartbreak in theaccount of the loss of MargaretRice of Athlone and her fiveboys aged between two and 10.There is also pathos in thedeath of two star-crossedteenage lovers, Denis Lennonand Mary Mullin.

All the accounts afford afuller understanding of the his-tory of not only the Titanicaffair but of the social and eco-nomic life of the time.

It is only right that thereshould be a remembrance ofthe Titanic story and its cele-bration as a feat of engineeringby Irish workers on this island.

It is to be hoped that suchcelebration will assist in pro-viding much needed stimula-tion to job creation North andSouth.

However, let us also spare athought for those who werevictims of economics and class,as much as icebergs, and whoshould not be condemned toremain as shadows in the his-tory of this tragic affair.

Michael Halpenny

prorkerThe Domestic W

esentsprWoup (Ds Action Grorker

G)AW

sessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsessionsession

session

Live on StageLive on StageLive on StageLive on StageThe Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob

Live on StageLive on StageLive on StageLive on StageLive on StageLive on StageLive on StageLive on StageThe Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine

The Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar Club

The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob Easy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuThe TThe TThe Toomy Mooroomy Mooroomy Mooroomy Mooroomy Mooroomy Mooroomy Mooroomy Moore Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and moroomy Mooroomy MoorThe TThe TThe Toomy MoorThe Toomy Moor

The Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar ClubThe Sugar Club

The Barley Mob The Barley Mob The Barley Mob • Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara Sidine Ciara SidineEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • Hailuu

e Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and more Band • Gar Cox and mor

The Sugar Club

Ciara Sidine Ciara SidineEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • HailuuEasy Buoy featuring D.W.A.G • Deji • Hailuu

e Band • Gar Cox and moree Band • Gar Cox and mor

For more information call: � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �+ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �or � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �+ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

SIPTU Basic English Scheme

� � � � � � � � � � �Write Now

reading writing spelling form filling note-taking FETAC

English for Foreign Members

emehcSnEcisaB

UTPIS silgn h

Write� � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � �

ow� � � � � � � � � � �N

� � � � � � � � � � �owWrite

� � � � � � � � � � �N

� � � � � � � � � � �Write

orow or F English f

aking e-tt no spelling

ading e r

� � � � � � � � � � �ow

� � � � � � � � � � � � � �

s

TJean Kennedor

� � � � � � � � � � � � � �T� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �For more information call:

eign MemberorC A FET FETAaking

illing orm f f writing

� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � �

e� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��Jean Kenned

� � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � ��� �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

For more information call:

If cross-subsidisationby migrant workersmade the Titanic possible, brutalaccounting must havedictated that shewould sail with only20 lifeboats, far lessthan needed to saveall on board.

LibertyAPRIL 2012

29Reviews

Confessions of An Economic Hit Man By John PerkinsPublished by Ebury PressAvailable inWaterstones €10

THIS is the truestory of one man’s role in the eco-nomic and military destruction ofcountries for the American andCorporate Empire.

“They play a game as old asempire, but one that has taken onnew and terrifying dimensions dur-ing this time of globalisation,” theauthor writes.

Perkins says he was warned sever-al times not to write the book byvarious American agencies as it wasnot the type of information thepublic needed to know.

The reader is soon left in nodoubt as to why it has not beenbandied about on the usual ‘slap onthe back’ book circuit as it is a veryhonest and up-front explanation ofone man’s involvement in bringingdown governments through eco-nomic subterfuge and militarycoups in countries all around theworld.

Perkins was born into a poor fam-ily but was fortunate to be educatedin one of America’s elite privateschools, Tilton, in New Hampshirewhere the children of wealthy fami-lies from Buenos Aires, Caracas, andBoston were educated to appreciatethe values of the American Dream.

From here, it seems Perkins wasbeing groomed – with marriage intoa family with CIA links – to becomewhat is known in the industry ofbreaking countries, an “EconomicHit Man” [EHM].

Perkins explains that he knewwhat was expected of him. He knewit was wrong, yet he was enam-oured by the position, wealth andlifestyle the role he had taken onoffered him.

Hired by amajor Americanengineering com-pany, MAIN, hewas educated inproviding falseeconomic projec-tions to countriesof interest to hisemployer and theUS.

His role was toensure extremelylucrative con-tracts for hisdirect employer,but to also guar-antee that thecountry wouldnot be in a posi-tion to re-pay its debts with theresult that the US governmentwould gain control of its assets,ports, military installations and, ofcourse, oil.

Perkins explains: “Economic HitMen are highly-paid professionalswho cheat countries around theglobe out of trillions of dollars.

“They funnel money from theWorld Bank, the US Agency forInternational Development(USAID), and other foreign “aid”organisations into the coffers ofhuge corporations and the pocketsof a few wealthy families who con-trol the planet’s natural resources.”

Oil was an over-riding concern inhis work to ensure that the US hadcontrol and access to the resource

w i t h o u tregard forthe localpopulation.

He sup-plies uswith a his-toric expla-nation forthe work,and claimsit was CIAa g e n t ,K e r m i tR o o s e v e l t(grandson ofTheordore)who cameup with thes t r a t e g ywhile deal-

ing with Iran as an open war tacticwas no longer viable.

It was too costly and too public sonew methods were needed includ-ing “fraudulent financial reports,rigged elections, pay-offs, extortion,sex and murder.”

The list of countries includesPanama, Iran, Iraq, Ecuador,

Colombia, Saudi Arabia andIndonesia, to name a few.

The new model is known as thecorporatocracy and he commentson the ingrained systems they buildto control a country though eco-nomic and structural methods as:

“…corporations, banks and gov-ernments (collectively the corpora-tocracy) use their financial muscleto ensure that our schools, busi-nesses and media support both thefallacious concept and its corollary,”(Perkins, 2006, p. xiii.)

Perkins writes on his role inbuilding a global structure to allowfor the pillage and destruction ofnations:

“…to encourage world leaders tobecome part of a vast network thatpromotes US commercial inter-ests…We can draw on them when-ever we desire – to satisfy our polit-ical, economic, or military needs. Inturn they bolster their politicalposition by bringing industrialparks…” (Perkins, 2006, p. xi.)

If you have an interest in what isgoing on in the world around youthen this book will be of great inter-est.

With little effort you will be in aposition to see clear comparisonswith our own island and why we arewhere we are – facing the forcedsale of our assets and naturalresources and paying off specula-tors debts.

Trevor Quinn

A Unique Association: A History of the MedicalLaboratory Scientists’ Association 1961-2011By Francis Devine

AMONG the many challengesfacing modern trade unions,especially in the westernworld, has been the struggle toestablish a presence amongworkers traditionally seen as‘middle-class’ ‘professional’ oreven ‘privileged’.

As the nature of work, andthe working class, haschanged, these challengeshave increased. This attractive-ly-produced book tells the his-tory of the Medical LaboratoryScientists’ Association, anorganisation whose origin layin the decision by individuallaboratory technologists tojoin the Workers Union ofIreland (WUI) during the late1950s.

The far-seeing GeneralSecretary of the WUI, JamesLarkin jnr, had initiated a poli-cy of attempting to attractwhite-collar and professionalworkers to affiliate to theunion, while retaining theirindependent status.

Larkin believed that in thelong-term this could prove tobe a bridge between these sec-tors and the labour movement.

Laboratory technologistsCyril Keogh and Harry Farrell,among others, were influ-enced by the success the WUIhad achieved on behalf of hos-pital clerical staff.

By 1960, about 50 laboratorystaff were attached to theWUI’s No. 15 branch as a sec-tion. Progress was not easyand this book outlines howeventually an independentassociation, linked to the WUIwas set up and how member-ship began to spread outsideDublin.

The Medical LaboratoryScientists Association wasfounded in 1961, with 70members and Cyril Keogh asgeneral secretary. Keogh was toremain in that position until1992, by which time the asso-ciation had almost 1,000 mem-bers. Under his leadership,(and with the mentorship ofLarkin jnr) the associationestablished themselves slowly,building the organisation in anarena unused to trade union-ism.

In 1969, with a membershipof 300, the association tookstrike action successfully intwo Dublin hospitals.

The association now num-bers more than 2,000 membersacross the state, working in arange of institutions, and in2004 was formally registeredas a trade union, affiliated toSIPTU and ICTU.

Brian Hanley

Organisingwhite collarworkers

The US government’s gargantuan desire for oil lay behind the development of a strategy that robbed Third World countries of natural resources impoverishing their populations

“They play a game as old as empire, but one that hastaken on new and terrifying dimensionsduring this time ofglobalisation”.

Ruthless power playsthat destroy nations

LibertyAPRIL 2012

30 Tradition

In Berlin: Dara Devany, right, plays Frank Ryan, the enigmatic left-wing republican

Film Review: The Enigma ofFrank RyanDirector: Des BellStarring: Dara Devaney, Mia Gallagher, Barry Barnes, Frankie McCafferty

FRANK Ryan is a character who haslong fascinated the Irish left.Immortalised for his role in theRepublican Congress, and later theSpanish Civil War, he remainssomewhat controversial owing tothe nature of his final days, whichwere spent in Nazi Germany.

While questions around SeanRussell and other physical-forcerepublicans who saw NaziGermany as a potential ally of con-venience have long been asked anddebated, historians have had aharder time explaining just whatRyan was doing in Nazi Germanyat the height of the Second WorldWar.

The Enigma of Frank Ryandescribes itself as a ‘docudrama’,with Dara Devaney playing the roleof Ryan well. The film avails ofsome archival historic footage ofboth Irish and European interest,but for the most part relies onactors to tell the story of Ryan’s

life. The narrative of the filmunfolds through Ryan’s discussionswith a radio producer, who wishesto record the story of this Irishmanin Berlin. Ryan begins with thedays of Civil War in Ireland, andcarries us through to his handingover to Nazi authorities by Franco’sforces.

Where the film is lacking is pri-marily in explaining how a youngIrish republican turns to anti-fas-

cism and the left. Eoin O’Duffy’sBlueshirts barely feature, and thefailings of the Irish state in its firstdecade likewise.

The line between historical factand fiction is often blurred by thevery nature of the film, and whilean entertaining drama, undoubted-ly there remains a need for a docu-mentary on the subject moregrounded in historical fact.Donal Fallon

A MUCH anticipated photograph-ic exhibition looking at the livesof Dublin dock workers waslaunched last month.

More than 200 people attend-ed the event at the Dublin Portcentre for what was the culmina-tion of a year of hard work anddedication by a group of formerdock workers.

The docks have changedalmost beyond recognition inrecent years and it was vital thatthe rich history of the peoplewho worked there – their tradi-tions, stories and images – didnot disappear too.

To ensure this did not happen,a group of former workers found-ed the Dublin Dock WorkersPreservation Society. Starting offby collecting old photographs,the ambition of the group grewand this wonderful exhibitionwas the result. It featuresimages from the 1940s throughto the 1990s, carefully chosenafter much deliberation.

Society member Declan Byrnetold Liberty: “This time periodwas chosen because the photo-graphs are likely to have addedsignificance for Dockland fami-lies.” In addition to the framed

images, also included in the exhi-bition are more than 1,000 otherphotographs that were projectedon to a screen.

Alan Martin, a member of thesociety, said: “My abiding memo-ry of the launch was the delightin the faces of the retired dockworkers as they met old friendsand recalled memories.

“Another lasting impressionwas the reaction of a group ofladies as they watched picturesof departed relatives pop up onthe big screen – magic.”

The exhibition and launchwere made possible by the sup-port of the Dublin Port Company.The exhibition will form part ofthe Five Lamps Art Festival andwill also be located in the EastWall and Ringsend communities.

A selection of photographs willbe displayed in the Liberty HallTheatre during the May DayFestival. For further details con-tact the Dublin Dock WorkersPreservation Society – DeclanByrne 086-8138618; Alan Martin087-2095974 or email alan-martin@dublin.ie. Also checkout the group’s Facebook pageDublindockers

By Joe Mooney

Dock workers photoexhibition launched

Aboard the Liffey ferry

A prisoner of Fascism in Spain.

Man of mystery

Recording his life: Frank Ryan in Nazi Germany.

LibertyAPRIL 2012

31

History of the Larkin clan

Behan Tribute: Actress Nuala HayesNight of celebration: Brendan Behan

BRENDAN Behan’s legacy will becelebrated in Liberty Hall onFriday, 11th March as part of theLarkin Hedge School.

Acclaimed actress Nuala Hayeswill join Declan Collinge, NóraGeraghty, Máire Nic Fhinn, AngelaPlunkett, Jack Plunkett and NoelPocock in a tribute devised by DesGeraghty and fittingly jointly spon-sored by Behan’s two unions, theIrish National Painters &Decorators Trade Group, SIPTU andthe NUJ.

The bilingual theatrical andmusical tribute begins at 7.45p.m.and will be followed by an openmusic session.

In Liberty Hall on Saturday, 12thMay, former RTÉ Director General,Cathal Goan, will present a bilin-

gual talk on the rich life of Neilí NíDhomhnaill, one of the most sig-nificant women in the Irish musicand song tradition.

Neilí Ni Dhomhnaill was born inRanafast, county Donegal.

As a child she had poor eyesight,and spent much time with theadults and this is how she acquiredher vast wealth of traditional songand story.

She was a singer and storyteller,and for her, the story which pre-ceded the song was important.

Neilí composed songs and fortwo consecutive years she wonfirst prize in the Radio naGaeltachta competition for newwords to old airs.

At lunchtime on Saturday Corktroubadour, Jimmy Crowley, will

perform at a Singing Lunch startingat 1.45p.m. in Liberty Hall.

The Power of Song lunchtimesession promises to be another fes-tival highlight.

On Saturday afternoon, talentedyoung musician Jesse Smith willrecall the contribution of anotherlegendary figure, Sligo fiddlerMichael Coleman.

SIPTU activist and RTÉ producerPeter Browne, himself a notedmusician, will introduce Jesse. Themusicians will also perform in aclosing music session in LibertyHall at 8.00p.m. on Saturday, 12thMay.

Full details available onwww.cleclub.wetpaint.com.

STELLA Larkin McConnon will visitthe Larkin Community College on 11thMay with poet Macdara Woods, piperNéilidh Mulligan and members of theLarkin Hedge School committee for aunique morning commemorating theLarkin family legacy.

Stella will talk to history studentsabout her famous grandfather, left,and all the famed members of theLarkin trade union dynasty. She willtake part in a question and answer ses-sion with the first year students, whohave already studied Larkin.

Poetry Ireland is sponsoring a work-shop by Macdara Woods and NéilidhMulligan. The Poet and the Piper ses-sion will bring music and poetry to thelively inner city school which isextremely proud of its association withLarkin.

THE degradation and miseryendured by thousands of familieswhich provided the social contextfor the 1913 Lockout will be out-lined in the opening lecture ofnext month’s Larkin Hedge School.

Dr Enda Leaney, of Dublin CityPublic Libraries, will give an illus-trated talk on Larkin’s Dublin:Fanning the Flames of Revolutionat a free lecture on the 10th Mayin the National Library, KildareStreet, Dublin.

The lecture – hosted by theLarkin Hedge School and IMPACTtrade union – begins at 6.30pm,and will provide an insight intotenement life as well as featuring acollection of startling images ofdeprivation.

Dr Leaney’s lecture will alsofocus on the Church Street fire inDublin and the subsequent inquirywhich revealed the true extent ofthe poverty in what was Ireland’sslum city.

Late on 2nd September 1913,two houses in Church Street sud-

A brush with Behan

Legacy ofthe slums

denly collapsed. The buildingswere four storeys high, with shopson the ground floor. The 16 roomsupstairs were occupied by about 10families – a total of more than 50people.

Rescue parties worked throughthe night digging out victims of thecollapse. Seven were killed andmany more badly injured.

The Committee of Inquiry, whichreported the following year, foundthat of the 400,000 people living in

Dublin, 87,305 lived in tenementsin the city centre, with 80% ofthese families occupying only oneroom each.

Following the lecture, renownedsinger Niamh Parsons joins RoisínGaffney – herself a noted exponentof traditional song – to lead the CléCub at the Stag’s Head in anevening of song intriguingly titledIn Praise of Obstreperous Lassies.

On Friday, 11th May, PadraigYeates will lead a guided tour of

Larkin’s Dublin. Accompanied bysingers and musicians drawn fromthe Clé Club, Padraig will follow inthe footsteps of Big Jim, stoppingat points of historical significance.

Diarmuid Breathnach is co-ordi-nating a programme of songs tocomplement the commentary.

Assembly is at 3.00p.m. outsidethe Custom House and the tourends at the Teachers’ Club, ParnellSquare. Dr Enda Leaney looks at the social andhousing backgound in pre-WWI Dublin

Larkin Hedge School

‘Big Jim’ Larkin

LibertyAPRIL 2012

32 Tradition

MARY Harris – known as MotherJones – was once the United States’most famous labour/union activistand was labelled “the most danger-ous woman in America”.

Initially she was active in theKnights of Labour before becominga national organiser for the UnitedMine Workers Union founded in1890.

Mother Jones organised hun-dreds of thousands of workers –mainly coal miners – into unionsfrom 1890 to 1920.

She travelled the hills ofColorado and the mountains ofAppalachia and went where mostmen feared to go during the coalwars carrying the union message of“Organise, organise, and organise!”

In 1903, she led the famousmarch of the mill children fromPhiladelphia to the home of USPresident Theodore Roosevelt.

She led an extraordinary life, fac-ing bullets and threats, and wasjailed many times for her activities.

Mother Jones was prepared toface huge dangers in defending“her boys”, as she called her minercomrades.

She was present when theIndustrial Workers of the World –IWW, known as the Wobblies – wasfounded in Chicago in 1905 andbecame a speaker and organiser forthe Socialist Party.

Mother Jones was known by allthe major union and political lead-ers of her day, including EugeneDebs, John Mitchell, Big BillHaywood, and met with four USpresidents.

By the time of her death in 1930,she had become a legend in heradopted land.

She is buried at the UnitedMiners Cemetery at Mount Olive inIllinois in a plot alongside wherethose miners murdered in theVirden massacre of 1898 are laid torest. Some 50,000 people attendedthe unveiling memorial to her atthe cemetery in 1936.

What is not well known is thatMary Harris was actually fromCork – yet she has not beenremembered or recognised in hernative city or among trade union-ists. That is all about to change.

The Cork Mother JonesCommittee has just commissionedCork sculptor Mick Wilkins to cre-ate a limestone plaque to honourMother Jones in Shandon near herbirthplace.

The plaque is to be erected nearthe Butter Market and will beunveiled on 1st August, 2012 – the175th Anniversary of her baptismin the nearby North Cathedral.

Mary Harris emigrated to Canadaafter the Famine, where shebecame a teacher, and marriedGeorge Jones, an active trade union-ist. Sadly, after surviving theAmerican Civil War, George andtheir four young children died in ayellow fever epidemic in Memphisin 1867.

Mary Jones became active inunion activities after a wave ofstrikes spread across America in1877.

The unveiling of the plaque willbe just a part of a wider series of

concerts, lectures, exhibitions andtalks which will be held in andaround the Shandon area on 31stJuly and 2nd August.

They will feature a number ofwriters, film producers and peopleassociated with Mother Jones inthe US.

Mother Jones inspired a numberof songs including Union Maid byWoody Guthrie.

It is thought American folk stan-dard She'll be Coming Round theMountain When She Comes mayhave originally referred to her trav-els through the Appalachian hills toorganise workers there.

Andy Irvine’s The Spirit ofMother Jones on his recent albumAbocurragh is the latest of manysongs to celebrate her life.

So the spirit of Mother Jones willarise in Cork in 2012.

A special bank account has beenset up specifically for purpose offinally honouring this union iconin her birth place.

The account is at the Ulster Bank,Blackpool, Cork City, account num-ber 10793602, sort code 985481.

All donations from trade union-ists would be very welcome and allare welcome to come to Cork andjoin in what promises to be aninteresting festival for union peo-ple over the three days.

For further details of the com-memoration, please contact theCork Mother Jones Committee on086 3196063.

Mother Courage

At last, US union legend Mother Jones is to be honoured in her native Cork...

Cork Mother JonesCommemoration

31st July to 2nd August

Mary Harris/Mother Jones Commemorative Committee

JIM Connell was born inKilskyre, county Meath, in 1852.As a teenager, he becameinvolved in land agitation andjoined the Irish RepublicanBrotherhood.

At 18 he moved to Dublin,where he worked as a casualdocker, but was blacklisted forhis attempts to unionise thedocks.

Failing to find any other work,he left for London in 1875,where he spent most of the restof his life.

In London he worked in a vari-ety of jobs, including as a jour-nalist with the newspaper TheLabour Leader. Jim Connellwrote The Red Flag in 1889 on

the train from Charing Cross toNew Cross after attending a lec-ture on socialism.

It was inspired by the Londondock strike happening at thattime, as well as the activities ofthe Land League in Ireland, theParis Commune and anarchistsin Chicago. The song quicklybecame an anthem of the inter-national labour movement.

In How I wrote The Red Flagwritten in 1920, Jim Connellclaimed he penned the lyrics toexpress “not only my own bestthoughts and feelings, but thebest thoughts and feelings ofevery genuine socialist I knew".Jim Connell died in 1929 inLondon.

IT’S THE anthem of workersacross the globe but it is tonorth Meath, for three days inearly May, that people come tohonour the man who wrote TheRed Flag.

This year, SIPTU VicePresident Patricia King andTánaiste Eamon Gilmore will beamong those addressing the14th Annual Jim Connell TradeUnion Weekend which runs forthree days from the 4th to 6th ofMay.

The event is the brainchild ofKells Labour Party councillorTommy Grimes. He explained: “Ifirst had the idea for the eventin 1973 when I was having apint with an old comrade ofmine, the late Kevin Smith, aftera Labour Party meeting.

“Kevin started to sing The RedFlag and told me that the song’swriter came from north Meath.”

It was 1998 before Tommyeventually realised his dreamwhen he organised the first JimConnell Trade Union Weekendwith the help of historianFrancis Devine and local artistJimmy Brien.

The Weekend includes debatesand talks in the Kells People'sResource Centre with a march toJim Connell’s birthplace inCrossakiel on Sunday.

The Weekend brings togetherIrish and British trade unionists.RMT General Secretary BobCrow and the Durham minersare among those who attend theevent every year. For moreinformation visit www.siptu.ie

Deepest red

Man behind the song

Jim Connell Trade Union Festival 20124th-6th May, Crossakiel, Co. Meath

Bring your Union Banner and Union Badges toCrossakiel on 6th May

This year a large number of young trade unionists fromEngland and Miners from Durham will be travelling tothe event. On Friday and Saturday we will be havinglectures and discussions on issues relating to the tradeunion movement and on Sunday, 6th we will have ourtraditional march, commemoration and entertainment.

Pict

ure:

Lib

rary

of

Cong

ress

LibertyAPRIL 2012

33Obituaries

MICHAEL Skerritt, former DeputyGeneral Secretary, NationalAssociation of TransportEmployees (NATE) passed peaceful-ly away on 25th March, 2012, aged90, Lord rest him.

Born in Derby Square, Dublin 8,he began work with his father inthe upholstery trade while still innational school.

In those early years he was activeas a boxer and was very proud ofhis participation and achievementsin the sport. Later he would usehis clever boxing skills in a lessphysical way ably defending therights of others with the maxim –Stand up and Fight!

Michael spent a number of yearsas an Army regular in the 2ndMotor Squadron based at CathalBrugha Barracks in Dublin.

He boasted he could drive any-thing “with wheels” and had theappropriate driving licence toprove it! After leaving the Army,Michael took up a job in CorasIompair Éireann (CIE) and joinedthe newly-formed Road FreightDivision as a truck driver at

Kingsbridge (now Heuston) GoodsDepot and over the years operatedout of a number of depots.

It was here he became involvedand active in union matters andjoined the NUR, from which NATEwas formed as an independent all-Ireland trade union in 1953.

Michael spent about 14 years onthe newspaper delivery trucks trav-elling all over the country deliver-ing the morning national newspa-pers and had a legendary intimateknowledge of the highways and

byways of Ireland. Over the yearsMichael built up a solid reputationas a formidable union negotiatoron behalf of CIE road freight staff.In 1979, Michael was appointed afull-time official as NATE’s DeputyGeneral Secretary – the lateMichael Cox was General Secretary.

In his new role he representedall grades of CIE workers and NIRail staff. He was extremely popu-lar with the members and his skillin consultations and negotiationsearned him a great reputation andmuch respect. This was widelyacknowledged in his work for theICTU CIE Group of Unions and inthe Labour Court Services.

Michael always respected thedignity of his opponents and in hisunique way he was successful indifficult negotiations where othersmight fail. He played an importantpart in the discussions leading tothe merger in 1987 of NATE intothe FWUI.

The merger of the FederatedWorkers’ Union of Ireland (FWUI)and the Irish Transport andGeneral Workers’ Union (ITGWU)

to form SIPTU took place in 1990.Michael was a ‘hands-on’ trade

unionist and in the unique envi-ronment and round-the-clock oper-ation of transport, he would go tomeet members with problems any-where day or night. Most morningsbegan for him around 7.00a.m. andhe might finish up 12 hours later.

For all his attention to the needsof the members, he was a greatfamily man too and the loss of hisbeloved wife, Helen, a few yearsago was traumatic for him.

We extend our condolences tohis bereaved family, relatives andfriends and especially to his daugh-ters, Maria and Sharon, and sons,Denis, Michael, Thomas and hisbrother Tommy.

Michael Skerritt was laid to restin Bohernabreena Cemetery follow-ing Requiem Mass in Our Lady ofGood Council Church in Drimnagh,Dublin. We mourn the passing of agreat trade union warrior, May herest in peace.Bernard Byrne, friend & colleague.(Hon. Secretary, National RetiredStaff Council, SIPTU)

OBITUARY Michael Skerritt 1921-2012 OBITUARYJohn Evans

Negotiator who boxed cleverFormer Deputy General Secretary, NATE

A ‘hands-on’ trade unionist, Michaelworked tirelessly for members’ rights

John, a veteran trade unionist, had manytales to tell of past campaigns

OBITUARY Tommy Higgins

OBITUARY Rory Staunton

ITGWU Organiser, Tommy Higgins,three times Mayor of Sligo and aFreeman of the Borough, died onFriday 13th April.

A large crowd attended his funer-al mass at the Cathedral ofImmaculate Conception onMonday 16th April and his inter-ment later in Sligo Cemetery.

The funeral cortège was led byMayor Rosaleen O'Grady and mem-bers of Sligo Borough Council.Labour TD Joe Costello and LabourSenator Susan O’Keeffe were alsopresent

Tommy was a leading tradeunion organiser in north Connachtfor a number of decades, whichclosely mirrored a political careerthat spanned 27 years.

Tommy was elected Mayor ofSligo for 12 month terms threetimes – in June 1970, in June 1974and in June 1984. He was conferredwith the Freedom of the Boroughin 1996, having retired from politi-

cal public life in 1994. Tommy was first elected for the

West Ward to Sligo Corporation(now Sligo Borough Council) inJune 1967. He was also elected toSligo County Council for theLabour Party and retained his seatat each election until he retired.

He was chosen as Labour candi-

date for three general elections –in June 1969, February 1973 andJune 1977. His performance inFebruary 1973 was a prime exam-ple of how 'managed' transfersfrom Labour to Fine Gael helped tooust Fianna Fail from power after16 years and installed the FG-Labour Coalition Government.

As a councillor, the late MrHiggins will be remembered as thedriving force behind the modern StPatrick's Day parade in Sligo.

Many cross-border bands becamea feature of the parade even at theheight of the Troubles in the mid-1970s and for decades afterwards,joined by bands from schoolsacross county Sligo.

The Garda Band, the Army No.1and even the Boston Police Band allfound their way into the Sligo's StPatrick’s Day marching ranks.

In the early 1980s, he was anactive member of the Sligo H-BlockCommittee, which – almost

Organiser and three times mayor of Sligo

Stalwart ofour union

Tributes paid to boy’s courage and intelligenceTHE Church Of the ImmaculateConception in Rathfeigh, Tara,county Meath was overflowing onMonday, 9th April, for a movingcommemoration of the life of 12-year-old Rory Staunton.

Rory, the son of Ciaran andOrlaith (nee O’Dowd) and brotherof Kathleen, died unexpectedly inSunnyside, Queens, in New York aweek previously. More than 1,000people had turned up for a servicein Woodside, Queens, before hisbody was returned to Ireland.

Ciaran Staunton, who isPresident of the Irish Lobby forImmigration Reform in the US,spoke of his “laughing boy” son’sremarkable young life before hisuntimely death following a basket-ball game.

Only a year previously, Rory hadcompleted his first flying lessonwhile the 5’9” boy excelled in bothsports and studies and enjoyed aparticular interest in politics, socialjustice and human rights.

His father described how he had

convinced his school mates inSunnyside to dispense with theword “retard” as it was offensive,particularly to children with specialneeds. “Spread the word to stopthe word” was the theme of Rory’ssuccessful campaign.

His uncle, Niall O’Dowd, publish-er of the New York-based IrishVoice newspaper and website irish-central.com, also paid tribute tothe intelligence and courage of hisnephew whose sudden and prema-ture death, he said, had devastated

his parents and sister, the widerStaunton and O’Dowd familiesand, indeed, all who knew him.

Among those present were AnTaoiseach, Enda Kenny, FergusO’Dowd TD (uncle of thedeceased), Sinn Fein President,Gerry Adams and Northern IrelandFirst Minister, Martin McGuinness,former Mayor of Drogheda andSIPTU Health Division organiser,Paul Bell, as well as many familyand friends. The burial took placein St. Peter's Cemetery, Drogheda.

A WELL-KNOWN face aroundLiberty Hall passed away in recentweeks.John Evans, a long-standingmember of the ConstructionBranch of the ITGWU and laterallywith SIPTU, passed away after ashort illness. Even though Johnwas 78 years old, he took an activeand keen interest in the activitiesand the staff of the union right upto the time of his death.

He was active in recent years inhelping campaigns organised bythe union and could be seen earlyin the morning handing outleaflets at the Dart Station or in thestreets around Liberty Hall.

John was active in the construc-tion industry in Britain and hadmany a tale to tell of campaignsover the years.

From the 1960s he was mainlyengaged with the South of IrelandAsphalt company and attendedevery AGM during his time withthat firm until his retirement andinsisted on being included inbranch activities and social events.

He was well known for his use ofhis bicycle across the city and therewas no job far enough away tocycle.

He will be sadly missed by thestaff – in particular, Karl Davis,who befriended him in theConstruction Branch.

John was a regular contributor tolunchtime card games. He was con-sidered a gentleman and this wasseen by the large number of staffmembers who attended his funer-al. As Karl Davis commented: “He’llbe missed as a trade union brotherand a dear friend.”

To his wife, Betty, and family, weextend our deepest sympathy.

uniquely in Ireland at that time –included a number of elected coun-cillors from all parties on its com-mittee: Tommy Higgins, Labour;John Mulrooney, Fianna Fáil;Tommy Doyle, Fine Gael andDeclan Bree, Independent Socialist.

In his full-time career TommyHiggins was originally a member ofthe printing staff with The SligoChampion newspaper, before hewas appointed full-time BranchSecretary of the Irish TransportGeneral Workers Union (laterSIPTU), based then at Union Place.

Responsibilities included negoti-ating for staff in most of the majorindustries in Sligo, Leitrim andNorth Roscommon.

Tommy Higgins was pre-deceasedby his wife Teresa some years agoand two sons, Anthony and Martin.

His surviving family membersare his children: Marie, Gerry,Adrienne, Thomas, Brian and Ann.

Tommy was instrumental in reinvigoratingSligo’s St Patrick’s Day parade

:”Laughing boy Rory”

LibertyAPRIL 2012

34 Sport

By Kevin Brannigan

HOULDERS shrugged,torso arched, tongueout and face scrunchedup as if to say, ‘Sowhat?’ Sometimes it’s

the celebration, or lack of,which makes a goal.

Think Marco Tardelli’s reactionto scoring in the 1982 World CupFinal, running wildly and withoutpurpose around the Bernabéuscreaming his own name.

Think of the then 38-year-oldRoger Mila dancing with cornerflags all through Italia ‘90. ThinkEric Cantona’s arrogant, chest out,blank ‘’I know I’m good’’ non-cele-bration after his chip againstSunderland and then think ChrisForrester.

On the banks of the Camac onGood Friday last, Chris Forrester, a19 year old from Smithfield,Dublin, announced himself to the

world and with his goal and cele-bration put his name alongside theaforementioned.

By the time Forrester wasangling an outside of the right chipover the head of Shamrock Roversunder-21 Swedish internationalgoal-keeper his team, St Pats, werealready two nil up on the reigningLeague champions, Forrester hav-ing smashed home the first ofwhat would become five.

It was dream-land stuff for theInchicore faithful and one imag-ines for Forrester too.

The YouTube clip went viral andbegan popping up on websites ofvarious languages. All were suit-ably impressed with the chip butit’s the nonchalant arrogance ofthe celebration which makes thisgoal special.

No self-indulgent running to thehome supporters, no jumping onthe back of his manager, no point-

ing at the name on his jersey. No,this celebration had class, Cantonaclass.

Forrester and Christy Fagan, theother ex-Bohs youngster whosecheeky back heel set up his fellowinner-city Dub for his Warholmoment, are players who could

define this season.While Shamrock Rovers mop up

the established talent within theleague, it has forced other clubs to

give youth its chance and while noone based at home will be repre-senting the Republic of Ireland inPoland this summer, plenty whostarted out on the sometimesbumpy playing fields of Tolka Parkand The Showgrounds will bethere.

Compared to Euro ’88 when justthree squad members – KevinMoran, Paul McGrath and LiamO’Brien – had League of Irelandexperience, Ronnie Whelan’s briefstint with Bohs discounted, thissummer’s squad could include upto eight former domestic players.

While both Trapattoni andTardelli have attended League andCup games since taking over thenational side, these have mainlybeen PR exercises rather than gen-uine scouting trips.

In the build up to the final squad

announcement, debate around thecountry has been focusing in onthe pros and cons of whether ornot to bring James McClean on theplane or not.

But while non League of Irelandwatchers may look on McClean asan overnight success, the scramblefor his signature, prior to his moveto Sunderland, was proof thatEnglish clubs still look on theleague here as a well to be tapped.With the small fees involved tak-ing away a lot of the risk.

Come the World Cup in Brazil,you may be wondering where youremember that minimalist non-celebration from as some kidcalled Forrester chips Joe Hart inthe Maracana. Odds are though bythen he’ll be another ‘overnight’success across the water.

S

All Rovers bar theshouting: ShamrockRovers raise theAirtricity League cupafter a nail-bitingencounter with UCDPicture: GMK Photography

St. Pat’s own brilliance:Chris Forrester after scoringagainst Shamrock Rovers

Picture: Inpho

Chris’ cheeky post goal shrug did have class... Cantona class

It was dream-land stuff for the Inchicorefaithful and one imagines for Forrestertoo.

LibertyAPRIL 2012

35

Hacks coaching copsIF we ever have a Leveson-styleinquiry in Ireland, we mightlearn a bit about the close con-nections between the mediaestablishment and those whowield power in Irish society.

Of course we don’t need a JudgeMahon or Moriarty to tell us thatDinny O’Brien and Anto O’Reillyhave long had their own ways ofshaping public policy but at a dif-ferent level questions might beasked about the links, for instance,between the Garda and senior jour-nalists and editors.

One leading journalist whencalled to the Bar (as distinct fromthe bar) held a party in Ryans ofParkgate Street for his Garda con-tacts. I suppose that is a far cryfrom the case of the former Newsof the World deputy editor NeilWallis who told Leveson recentlythat he had coached twoMetropolitan Police

Shatter can afford a life

Commissioners when they wereapplying for the top job.

Wallis revealed he had spoken toboth John Stevens – later LordStevens – and Sir Paul Stephenson,when they were in the running forthe top job, advising on the bestway to approach the applicationand interview process from hisexperience as a senior tabloid exec-

Probe master: Lord Leveson

utive who understood the worldsof media, politics and the police.

Hard to imagine Paul Williams orTom Brady coaching a top cop for ajob in the Park?

There was much satisfaction atthe decision of Leveson to allowsome journalists to retain theiranonymity when giving evidence.

Leveson dismissed an actionbrought by Associated Newspapers,publisher of the Daily Mail and theMail on Sunday, which said that itsreputation could be unfairly tar-nished by anonymous evidencewhich could not be fully tested orchallenged.

In opposing the Mail’s action,the NUJ took fiendish delight inpointing out that AssociatedNewspapers had effectively led thecharge in defence of the right ofparatroopers to give anonymousevidence at the Saville inquiry intoBloody Sunday.

WHATEVER one’s view of theHousehold Charge, Alan’sShatter’s intervention wasenough to get up the nose ofeven the most compliant citizen.

Shatter displayed all theworst characteristics of old-styleFine Gael as he urged those whooppose the £100 charge to “get alife”.

Alan just can’t help himself canhe? But then again he does lead arather charmed life.

A peek at the Oireachtas regis-ter of interests shows that theMinister for Justice, Defence andEquality has his well-manicuredfingers in a number of pies.

Alan had been a partner in thefirm of Gallagher ShatterSolicitors of 4 Upper Ely Place,Dublin 2, but ceased any involve-ment in the firm following hisCabinet appointment and he hasceased operating as a partner. Hewas also described as “PropertyOwner (Investor/Landlord)”.

The register gives a breakdown

of the property: “(1) 52 BushyPark House, Dublin 6; (2) 173Bushy Park House, Dublin 6; (3)39 & 45 Royston, Dublin 12; (4) 4Upper Ely Place; (5) 5 SprangersYard, Dublin 2; (6) 41 BridgewaterQuay, Dublin 8; (7) 53 SmithfieldVillage, Dublin 7; (8) 7825 VeronaWalk Boulevard, Naples, Florida,USA; (9) 8040 Wilfredo Court,Verona Walk, Naples, Florida,USA; (10) 1149 San Marco Road,Marco Island, Florida 34145; (11)9 Skylark Court, Swan St,London, England; (12) 203 SouthDock, Royal Victoria Docks,London, England; (13) 9111Capistrano St. South #8302, Lely,Naples, Florida., USA; (14) 34Block A, Smithfield Market,Dublin 7: investment & lettings.

“All property detailed is jointlyowned with another (the "other"being one of two others inrespect of each property) save forlast property listed (SmithfieldMarket) in which I have only aquarter beneficial interest with a

quarter interest vesting individu-ally in three others.”

Intriguingly Alan holds sharesin a number of companies includ-ing Aran Candy Ltd., 7Northumberland Road,Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

That’s sweet. Alan can clearlyafford to have a life.

AMID all the justified furore overBertie and Pee Flynn, little atten-tion has been paid to Cllr AnneDevitt, who has stepped aside fromFine Gael to contest the adversefindings about her by the MahonTribunal.

A solicitor and former teacher,Anne is well known is NorthCounty Dublin and is a highlyinfluential figure on the politicallandscape.

She also has the ear of HealthMinister Dr James Reilly who is apolitical and business associate. So

far the Fine Gael Deputy Leaderappears to have kept his counsel tohimself on the Mahon report.

Oddly, Fine Gael sees the behav-iour of their members as a privateparty matter while freely, and cor-rectly, excoriating the FFs named inthe report.

On 6th February last, The IrishTimes reported that Dr James andAnne were among a group ofinvestors who had consented tojudgement orders for £1.9m at theCommercial Court under a settle-ment of proceedings over an

alleged contract to buy a nursinghome in county Tipperary.

In their action, the plaintiffsalleged, under an agreement ofNovember 2000, that Dr Reilly andfour others, including Devitt, wereto buy the Greenhills nursinghome for €1.95m, plus VAT, and tosecure the release of the plaintiffsfrom all liabilities to Bank ofIreland relating to the property.

The terms of the settlementwere confidential but it just goesto show, it’s a small world.

Close links

SPARE a thought forRyanair Chief ExecutiveMichael O’Leary...

Arriving in a hotel inDublin, he went to the barand asked for a pint ofdraught Guinness. The bar-man nodded and said,“That will be one europlease, Mr. O’Leary.”

Somewhat taken aback,O’Leary replied, “That’s verycheap,” and handed over hismoney. “Well, we try to stayahead of the competition,” saidthe barman. “And we are servingfree pints every Wednesdayevening from 6pm until 8pm.We have the cheapest beer inIreland.”

“That is remarkable value,”Michael comments.

“I see you don’t seem to have aglass, so you’ll probably needone of ours. That will be €3please.”

O’Leary scowled, but paid up.He took his drink and walkedtowards a seat.

“Ah, you want to sit down?”said the barman. “That’ll be anextra €2. You could have pre-booked the seat, and it wouldhave only cost you a euro.

“I think you may be too big forthe seat sir, can I ask you to sit inthis frame please.”

Michael attempts to sit downbut the frame is too small andwhen he can’t squeeze in hecomplains, “Nobody would fit inthat little frame.”

“I’m afraid if you can’t fit inthe frame, you’ll have to pay anextra surcharge of €4 for yourseat, sir.”

O’Leary swore to himself, butpaid up. “I see that you havebrought your laptop with you,”added the barman. “And sincethat wasn’t pre-booked either,that will be another €3.”

O’Leary was so annoyed thathe walked back to the bar,slammed his drink on the count-er, and yelled, “This is ridicu-lous, I want to speak to the man-ager.”

“Ah, I see you want to use thecounter,” says the barman, “thatwill be €2 please.” O’Leary’sface was red with rage.

“Do you know who I am?”“Of course I do, Mr O’Leary.”“I’ve had enough, what sort of

hotel is this? I come in for aquiet drink and you treat me likethis. I insist on speaking to amanager!”

“Here is his email address, or,if you wish, you can contact himbetween 9 and 9.10 every morn-ing, Monday to Tuesday, at thisfree phone number. Calls arefree, until they are answered,then there is a talking charge ofonly 10 cent per second.”

“I will never use this baragain.”

“OK sir, but remember, we arethe only hotel in Ireland sellingpints for one euro.”

Thanks to Joan Usherwood for this.

It’s a cheapjoke, Michael,but we like it

Property portfolio: Shatter hasinterests in Dublin, London andFlorida

UTIPS

SECIVERSHSREBMEMU

HIP

la

cenarusse AfiLcenarusnr IaC

n Poitectore PmconIcenarusnr IaC

cenarusne ImoH

jl

22220 2981

.www40 700 3981

sna

e

22

i.lt54

ce

ce

ecnarusnl Iacidee MtavirPe vitanretlt Asow Coe LhT

narusnl IevarT

narusse AfiL

c

e

sh.www73 470 4981

eoe t

vockicuq.www79 320 9981

erinedo.www

e

ie

ei.fs37

.re37

i.tc

i fk tid llf I

musnol Cacihtr Eoe fciohcdemrofne ih, tsletor HiaF

t bitf it d

sleothriaff.wwwsremd

tdht t

ie.s

wwwt e agas pecivreS

ihsrebmeU MTPIt Sahtnio fke tid lluou wf yoI

e.itlj@utsipliamr eoe.iutpsi.w

e Mho to tgedivors pecivrep St uobn aoitamrofne irot mud on

pihsrebme Mstcudore pht t