Mobilise Ireland & Dissent not supportive of unionised transport to G8

international | summit mobilisations | opinion/analysis

Friday June 24, 2005 16:28

by Carl H - ICTU (personal capacity/opinion)

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I realised this while talking to a union aquaintance in Belfast, who I know also reads Indymedia, in the last couple of days... both groups travelling to the G8 from Dublin - Mobilise Ireland (socialist, including SWP and IAWM) and Dissent! (anarchist, including DGN and WSM) have been either promoting people to go with or employing non-unionised transport themselves.

If people, specifically "activists", were thinking of going to the G8 in Scotland then I think they should have looked at other options instead of reccomending people to travel with Ryanair or paying for private bus operators. There is a good public transport system to Belfast and then the boat to Scotland is also quite easy to get on yourselves. The public train, public bus, and ferrys are all unionised workforces, and are guaranteed maximum working hours per week plus benefits and security. In cases where workers are being exploited within these industries, the workforce often bands together in solidarity, as was the case with the Filipino woman in the West, when the crew looked after her when she refused to leave the ship, despite being ordered to do so by Irish Ferries. So too the railworkers in Cork threatened action after a ticket collector was not reinstated after a labour court reccomendation said he was unfairly dismissed.

Private companies like Mortons, Eirebus, Hyland etc usually make their drivers work long (illegal & dangerous) hours on routs, and they are not unionised. Mortons operate the 'circle line' and Eirebus operate the 'URbus' line in the suburbs, as well as the Aircoach route who now have a non-unionised route to Belfast from Dublin as far as I know, and have constantly tried to privatise existing Dublin Bus routes, both these routes in the suburbs do not give free transport to old or people with social welfare cards.

Ryanair, and Michael O'Leary specifically, have been constantly trying over the last few months to thwart pilots attempts at self-representation, through the courts. It is a bit frustrating to hear a group like Mobilise Ireland encouraging people to use them to fly to Scotland, while at the same time preaching the message of anti-corporate politics. Likewise the Dissent! people are also involved in the "Get Up Stand Up" campaign, but are employing a non-unionised company to bring people over on both their long and short bus trip.

Admittedly I just think it is fairly hypocritical to be going to a mass protest against casualisation, privatisation, precarity etc, and protesting for workers rights when people dont support public transport or unionised companies for the sake of an extra tenner or twenty euros. You might save a few quid in the short term but in the long run you're only lining the pockers of some prick like Michael O'Leary and helping them to oppress people who try to get organised.

Its not like Genoa where it is a long way away and there was a language barrier, its right next door and the UK transport system is quite easy to grasp. I reckon if you had got on to someone like ex-ILDA Brendan Ogle (longest train strike in history in Ireland) he'd have been able to sort you out with some sort of 'special' up to Belfast if there was a large group going. I have the name of a NBRU bus driver who would also be sympathetic if anyone had wanted it. In fact if my memory serves me right he was in Genoa with a couple of other Dublin Bus drivers. They probably wold have sorted both groups out with specials. Its just a pity and it in the end only adds to the wrong image some union workers have of the "anti capitalist movement" as being wasters.