Cork Thousands on the Streets

cork | worker & community struggles and protests | news report

Friday December 09, 2005 22:32

by james mc barron - wsm cork

Tens of thousands march against exploitation

Workers march to secure their rights

At 12 O'Clock myself and Traolach stood on the bridge chatting as Cork city passed us by. By 1.30 we were swamped by thousands of our fellow corkonians. By 2.00 you could not hope to count the crowd.

The President of the IWU said to me there were more than at the tax marches in 1979. Workers spilled onto the streets. What traffic there was ground to a halt. In our thousands we fell in behind the banners of our unions. TEEU, SIPTU, IMPACT, IWU, CWU. etc a few Starry Ploughs, Anarchist flags, Socialist party banner, Labour, Shinners.... The speakers on Connolly Hall played Luke Kelly. People shook hands met old friends made new ones. Men and women who had know hard struggle to beat poverty and oppression mingled with the children of the Celtic Tiger. There was grim determination on faces all around.

Before the march as we stood around before the crowds properly gathered, I spoke with many passersby people I had known from campaigns and issues down the years bus workers, factory workers old stalwarts and cynical young guys all worried about the turnout. It was dispelled by the flow of people like a river.

The march formed up outside Connolly Hall and on the South Mall, we joked about Mayday marches of 50 people. It took over half an hour for the first section to move off as those of us on the South Mall watched. A SIPTU steward next to me talked to one at the head of the march it stretched all the way along Merchants Quay down Pana to Daunt Square and we hadn't budged. At last we set off no chanting, no music, just banter and a feeling of confidence. Patrick Street was quieter than a wet Monday in January. The first time in a long time there were more marchers on the road than pedestrians.

We finally reached Connolly Hall. People spilled over the bridge occupied every vantage point and we listened to speeches. Trade union officials emboldened by the turnout talked tough about a battle to save our employment standards, to protect wages, to unionise immigrants , to oppose racism. The said what people had come to hear the unions live we are not brow beaten, we are strong, we are united and we will fight. Joe O Flynn SIPTU attacked IBEC, the Bank of Ireland, the government and he tore into Irish Ferries. We finished with Amhran na Fhian piped on the platform and we dispersed talking, arguing ,debating a liittle spark lighted.

Now the real struggle begins between those willing to trust the trade union leadership with this and those who want to struggle to bring the unions back under the control of the members to set an agenda for not just defensive gestures but a counter offensive against the exploiters. Many workers disappointed in the past by union bureaucrats stung by the failure of their unions were there to argue for fighting unions for democracy for hope. In many hearts partnership was dead, but to amke this a reality a fight for the soul of the unions will ahve to be fought.

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Comments (7 of 7)

I've been living in this city almost 20 years..

by Ray Hanrahan - Cork WSM

Mon Dec 12, 2005 21:16

hanrahanarchist at yahoo dot co dot uk

..and I have never seen the like of this as public protests in Cork go. It was huge - even Uncle Tom Crosbie (sorry, De Echo) said today there were 15,000 on the march. I'd estimate 10k or more, but then I'm not used to such numbers.
One of the most notable features of the protest other than its sheer size and diversity (excluding the boss class of course) was the relative silence of the marchers. Through unfortunate previous exposure to megaphone-wielding authoritarians hammering slogans into the skies(!) I'd expected a protest of this scale to be loud. Instead, marchers talked to each other, or maintained a determined silence.
You could look at this two ways - the quiet nature of the marchers was indicative of the seriousness of the issue at hand (Irish Ferries/'outsourcing') and of their determination to fight the bosses and the PD/FF govt. over this. The other way is to recognise that the vast majority of those marching yesterday had either never been on a protest march before or haven't been for years (Don't get me wrong - this is not a criticism. Most of the march was composed of ordinary working people and being noisy on marches would not be their style, perhaps). Either way, the Irish Ferries issue has touched a raw nerve for lots of working people.
The speeches of the union leaders at Connolly Hall were interesting insofar as they were a truer reflection of the crowd's feelings than perhaps would have been otherwise. They admitted that they were afraid that the protest would have been much smaller, so their blushes were saved. None of them had a good word to say about 'partnership' - they couldn't afford to; if they'd admitted to any desire for negotiations with 'outsourcing' bosses or a govt. composed of bullies like Harney and Hanafin ('These people must be punished!!!! Dock their pay! Dock their pay!') they'd have been lynched, plain and simple. For once the crowd were in control and no lines of rhetorical shite were peddled to them. The speakers actually hit some good notes - no to racism, race to the bottom etc. and more than once the speakers emphasised the need to organise immigrant workers in Ireland in unions and fight together for decent wages and conditions. Even the evil Industrial Relations Act of 1990 was attacked! All this was said with the zeal of converts, or was it with the sure knowledge that no other message would suffice in the circumstances if they wanted to go home with some dignity. In fact, the local leadership were upstaged by the city's and county's ordinary union members coming out in their thousands to register their protest.
Many people there yesterday remarked that compared to the tax marches of the early 'eighties there was much less effort this time put in by unions to mobilise membership to march, so in effect this was a spontaneous demonstration of workers' anger and concern at what's going on. It also means that the demos across Ireland were a free gift from the trade union movement to its leaders - a gift they are likely to squander in the pursuit of their own personal ambitions and/or corrupt agendas. Unless of course union members and workers across the land keep the pressure on them by taking direct action/breaking the IR Act as and when the need arises. That would be the most appropriate tribute to the Irish Ferries workers rather than another fucking 'partnership agreement'!

Everybody was dragged

by cynicaaswell

Sun Dec 11, 2005 05:39

I love cyniclas least about trust just so happens on the same day this report comes out

The Irish public believe that political parties are the most corrupt institutions in the state, according to a worldwide public survey published today by Transparency International (TI) to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.
http://www.transparency.ie/news_events/gcb2005.htm

Political parties were followed in order by the Judiciary/Legal System, Dáil Éireann, and the private sector as most prone to corruption.

Union Leadership

by Union Member

Sat Dec 10, 2005 23:51

Unions today, for all their rhetoric of solidarity, parity etc etc, almost all function like extensions of management. Union reps are more often than not too cowardly/scared to represent individual cases where to do so makes them unpopular with employers. No mater how many policy statements are drawn up, no matter how many people come to marches, if union reps are not made of the right metal (which most of them are not), very little is likely to change. Too often the union reps end up siding with management for their own convenience and contributing to the victimisation of the people who really need their help.

Cork March

by Paddy Mulcahy

Sat Dec 10, 2005 22:46

paddymulcahy at eircom dot net

Yes, I must agree with James that the turnout and the level of solidarity gave one a sense of hope that the tide may be turning - yet I could not rid myself of the thought that the whole thing may end up just like the tax marches of 1979 - I hope that I am proven wrong this time and that trade union leadership AND membership may stay the course on this one....

A Quiet March

by Sean

Sat Dec 10, 2005 02:51

I was there with my daughter and a couple of her friends. There was a great turnout in the soft weather but the march went off very quietly... it was more like a funeral march. Ireland has become very civilised in her middle age.

Excellent!

by Fintan Lane - Irish Socialist Network (personal capacity)

Fri Dec 09, 2005 23:39

Delighted to hear that the Cork city march was so big! I received several texts from Cork as the march was making its way through the city centre and all were euphoric at the turnout.

James, of course, is absolutely right about the union leadership. The same is true of the Labour Party. The use of the slogan 'Partnership not Piracy' by the labour leadership on the Dublin march nicely indicates their limitations, not to mention their perverse sense of logic.

Union Management / Bishops / Newspaper Editors / Politicians / Big Biznessmen / Gardai

by cynical

Fri Dec 09, 2005 22:39

Who communicates most openly with the public from this list? I just mean openly not truthfully?

My opinion?

1. Politicians
2. Bishops
3. Big Biznessmen
4. Newspaper Editors
5. Gardai
6. Union Management

Are younion management scared that if they open up open dialogue with society they'll get a disease?

Truth is they were dragged into what happened today.

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Cork Thousands on the Streets

Comments (7 of 7)