Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony
Public Inquiry >>
Parse failure for http://humanrights.ie/feed/.
Last Retry Sunday September 14, 2025 11:29
Sadiq Khan Racks Up Enough Air Miles to Fly to the Moon and Back Sun Sep 14, 2025 09:00 | Will Jones
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of "preaching Net Zero from the comfort of his many plane journeys" after racking up enough air miles to fly to the Moon and back in?attending climate summits?and events abroad.
The post Sadiq Khan Racks Up Enough Air Miles to Fly to the Moon and Back appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
How the West Snookered Itself in Energy Geopolitics Sun Sep 14, 2025 07:00 | Tilak Doshi
The recent Tianjin summit, where a smiling Putin, Xi and Modi clasped hands, marks a profound shift in global energy geopolitics, one that underscores Europe's slide into irrelevance, says Tilak Doshi.
The post How the West Snookered Itself in Energy Geopolitics appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Sun Sep 14, 2025 00:14 | Will Jones
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Home Office Hiring Religious Adviser to Help Detained Illegal Migrants Get Married Sat Sep 13, 2025 15:00 | Will Jones
The Home Office has advertised for a full-time religious affairs manager to advise?detained illegal migrants?on how to get married and organise weddings, despite the risk of 'sham' marriages as a way to avoid deportation.
The post Home Office Hiring Religious Adviser to Help Detained Illegal Migrants Get Married appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Keir Starmer Overrules Ed Miliband to Snub Net Zero Project Sat Sep 13, 2025 13:00 | Will Jones
Sir Keir Starmer has overruled Ed Miliband by snubbing plans for a green energy plant in favour of a massive data centre in a major blow to the Energy Secretary?s Net Zero plans.
The post Keir Starmer Overrules Ed Miliband to Snub Net Zero Project appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en
Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en
The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en
Voltaire Network >>
national |
worker & community struggles and protests |
other press
Thursday December 15, 2005 20:58
by AJ - Workers Power (Ireland)
zapawarrior at rebelnation dot com
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3You kept your criticisms of the SP quiet at last Mondays meeting.
Andy
i think the role that was played by the SUI in sabotaging this strike is being understated. at a cusp period in the negotiations the SUI started arranging petitions in support of the redundancy deal. basically they just wanted their money and didnt care about the workers who wished to remain or the Latvian workers. they even sent a letter to Irish Ferries Management supporting the management position. These actions by the SUI amounted to scabbing and crossing class lines.
It wasnt the ICTU or SIPTU burocracy who put a gun to the head of the SIPTU negotiators it was the SUI. That doesnt mean I have any illusions in the burocracy. In the past the burocrats snatched defeat from the jaws of victory during the Ryanair strike. Both the SIPTU and ICTU leadership could have and should have called for a General Strike and the breaking of reactionary laws against secondary strike action.
This deal is not a victory but it is not a total deafeat. This partial victory was acheived through the unoffical action taken by the ships officers in seizing the control room and by the secondary action by port workers who turned ferries away.
I say it is a partial victory because the Latvian workers have got a 120% increase in pay; they also have gained a months paid leave for every 2 months they work, previously they were not going to get any paid leave. It was the action of the ships officers that acheived this. The unofficial action by ordinary SIPTU members who in the best piratical tradition seized control of the ship.
Existing workers will retain their pay and conditions. There is a 3 year no strike deal. I doont think workers should accept a no strike deal but its their decision, no one has the right to tell workers that they cannot make such a decision. Unless you see yourself as having a right to overrule TU decisions. Thats a slippery slope ans one which leads to ideas like the militarisation of labour. The Latvian workers didnt get a vote on this deal but I suspect they would have voted in favour of it had they a chance. I base this opinion on the fact that they were previously prepared to work for €3.60 an hour with no paid time off.
The SUI has deposited itself in the dustbin of history it is now up to SIPTU to organise the Latvian workers and get them the same pay and conditions as the existing staff. The Latvian workers didnt have a vote on the deal so can it be legally binding on them? The other SIPTU workers would be entitled to take solidarity action in support of them. But thats down the road. First IF have to be unionised.
Piracy Not Partnership!
FYI:
A correction to a previous error in a WP article, stating that the CWI acted as a "left cover" for the union bureaucracy in the Irish Ferries conflict is now posted to the WP blog. See attached URL.