New Events

National

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
A Blog About Human Rights

offsite link UN human rights chief calls for priority action ahead of climate summit Sat Oct 30, 2021 17:18 | Human Rights

offsite link 5 Year Anniversary Of Kem Ley?s Death Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:34 | Human Rights

offsite link Poor Living Conditions for Migrants in Southern Italy Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:14 | Human Rights

offsite link Right to Water Mon Aug 03, 2020 19:13 | Human Rights

offsite link Human Rights Fri Mar 20, 2020 16:33 | Human Rights

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Climate Change is ?Slowing the Earth?s Rotation? Fri Mar 29, 2024 13:00 | Sallust
If you weren?t already gibbering in your boots at the prospect of devastating climate change, it's time to think again. Apparently, the movement of water from the 'melting icecaps' is slowing the rotation of the Earth.
The post Climate Change is “Slowing the Earth’s Rotation” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Hancock Fails to Have Bridgen Libel Case Thrown Out Paving Way for Full Trial Fri Mar 29, 2024 11:00 | Sally Beck
Matt Hancock, the ex-Health Secretary, has failed in his bid to have Andrew Bridgen's libel case thrown out after Hancock branded him antisemitic, paving the way for a full trial.
The post Hancock Fails to Have Bridgen Libel Case Thrown Out Paving Way for Full Trial appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link DEI Wokery is Swallowing Small Businesses Too Fri Mar 29, 2024 09:00 | C.J. Strachan
It's not only large corporations with hyperactive HR departments that are succumbing to efficiency-sapping wokery, says C.J. Strachan. Small and medium-sized enterprises are being swallowed up by DEI as well.
The post DEI Wokery is Swallowing Small Businesses Too appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Are We Being Gaslit Over the Cause of the Princess of Wales?s Cancer? Fri Mar 29, 2024 07:00 | Melissa Kite
First Charles and then Kate ? it's hard to ignore the soaring cancer rate when two members of the Royal Family are diagnosed within weeks. But are we being gaslit about what's behind the surge, asks Melissa Kite.
The post Are We Being Gaslit Over the Cause of the Princess of Wales’s Cancer? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Mar 29, 2024 00:04 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the virus and the vaccines, the ?climate emergency? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Moscow attack reminds us of the links between Islamists and Kiev's fundamentalis... Tue Mar 26, 2024 06:57 | en

offsite link Failure to assist a people in danger of genocide, by Hassan Hamadé Tue Mar 26, 2024 06:32 | en

offsite link Yugoslavia March 24, 1999 The Founding War of the New Nato, by Manlio Dinucci Sun Mar 24, 2024 05:15 | en

offsite link France opposes Russian Korean-style peace project in Ukraine Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:11 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°79 Fri Mar 22, 2024 11:40 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Get Out And March on Friday; But Marching Is Not Enough, Organise for a general strike

category national | worker & community struggles and protests | feature author Monday November 02, 2009 11:34author by Gregor Kerr - Workers Solidarity Movement 1st May Branch - personal capacity Report this post to the editors

featured image
Get Up Stand Up

Marching Is Not Enough, Organise for a general strike

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ ‘Get Up Stand Up’ protest on Friday 6th November is of huge importance. The government have made it clear that they intend to make ordinary workers pay for the financial crisis. Friday can be the start of us finally standing up and saying that we are not going to accept this.

Huge efforts have been made by politicians and economic commentators in recent months to drive a wedge between private sector workers and public sector workers. Friday provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate that they have been unsuccessful and that workers will stand together and defend our common interests.

Make the wealthy pay
1% of the Irish population owns 34% of the wealth. This tiny number of people own assets (excluding residential property) worth €100billion. In fact, the asset base of this group rose from €25billion to €100billion in the period from 1995 to 2006. Yet Brian Lenihan claims that there is no ‘pot of gold’ to be got from the wealthy. But there clearly is! These are the people who made all the wealth in the Celtic Tiger years. They must now be made to pay for the crisis that their reckless financial gambling and speculation has caused.

In addition to this, there are 1,447 people in the Irish workforce whose annual income last year averaged €2.3million. These people could take a 95% pay cut and still have an income of €100,000 a year. That would be €1,920 per week – hardly poverty wages! But instead of looking at a radical strategy such as this – which would force the wealthy to adopt some of that ‘civic’ or ‘patriotic’ spirit that we hear so much about – the decision has been taken to take money from the pockets of workers on low to middle incomes and from the unemployed.

National Strike needed
It is time for us all to deliver a strong message to government that we are not going to accept this political direction. While it is important that Friday’s march is huge, in itself this will not make the government change course. The march must be followed up by a national strike which will unite all workers under the slogan ‘There is ANOTHER way – Make the wealthy pay’.

Already public sector unions are balloting for strike action and are planning a public sector wide strike for Tuesday 24th November. This is a welcome first step. But it must be built on, and workers in private sector jobs should be getting organised and planning strike action to coincide with this action.

We have been here before. In March of this year, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions announced a national strike in response to government attacks on workers’ living standards only to call it off at the last minute when the government invited them back into talks. We need now to build a momentum from the ground up which will not allow ICTU to pull the rug from under the action this time.

Strength
If the day’s strike on 24th November goes ahead, it will show clearly the strength that we have as workers. It will demonstrate to the government that we must be listened to and that we do have the strength to impose our political will on the direction in which we are being taken.

Let’s each of us continue the work in our workplaces and in our communities to build for Friday’s demonstrations and to build towards 24th November and beyond. By ensuring we take and build the initiative at grassroots level, we will make it more difficult for the leadership of Congress to divert our protest down the cul de sac of meaningless talks with government.

Workers Solidarity Movement members in our workplaces and in our communities are doing our bit to help to build these protests. We are willing to support and help anyone in any way we can in organising your own workplace and/or community. Don’t presume that someone else will do it, but take the initiative yourself. Get in touch with us through our website www.wsm.ie and we’ll do anything we can to support and help you in taking that initiative.

Let’s build the protest. Let’s show our strength. Marching is not enough. Build now for a national strike.

Related Link: http://www.wsm.ie

 #   Title   Author   Date 
   WSM Press Statement     PRO    Tue Nov 03, 2009 13:02 
   Stats     henry silke    Wed Nov 04, 2009 19:02 
   Sources for Stats     Gregor Kerr    Thu Nov 05, 2009 19:02 
   Liveline segment     Soundgrab    Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:47 
   traffic cam pic of march     www    Fri Nov 06, 2009 15:11 
   all traffic cam pic of march     www.dublintrafficams.com    Fri Nov 06, 2009 15:48 
   traffic cam pic of march 2     same    Fri Nov 06, 2009 15:52 


Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy