Union Post February 2013

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2 THE UNION POST y February 2013

ThE people of Ireland willbe on the streets in theirtens of thousands on February 9.

They will be marching in Dublin,Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterfordand Sligo.

Contrary to the official line fromStrasbourg and Frankfurt, there isvery little evidence of Europeansolidarity in action in Ireland rightnow.

We have been saddled witha €64 billion bank debt burden that eliminates any possibility of economic recovery and guaranteesyears of continued stagnation.

That debt represents the cost of‘saving’ the Irish banks, which collapsed in 2008 and broughtdown the whole economy.

They operated in a wholly corrupt Eurozone banking systemthat was rigged to ensure the mostreckless senior lenders got thehighest reward.

And the EU expects us to

pick up the tab, in full. Thisis the big lie at the heart ofour ‘bailout’.

A country with a workforce of1.8 million cannot repay debt ofthis size without doing enormoussocial and economic damage.

While the Irish bank guaranteeof September 2008 lies the root ofthis current evil, the EuropeanCentral Bank’s insistence that nobank could fail – not even Anglo –meant it could never be reversed.

The new European orderdeemed that ‘no bondholdercould be left behind’. Andthen they sent the bill to us.

Over the next three years, theinterest bill on just a portion ofthat debt will cost Ireland over €4 billion. That money will be borrowed and our debt will increase further.

Our most recent budget –carried out under the watchful eye of the Troika –involved a very painful ‘adjustment’ of some €3.6billion. The numbers justdon’t add up.

In the meantime, we have haem-orrhaged 360,000 jobs and seenfamilies broken up by emigration.

So far, Ireland has paid thebiggest bank debt bill in the Euro-pean Union. We have already paidout €41 billion – more than Ger-many (€40 billion), the UK, theNetherlands, Portugal or Spain.

This has cost everyone in Irelandalmost €9,000 each. The cost ofthe bank crisis across for all otherEU citizens, was just €191.

We have paid almost 50times more than what everyone else has paid.

And we are expected to paymore, the full €64 billion andcounting.

That’s why we’ll be marching on February 9. Join us.

They saved the bondholders- then they sent the bill to us

CONGRESS has warned officials from the Troika thatwithout a significant deal on Ireland’s €64bn bank debtburden, there is little chance of economic recovery in thenear future.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with the official on Febru-ary 4 , general secretary David Begg said: “The penny hasn’t quite dropped yet on the bank debt, particularlythe absurdity of expecting a small economy with a work-force of just 1.8 million to pay a bank debt of €64 billion.It is unjust and unpayable.” The Congress delegation outlined to Troika officials that Ireland has already paid aheavy price for the reckless actions of banks across thewhole Eurozone.

“Figures from the Eurostat agency show that Irelandhas paid more for the bank crisis than any other EUstate. So far, the bank bailout has cost us €41 billion,while Germany – with an economy almost 20 times oursize – has paid €40 billion.

“We have also paid more than the UK, France, Portu-gal and Spain. Indeed, the bank crisis has cost every per-son in Ireland almost €9,000 – while the EU average is€191 per person. We have paid almost 50 times morethan anyone else.”

Mr Begg said the February 9 demonstrations were anopportunity to send a “very clear signal to Europe” andencouraged people from all sectors of society to attendthe protests and make their voices heard.

He added: “This is an issue that transcends all others...there is no more critical issue facing Irish society at thispoint.”

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Ours is the largest most expensive bank bailout in history.So far, Ireland has paid out €41 billion and the total bankdebt burden is €64 billion. Germany has paid out 40 billion –but their economy is some 15 times the size of ours. Thebroken banks have cost each one of us €9000. Across therest of Europe, the cost of the banking crisis per citizen hasbeen just €191. We have already paid 50 times more thananyone else. It not fair, its not just and its not payable.

http://www.ictu.ie/download/pdf/neri_banks_governments__citizens.pdf

The total net cost of bank capital transfers (Govt deficit)per head of population in 2011 (€ per capita)

http://www.ictu.ie/jobsnotdebt

CoMMENTBy DAVID BEGGCongress General Secretary

https://vimeo.com/58711943For more information go to:

3February 2013 y THE UNION POST

DUBLINCook Street (near Civic Offices, Wood Quay)

CORK SIPTU offices, Connolly Hall, Lapps Quay

GALWAY Cathedral Car Park

LIMERICK Mechanics Institute, Harstonge Street

WATERFORD The Glen (in front of the Forum)

SLIGO Sligo County Council Offices,Riverside

JoIN THEProTESTS ASSEMBLE 1.30pm

THE GrEAT IrISH BANK roBBErYWhat else could we do with €64bn? PAGE 4

TOP comedy, rap, punk poetry, reggaeand pop acts are to provide the enter-tainment at the at the Congress Lift theBurden march and rally in Dublin, onFebruary 9.

Among the acts that have been com-firmed to perform during the marchand at a subsequent rally in Dublin'sMerrion Square, are: comedian BarryMurphy of Apres Match and Irish Picto-rial Weekly fame; Mundy and his band;Finglas rapper MissElayneous; punkpoet Jinx Lennon and well-knownUB40 tribute band Promises & Lies.

Congress assistant general secretarySally Anne Kinahan said that while theFebruary 9 protest had a very seriousintent, the aim was to make the event afamily-friendly occasion. “We are asking

people to march and protest to secure adeal on Ireland’s unpayable and unjust€64 billion bank debt burden – but wewant to ensure that they can do so in asafe, friendly and entertaining atmos-phere.

“Along with the range of musical andcomic acts that will perform, we alsohope to have activities such as face-painting for children.

“We are encouraging families to par-ticipate, because ultimately this is aboutan unfair debt that will be passed on toour children and our grandchildren.”

The Dublin protest will assemblefrom 1.30pm in Cook Street (near WoodQuay) and the entertainment will com-mence when the march reaches MerrionSquare.

There will also be entertainment atthe rallies in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Wa-terford and Sligo.

Family-friendly entertainmentfor Lift the Burden protests...

€64bn

Picture: Congress

PAYING the €3.1bn AngloIrish promissory note duenext month could cost a totalof Irish 30,000 jobs, a leadingeconomist has warned.

NERI director Dr Tomhealy said: “The option ofsuspending payment of thenext tranche of promissorynote payments pending a suc-

cessful agreement by all concerned should not be excluded.

“The risks associated withsuch an approach must beweighed against the risks oftaking a further €3bn out ofthe Irish economy in 2013with the loss of over 30,000jobs.”

30,000 jobs bitter cost of payout

SAT FEB 9JOIN THE PROTESTS

THE UNION POST y February 20134

MONEY has been pouredinto the Irish banks to compensate for the gross incompetence of seniormanagement. This is privatedebt that the Irish publichave been made liable for.This is the €64bn question –what else could we do withthat money????

Every €1 million invested in publicinfrastructure projects generates approximately 11new jobs… an investment of€64 billion could create over700,000 jobs, virtually elimi-nating unemployment twiceover.

In 2012, Irelandspent €8.6bn on primary and second-ary schools. The sumof €64bn would paythat bill for seven-and-a-half years.That’s equivalent to a full primary or secondary-level education for a generation of Irish pupils.

Childcare costs parents here an average of €10,000 per child, peryear. The €64bn poured into thebanks could pay the child-care costs for 18 years for350,000 children under fiveyears of age.

Tricolour on themoon? Ireland with its€64bn could run aNASA-style space exploration pro-gramme for five years.The US Congress allotted the US spaceagency $17.8bn

ThE UNION POST is produced by Brazier Media for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions

Northern Ireland Committee Irish Congress of Trades Unions4-6 Donegall Street Place, Belfast BT1 2FN, Northern IrelandTel: 02890 247940 Fax: 02890 246898Email: [email protected] Web: www.ictuni.org

Irish Congress of Trade Unions31/32 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Republic of IrelandTel: +353 1 8897777 Fax: +353 1 8872012Email: [email protected] www.ictu.ieuNIoN PoSTTHE

THE GrEAT IrISHBANK roBBErYWhat else could we do with €64bn?

(£13.4bn) for the fiscal yearin 2012.And placed end toend, the dollar equivalent ofour €64bn bank debt ($83bn) would be long enough for17 round trips to the moon…

The world’s tallest building, the BurjKhalifa, in Dubai is 828m high –that’s 14 Liberty Halls stacked one

on top of the other. It cost$1.5bn (€1.13bn) to construct.Our €64bn would build 57 ofthem – one for each Irish townwith more than 8,000 people.

A Boeing 747-400 costs€27.2m ($36m). For its€64bn Ireland could buy1,777 jets – one for every2,600 people in the Republic.

The Earth’s population reachedseven billion on October 31,2011. Ireland could treat everyone on the planet to atasty €9 Margherita pizza. Andthere would be money left in thekitty for extra toppings for China.

The basic 5 Series BMWcosts €36k, €64bn wouldbuy about 1,780,000 ofthem – more thanenough to park a brandspanking new ‘bimmer’ in every driveway in thecountry.

It takes about $1m to carpet a soccer pitch in dollarbills. Covering Dublin’s PhoenixPark would cost $700m. The dol-lar equivalent of our bank debt of€64bn would carpet all of CountyLouth in many billions and billionsof notes.

€64bn would pay for 18 years ofchildcare costs for our children

€64bn would pay for the education

of a whole generation of our kids

€64bn buy 1,777

Boeing 747-400 jets

Pizza anyone? No, €64bnwould buy pizza for everyone

€64bn would carpet Louth in dollar bills, above,

or, right, build 57 Burj Khalifa skyscrapers

€64bn would fund a space

programme for five years

Credits: dcsurfer, capelle7, avlyxz,401(K) 2015, PhilipC, kkalyan (CC BY 2.0); (CC BY-SA2.0)

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LEADING US trade union activist KarenNussbaum, above, was the guest speakerat a number of engagements in Irelandlast month.

The Working America director – whodelivered an inspirational address at theMaking the Case for Decent Work con-ference in Dublin on January 24 – hadearlier spoken to SIPTU’s Liberty news-paper about her experience of organis-ing workers Stateside.

In particular Ms Nussbaum under-

lined the need to draft in a “new gener-ation of activists” into the labour move-ment.

She told Liberty: “We need to explorenew ways of representing workers in theface of growing casualisation, less attachment to the workplace and otherproblems that have changed the natureof the collective bargaining relationship.”

Ms Nussbaum also spoke at theBelfast Unemployed Resource Centreon January 25. Picture: Kevin Cooper/Photoline

Picture: NIPSA

‘We need to find newways to organise’

NIPSA has called on theNorthern Ireland Executiveand local political parties todemand the UK governmentmoves to close the tax gapand tackle tax avoidance bylarge corporations and therich.

General secretary BrianCampfield said: “In theChancellor’s Autumn State-ment we were informed thatthe cuts to public spendingand the dismantling of the Welfare State would continue for the foreseeablefuture.

“We were also advised thatthere would be no reversal ofthe Government’s so-calledeconomic policies despite the threat of a triple dip recession in the UK.”

he pointed out the gov-ernment could avoid makingthese cuts if it made a seri-ous commitment to tacking“endemic tax avoidancepractised by many large private sector companies and wealthy individuals”.

An estimated £120bn islost to the public pursethrough tax avoidance, taxevasion and uncollected

NIPSA: UK govt mustmove to close tax gap

POA’s condolences overDet Gda Donohoe killing

taxes in the UK each year.Mr Campfield said: “If

these taxes were realised,then Northern Ireland wouldstand to benefit to the tuneof around £3bn a year. Thatis why NIPSA is calling on theNorthern Ireland Executiveto make tax avoidance a priority matter in any discussions with the UK government.”

THE Prison Officers Association hasextended its “deepest sympathy” tothe family and colleagues of Gardadetective Adrian Donohoe.

Det Garda Donohoe was shotdead outside Lordship Credit Union,Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 25.

The POA statement read: “This isa dreadful crime and hopefully thoseresponsible will be identified and

brought to justice. This brave manwas mown down in his prime whiledoing his duty on behalf of the stateand all of us.

“Our thoughts are with his family,colleagues and friends at this verydifficult time for all of them.

“We have passed our condolencesto the Garda Representative Associa-tion.”

NEWS

February 2013 y THE UNION POST 5

Campfield: Tax avoidance ‘endemic’


TuC: Cam tilting atwindmills on WTD

Picture: ITUC


The slogan says it all: Members of American Federation of State, County &Municipal Employees Local 1072 University of Maryland, in the city of CollegePark during a September 1973 protest against lay-offs. The grounds crew arepictured here doing their bit during a lunch break in front of the university’smain admin building. This was an action with a happy ending – the AFSCMEeventually won both recognition and collective bargaining rights.

Picture: washington_area_spark (CC BY-NC 2.0)

FLASHBACK 1973

The TUC has called on the UK government tostop “obsessing” about the EU Working Time Directive – which many Tory MPs think representsan unnecessary burden on British business.

General secretary Frances O’Grady made thecomments as David Cameron delivered a speech inthe Netherlands last month in which he called fora sweeping repatriation of EU powers back to theUK. Current TUC thinking is that this is a smoke-screen for further attacks on UK employmentrights that could put thousands of British jobs atrisk.

Accusing him of “tilt-ing at windmills” over theWTD, she pointed outthat it was ironic the PMchoose to deliver hisbroadside in a countrywhich had long aban-doned excessive workinghours in favour of higherproductivity.

The latest OECD figures on working timerevealed the average Dutch worker spent 1,379hours at work each year, producing $82,460 inGDP value whereas the average UK employeespent 1,625 hours a year at work yet only produced $76,700 in GDP value.

Ms O'Grady said: “The government should aban-don its obsession with the Working Time Directivewhich guarantees millions of people a paid holidayand stops dangerous work being done by ex-hausted people. Forcing people to work longerhours is not the answer. Instead of tilting at thewindmill of the Working Time Directive, the PrimeMinister should be taking steps to raise UK productivity to Dutch levels and beyond, throughmore investment in training, jobs, infrastructureand a better work-life balance.”


Access to face-to-face banking under threat

UNITE has outlined plansfor a legal campaign toforce the current owners of Waterford Crystal torepatriate manufacturing ofthe world-famous brandback to the city.

Since KPS bought Water-ford Crystal in 2009, mostof the manufacturing hasbeen moved out of Irelandto Europe and South Amer-

ica with the loss of morethan 600 jobs.

The brand is sold underthe original trademark andUnite is hoping to challengeits use on glass not produced in Waterford.

It is understood theunion is to take a test caseto the registry of trade-marks in Alicante, Spain,which could end up at the

European Courts of Justice.And there have been suc-

cessful precedents for suchlegal action on behalf of ge-ographical areas associatedwith particular products.

Unite co-ordinator Walter Cullen said: "Cham-pagne and Parma have successfully protected thelink between the name ofthe place and products

made there. And Moven-pick was recently preventedfrom making a link to Swisschocolate when productionwas actually taking place inGermany.

"We have engaged experts in the field oftrademarks who believethat the people of Water-ford have a strong case tomake.”

unite launches cut glass legal bid

WATErForD CrYSTALDemonstration: Waterford

Crystal workers on themarch in 2009

Picture: Unite

Picture: Goran Hoglund (CC BY 2.0) “The danger is that large parts of

Northern Ireland – especially in ruralareas – may be left with a much reduced or inferior facility.

"While some bank managementsseem to believe that mobile phone orinternet technology is the key to thefuture of banking – and that wherebranches exist they should consist ofa battery of self-service computerscreens and a small complement ofhuman beings – our members' face-to-face experience with customerssuggests that a significant numberwould still prefer to bank with humans rather than electronic devices.”

IBOA chief Larry Broderick haswarned large parts of Northern Ireland, especially rural areas, will be left with little or no access to face-to-face banking.

The warning came after Bank ofIreland revealed last month that it plans to close nine of its 44branches north of the border.

The latest closures will bring thetotal number of bank branches andsub-offices that have shut to nearly 60since 2008.

Mr Broderick said: "The announcement from Bank of Irelandfollows similar announcements by Ulster Bank and First Trust Bank in

the last six months, while DanskeBank's Northern Bank subsidiary hasalso engaged in some restructuring ofits branch network since the bankingcrisis began in 2008.

"We are particularly concernedthat a situation is beginning toemerge where each banking group istaking decisions based upon its ownnarrow institutional self-interest.”

And he added: “We have no confidence that further closures willnot be sought by the major banks inthe future.”

Mr Broderick claimed no consid-eration had been made over “the cumulative effect of these changes”.

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A CAMPAIGNING & ORGANISING UNIONWEB: EMAIL:www.mandate.ie [email protected]

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UNI Global chief outlines strategy to beat world slump

UNI general secretary PhilipJennings, right, has claimedthe labour movement couldprovide the answer to risingjoblessness in Europe – andcalled for a radical change inthe current model of dealingwith the problem.

“We know how to get thisjob done,” he said during aspirited live interview onCNBC television on January24.

Mr Jennings pointed to the“very bleak” jobs forecast inthe ILO’s latest annual re-port predicting the numberof those out of work wouldrise to 205 million by 2014.

he insisted there had tobe a response from businessand government and that

both had to realise thatunions could provide the an-swer. "It's time to recognise

the voice of labour and workwith labour. We know howto get this job done. We can

fix this – give us a seat at thetable, we are part of the solution.

"It's time to put themoney sitting in those cashmountains to work, peopleare desperate to work. Theyare looking for quality jobsand a decent wage.”

Mr Jennings flagged uphow Germany had been able to weather the storm because of investment in apprenticeships and in protecting workers’ jobs.

he said: “They kept people in work – they putyoung people in work. Theycontinued their apprentice-ship programmes.

“They were ready whenwe had that glimmer of light

two years ago becausethey were prepared towork with the labourmovement.”

Mr Jennings contin-ued: “We have recordunemployment in Europe. It’s time tochange the model.

“Austerity is notworking. It is not pro-viding employment opportunities. It is nothelping investment orthe business climate.

“We want to put busi-ness to work, we wantto put that cash moun-tain to work and thenwe will have a muchbetter horizon for business and workingpeople.”

Mr Jennings queriedhow the economy couldbe put back on trackwithout improving ag-gregate demand, addingand that meant “givingthe world a pay rise”.

“They’ll only get thatby working with labourand when the elites say it’s time to givesomething back.”

“We need a newcommitment, a new social contract, to helppeople through theirworking lives.

“Retraining, incomesupport, to give peoplehope that there is asafety net which willhelp the business com-munity invest and selltheir products and askilled motivated workforce.

“The work force isready – they are hungryfor change, hungry foropportunity. Give it tothem."

Give the world a pay rise!

Picture: Mandate

IMF: DITCHAUSTERITYGEORGE...SEE PAGE 14

9February 2013 y THE UNION POST

A Century of Workers in Struggle 1913-2013National Commemorative Event11am - 4pm, March 2nd, Liberty Hall, DublinSave the Date

Hosted by Sinn FéinSpokesperson on Workers’ Rights,Senator David Cullinane

IMPACT has claimed the findings of a new reportundermine the government’s economic case forselling off Coillte harvesting rights.

The study carried out by economic consultantsPeter Bacon & Associates and published lastmonth found that the move did not make economic sense.

According to the report’s authors, the Statewould remain liable for costs after selling the€1.3bn harvesting rights.

To cover this amount, Coillte would have tosell well above the price paid currently by sawmills – at just over €43 per cubic metre – forCoillte supplies. The report states: “To generate a http://www.impact.ie/files/campaigns/saveourforests/ForestryFinalReport1.pdf

Check out the full report at:

Timber! Report fells govt case for sell-off

CoILLTE HArVESTING rIGHTS

sale valued at €1.3bn would require an averageprice of €78 per cubic metre. This is well abovecurrent or recent prices and there is no basis inthese prices for assuming that this would beachieved.”

In fact, the authors add that far from generatingState income, a sale of Coillte harvesting rightswould actually represent a substantial cost to theexchequer.

Speaking at the report’s launch, IMPACT assis-tant general secretary Johnny Fox said: “IMPACT

and many other organisations have expressedconcerns that the sale of Coillte harvesting rightswould drastically limit public access to the coun-tryside, undermine the quality and character ofour woods, and damage our world-class forestryand environmental standards.”

He added: “In response we were told that thepolicy is necessary on economic grounds. PeterBacon’s report has now fundamentally under-mined the only rationale the government has putforward for this reckless and damaging policy.”


100 years on from 1913,much is still left to do...

‘Legal rights for workers are often flouted due tolack of inspection & weak compliance mechanisms’

EVERy nation, and in every Labourmovement, has in their collectivememories landmark moments of social agitation and of workers asserting themselves.

In the US, they recall the Haymar-ket Massacre, and the HomesteadStrike, in Britain the ’26 GeneralStrike, and the Miners’ Strikes in ’74and ’84.

All around the world these inci-dents and disputes – where ordinaryworkers stood up for their rights,and said,“Enough!” – are recalledwith special significance by ordinary people and by trade unions.

In Ireland, the 1913 Lockoutstands out clearly as the most signifi-cant event in Irish labour history.

Faced with such arrogance and ablatant effort to intimidate Irishworkers, the ITGWU had no choicebut to respond decisively, and theIrish working class, not just in Dublin,but also around the country, responded, and took to the streets,in a remarkable show of strengthand of defiance.

William Martin Murphy and therest of the Dublin employers responded with venom and pitiless-ness, bringing the full force of officialrepression, and media manipulationto bear on them.

The suffering of these workersand of their families, has long passedinto folk memory, and has beencommemorated in literature, in film,in song and in poetry.

While the dispute was ultimatelydefeated in the short term, Irish employers learned that the Irishworking class, organised and unified,was a force to be reckoned with, andwould never again attempt in such abrazen way to intimidate Irish workers, and to deny them theirright to organise.

So much progress has been madesince then. Workers are better paid,are much safer, have better condi-

VIEWPoINTThe centenary of 1913 Lockout is a perfect opportunity to reflectboth on past strugglesand future challenges,says DAVID CULLINANE

Full A Century of Workers in Struggle 1913 - 2013 programme is published shortly. For more information, contact:

tions, and better employment pro-tections. They cannot be restrictedfrom joining a union, nor can theybe summarily dismissed.

Workers have taken on unscrupulous employers and haveachieved substantial victories.

We have seen this in recent yearswith Vita Cortex, with La Senza andLagan Brick – but yet many, manychallenges remain.

While they cannot be restrictedfrom joining a union, the lack of collective bargaining in this statemeans that they do not achieve thefull benefits of union membership.

In many workplaces workers areactively discouraged from joiningunions, accompanied by both inducement and intimidation.

The legal rights which exist forworkers are often flouted due to alack of inspection and weakness ofcompliance mechanisms.

This is particularly the case as regards migrant workers and othercategories of vulnerable workers,and while the government’s decisionto bring in legislation to tackleforced labour is welcome, there ismuch more yet to be done in thisarea.

The 100th anniversary offers anexcellent opportunity to reflect

[email protected] or Tel 00353 (0)1 6184069

upon the struggles of workers inthe past, and on the challenges facing workers today, both in Irelandand abroad.

To that end, I – as the Sinn Féinspokesperson on Workers’ Rights –will be hosting a major conferencein Dublin to consider all the key issues workers faced today and inthe past. The conference, entitled ACentury of Workers in Struggle 1913-2013, is to take place on March 2,2013 in Liberty Hall, Dublin.

As well as addresses from invitedguests, the conference will hearfrom union leaders, on the challenges facing workers today.

This conference will be an excel-lent opportunity to reflect on thetraditions of the union movement,and an opportunity to consider howwe continue to bolster and protectthe rights of workers, and tostrengthen the Labour movement inIreland, and elsewhere.

I hope that you will be able tojoin us in this celebration of pastachievements, and discussion ofpresent and future challenges, andlook forward to seeing you in Liberty Hall.

David Cullinane is Sinn Fein spokesperson on Workers’ Rights

WorKErS IN STruGGLE

Picture: SIPTU

The ITUC has condemned theGreek government’s use ofwartime emergency powers tobreak a week-long strike bymetro workers in Athens.

Riot police moved in on Janu-ary 25 forcing employees back towork under the threat of arrest.

It is the latest in a series ofgovernment measures that severely undermine the funda-mental rights of workers andwhich, according to the ITUC, violate a number of internationalconventions to which Greece is a signatory.

Last November, the ILOstrongly rebuked the Greek gov-ernment after it had put in placemeasures virtually eliminating collective bargaining processesbuilt up over generations. It isclaimed this was a result ofIMF/EC/IMF Troika pressure.

ITUC general secretary SharanBurrow said “Enough is enough.The Troika’s misguided and illegalpolicies are creating long-termsocial and economic damage toan entire generation. Forcing people to work under threat ofarrest will only produce moremisery and instability.”

She claimed the metro work-ers’ strike was not just a reactionto pay cuts being forced on thembut was about the government’scontinuing disregard of existingcollective agreements and thethreat of being pushed into a newTroika-imposed uniform publicsector wage scheme.

EUROPEAN Commission vice-president Olli Rehn has under-lined the important role tradeunions will play in any economicrecovery in Europe.

He made his comments to aEuropean Trade Union Confeder-ation conference on January 28.

Europe had to restore its competitiveness, he told the gathering in Madrid, but addedthat this was not limited to its“external dimension”.

“It means a sustained rise inwelfare, for which productivitygrowth is the main driver. And Ibelieve we can [do this], if westay the course of reform.

“Not for its own sake, but reform for the sake of sustainablegrowth and job creation, and reform to reinforce the competi-tiveness of European industry.”

He said Europe also had toback research and innovation aswell as boost financial support forSMEs.

Mr Rehn also called for smartregulation that both achieved societal and environmental goalsbut without hampering job creation and competitiveness.

CommissionVP admitsunions’ rolein recovery

ITUC chiefblasts use ofriot police tobreak strike


Policy & Research

the Mask

October 2012

Behind The TaxPayers’Alliance & the

War on Public Provision

Public Sector PensionsMyths & Facts

October 2011

A Trojan Horse for Regional Pay

February 2012

The misuse of “pay gap” data

An asset to use not strip

June 2012

The size of the Public Sector in Northern Ireland

Booklets and lea�ets in the series are available as a PDF download from the NIPSA Website.

Read the facts......�ght the myths

www. .org.uk

The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & the The TaxPayers’Alliance & theWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public ProvisionWar on Public Provision

CONGRESS president Eugene McGlone has paid tribute to leadingNorthern Irish trade unionist and human rights activist Inez McCormack’s “unstinting passion”for social justice following her deathlast month.

He said the Derry-born cam-paigner – who was elected the firstwoman president of Congress in2000 – had an “unequalled trackrecord” in supporting women’s andhuman rights, adding, “her work inpromoting the cause of labour andsocial justice in Northern Irelandwas known worldwide.”

Inez was also the first female full-time official of the NationalUnion of Public Employees whereshe worked from 1976 to 1990 andbecame the first female regionalsecretary of UNISON in 1993.

Her work was portrayed byOscar winner Meryl Streep in thestage play Seven – a dramatisation ofher life and that of six otherwomen. That production grew outof Inez’s involvement with the VitalVoices network, set up by HillaryClinton more than a decade ago.

And in his tribute, Mr McGlonereferenced comments made aboutInez by the then-US Secretary ofState during a visit to Belfast lastDecember.

In her address, Ms Clinton said:“Inez stands out amongst the extraordinary people I have metand worked with over the last 17years. She inspired and motivatedme, challenged me often, and we’resending her our thoughts and ourprayers and our best wishes as shefights a courageous battle againstcancer.”

Mr McGlone added: “Inez's com-mitment to social justice began inthe 1960s when she became activein the Northern Ireland civil rightsmovement. She followed this onwhen she became a trade union andequality activist before becomingthe full-time official of the NationalUnion of Public Employees.

“She also held the post whenNUPE was reconstituted in a

‘Inez had an unselfish and unshakeable belief that ordinarypeople, given a chance, canchange the world’

merger as UNISON. Her unstintingpassion was recognised and she received many justifiable accolades.”

In her tribute, UNISON regionalsecretary Patricia McKeown saidInez’s passing had been dreaded bythousands of workers and tradeunion members, but added that she“will never leave us in spirit.”

Inez had, she said, “touched thelives of thousands” of ordinary people, adding, “she has succeededin what she set out to do – she hasmade a difference.”

Ms McKeown said UNISON

members had always “known hertrue worth”. “It lies not solely inher remarkable journey, engagingwith power systems dominated bydisrespect for women in generaland the working class in particular.

“It lies especially in her unselfishand unshakeable belief that ordinary people, given a chance, can change the world.”

Ms McKeown said those whohad followed her had basked in the“reflected glory of her extraordi-nary achievements” but pointed outthat, for Inez, all the accolades were“merely tools to progress anagenda built on her feminist beliefsand her abiding desire to see equal-ity, justice and the affirmation ofhuman rights as a normal way of liferather than the continual struggleagainst selfishness, prejudice, intolerance and exploitation whichit still is today.”

TrIBuTE Inez McCormack

Picture: UNISON

unstinting advocatefor rights of womenand working people


Nurses protestoutside HSE HQat ‘yellow pack’grad initiativeHUNDREDS of nurses and mid-wives angered by the controver-sial nurse graduate schemeprotested outside HSE’s DublinHQ on February 1.

Dubbed a “flawed yellow packprogramme” by INMO chiefLiam Doran, the scheme offers1,000 graduates two-year con-tracts on 20% less than nursesalready employed in the HSE.

But the programme has beencold-shouldered by the vast majority of graduates – and it isbelieved that only between 50to 60 have applied so far, follow-ing a boycott call by unions.

Protesting nurses and mid-wives from the IMNO and PNAhanded in a letter to be given toHSE deputy chief Barry O’Briendetailing their opposition to theinitiative.

The INMO and PNA arguethe scheme would displace upto 1,000 nurses and midwivescurrently employed throughagencies.

Both unions also point out

that there are no additionalnursing working hours in imple-menting the programme andthat it has no special additionaleducational component.

Added to this, nurses andmidwives have already seen theirpay cut by almost a quartersince 2009.

Speaking before the protest,Mr Doran said: “We remain confident that the boycott isholding fast and that the HSEhas received a very small number of applications for theseunderpaid posts which carry100% responsibility with only80% of the proper pay.

“The refusal of the Depart-ment of Health/HSE to come tothe negotiating table only confirms that this has now be-come an issue of principle, forsenior management, rather thanan issue which needs to be addressed, through dialogue,conscious that the stated salaryscales must be respected whileall costs should be minimised.”

IMPACT has again received confir-mation from Irish government officials that there is no intentionof rolling out the Nurse GraduateScheme to physiotherapy, occupa-tional therapy or other health professional grades.

It follows comments reportedlymade by Health Minister JamesReilly in a newspaper interviewthat the controversial initiative

would be rolled out to otherhealth professionals.

Last month IMPACT nationalsecretary Louise O’Donnell raisedthe matter with the Department ofHealth after similar sentimentswere voiced over Christmas.

She said: “I was told then thatthere were no plans for a graduateprogramme for allied health pro-fessionals, and the department has

confirmed this again.”Meanwhile, SIPTU has also

received confirmation from theDepartment of Health that thereare no plans to cut the pay of grad-uate health professionals throughextending the Nurse GraduateScheme to other grades.

Welcoming the confirmation,SIPTU sector organiser Kevin Figgis said: “The department must

now demand that the HSE ends itsattempts to recruit 1,000 nursesand midwives on 80% of the staffnurse salary scale following the re-fusal of graduates to sign up to thescheme.” It is understood fewerthan 50 graduates have applied totake part in the scheme which of-fers successful candidates €21,700a year in contrast to the currentrate for new entrants of €27,234.

No roll-out of scheme to other health workers

CAMPAIGN

Pictures: INMO

INMO Executive Council has reaf-firmed its commitment to protectmembers’ income from further cutsafter reviewing the current CrokePark extension talks.

The Council claimed the govern-ment stance was provocative, unrealis-tic and primarily targeted at theincome of frontline public servants ona 24/7 roster.

Speaking after the February 5meeting, INMO general secretaryLiam Doran said: “The INMO fullysupports the stance taken by theGarda representative bodies with regard to the totally unrealistic andprovocative list of demands tabled bythe management side.

“There can be no agreement, ac-ceptable to the INMO, which seeks to

impose cuts or reductions in existingpay rates, premium pay rates and al-lowances which form the total incomeof members arising from their obliga-tion to work 24/7, 365 days a year.”

He called on the government to“radically alter its agenda” to demon-strate its seriousness about brokeringa deal.

“If it continues with the current approach, of disproportionately attacking frontline staff and seeking to dismantle other fundamental conditions of employment, then thisprocess cannot succeed.”

He added: “The simple reality isthat most public servants cannot suffer any further loss to their incomeand still meet their obligations and paytheir bills”.

INMO EC’s vow on pay


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‘Hang tough’on bank debtSIPTU chiefadvises govt

O’Connor: Feb 9 demo ‘crucial’

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CoMMENT HEALTH & SAFETY

Picture: Gene Hunt (CC BY 2.0)

Official stats on Irish workplacedeaths only ‘tip of the iceberg’

NIPSA’s Norman Gray, second from left, was the winner of the Health and SafetyRepresentative’s Award for 2012. He is pictured with, from left, Health and SafetyExecutive NI chairman George Lucas, NIPSA official Geraldine Alexander and Congress health and safety committee chairperson Barbara Martin. Speaking afterthe award, Congress assistant general secretary said: “I’m delighted that the hardwork and commitment of our trade union activists in improving and maintaininghigh standards of health and safety is being recognised today.”

Picture: Kevin Cooper/Photoline

OFFICIAL figures releasedlast month by the healthand Safety Authority showa reduction in the numberof reported workplacedeaths during 2012.

A total of 47 people losttheir lives in workplace accidents last year compared to 54 in 2011.

But what these statisticsdon’t show is the devastat-ing impact on the familiesof these workers killed inthese tragedies. It also rep-resents only the tip of theiceberg when it comes towork-related deaths in Ireland.

The official figures do notrecord workers whose liveshave been cut short by occupational cancer. It isconservatively estimatedthat occupational canceraccounts for between 6%and 9% of all cancer deaths.

A sizeable number of the161 fatal road collisions –up to 50 – that occurredlast year involved peopledriving during the course oftheir work in cars, vans,buses, hGVs, tractors etc.

And despite a generalrecognition that bullyingand stress are workplacerisks, there is no officialrecording of these as work-related causes of deaths –even in circumstances ofsuicide.

A reduction in workplacedeaths is always welcomebut it is not always an indicator that things haveimproved.

This year the biggest re-duction in recorded fatali-

By ESThER LYNChCongress Legislation & Legal Affair

ties occurred in the Trans-portation and Storage sector, with one death reported in 2012 comparedto seven in 2011.

however, about 1,000 injuries were reported fromthat sector and based oninjuries reported, it re-mains the most dangeroussector in which to work.

Based on the number ofreported deaths, agricul-ture remains the most dan-

gerous sector, recording thehighest number of deathsfor the third year in a row,with 21 occurring in 2012compared to 22 in 2011.

Deaths in the fishing sector have seen thelargest increase with fivedeaths in 2011 and seven in2012. There were no fatali-ties reported in the Mining

and Quarrying sector during2012 but again this is maybe more a reflection of significantly reduced activity in the sector thanincreased attention tohealth and safety.

Of particular note is Con-struction where workersand their unions have re-ported a general fall in stan-dards. That sector saw anincrease in fatalities fromsix in 2011 to eight in 2012.

Reported work-related vehicle fatalities 2012Breakdown by vehicletype and activiy

Vehicle use Deaths

Vehicle maintenance

Vehicle type Deaths

Jeep

Tractor

All Terrain Vehicle (quad)

Telescopic handler

Car

Truck

Refuse truck

Trailer

Total

154

1

7

2

1

3

2

2

119

Total 19

Driving, riding on, reversing, manoeuvring, access & egress

SIPTU general secretary JackO’Connor has called on the Irishgovernment to “hang tough” overthe €3.1bn promissory note andthe wider issue of bank debt.

He made his comments in aspeech delivered at the JamesLarkin commemoration in Glas-nevin Cemetery on January 30.

Mr O’Connor said there was arecognition that refusal to pay thedebt would have “potentially enor-mous consequences” which waswhy brokering a deal was “too im-portant a political battle to be leftto the government alone”.

He told the crowd: “We mustdemonstrate massive public sup-port and it is critically importantthat as many as possible turn outon Saturday, February 9 in supportof Congress’ day of action againstthe bank debt and one-sided austerity.”

Mr O’Connor cautioned thatFebruary 9 was “not just anotherdemonstration”, but was crucial inthe battle to convince Europe thatthe Irish people had reached the“end of the line in terms of whatwe can sacrifice”.

He added: “It was blind obedi-ence to the laws of the market andpursuit of short-term gain for thewealthy elite that led the previousIrish government into the greatesteconomic crisis in the history ofthe State and into accepting liabilityfor the debts of private specula-tors.

“This has resulted in Ireland car-rying 40% of the entire eurozonebank debt. We shoulder almost€9,000 of bad bank debt for everyman, woman and child in the coun-try, compared with €192 percapita in other eurozone states.”


MANDATE has welcomed DunnesStores’ announcement that it willpay its staff a 3% pay rise – but ex-pressed continued disappointmentthat bosses at the retailer were stillfailing to respect their workers’ rightto be represented by a trade union.

The wage hike – the first since2007 – was announced on January17 and affects more than 14,000shop workers across the Republic.

Assistant general secretary GerryLight said: “The company persists inbeing high-handed in its dealingswith their workers at local and national level as well as the institu-tions of the State.

“Hopefully, they might learn from

some of their competitors thattreating people with respect is infact a business asset – not a liability.”

Mr Light claimed that most retailcompanies had emerged intact from the economic crisis and hadremained highly profitable.

And he also pointed to industryestimates that Dunnes Stores gener-ated sales of around €3.8bn a yearand was achieving significant profits– efforts which were in large partdue to the efforts of hard-workingstaff.

He added: “Since early 2011 Mandate has sought to engage withretail employers to put in place payarrangements that reflect their

workers’ contribution to that success.”

Meanwhile, following the decisionby Dunnes Stores to concede a 3%pay rise, SIPTU has made it clearthat similar increases will be soughtfor workers in other retail compa-nies.

Organiser Graham Macken, saidthe acceptance by Dunnes was“good news for workers in the retailsector” and that when taken alongwith similar increases at other retailers, including Tesco, Marks &Spencer and Debenhams, highlightedthe continued profitability of thesecompanies despite the increasedpressure on sales.

Mandate welcomes Dunnes rise

Pictures: IMF (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); Congress

CONGRESS assistant generalsecretary Peter Bunting haswelcomed the IMF’s belatedrecognition that continuedausterity policies are snuff-ing out any chance of an eco-nomic recovery in the UK.

he was responding tocomments made by IMFchief economist Olivier Blanchard in a January 24 interview on the BBC’sToday programme.

Mr Blanchard advisedchancellor George Osborneto slow down the pace ofplanned spending cuts in the

coming months. he told theBBC: “You have a Budgetcoming in March. We thinkthis is a good time to takestock and see whether someadjustment could be made.Budget time seems like theright time to do thesethings.”

Mr Bunting said: “The IMFhas, at last, admitted whattheir own research has beentelling them for some time,that austerity isn’t working.

“It hasn’t worked for theUK economy, which will onceagain be plunged into a

triple-dip recession causedby the obstinacy of thisWestminster government.

“Austerity is failing thepeople of Northern Ireland,where the recession seemsto have no end in sight.”

TUC general secretaryFrances O’Grady agreed. She said: “The IMF is sayingwhat we've warned about foryears – that sharp austerityoff the back of a global crashwill turn a recession into adecade-long depression of low growth and high joblessness.”

IMF chief calls for austerity u-turn

Bunting: ‘Austerity is failing’

Light: ‘Respect is business asset’

Picture: Mandate

IMF chief economist OlivierBlanchard believes GeorgeOsborne needs to thinkagain on UK economy

SIPTU has called on the Irish government to act to boost theeconomy following the release ofjobs data showing the continuedscale of the crisis.

Campaigns and equality organiserEthel Buckley said: “The latest LiveRegister figures indicate that unemployment remains at 14.6%.

“The unfortunate situation wouldseem to be that there has been littleimprovement in terms of job creation since the onset of the crisisfive years ago.” She pointed out that

the number of those who werelong-term unemployed had risen by3.3% over the last year and claimedthat the only factor stopping that figure from rising was the impact ofemigration.

Ms Buckley added: “Action mustbe taken now to alleviate the State’s€64bn debt burden so that fundscan be invested in large scale and effective job creation schemes.

“Otherwise, a generation will belost to unemployment or emigra-tion.”

‘Lost generation’ warning UNIONS!WE’RE IN THEUNION POST

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So just who are theTaxPayers’ Alliance?

‘Who benefits most in TPA’s ideal society? The answer, of course, is the private sector...’

THE TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) is anorganisation that has played a veryprominent media role over the lastfew years as a critic of governmentspending in general and public sectorunions in particular. But who are theTaxpayers’ Alliance?

At NIPSA’s 2012 annual confer-ence, a motion calling for an investi-gation of their agenda, politicalaffiliation and funding was passed.NIPSA’s latest research publicationfulfils this motion.

Tea Party by the Thames? The TPA describes itself as

“Britain’s independent grassrootscampaign for lower taxes” and waslaunched in 2004, “to speak for ordi-nary taxpayers”. The political historyof its founders, however, shows it tobe rooted in the Eurosceptic/Liber-tarian wing of the ConservativeParty.

While, when the Conservativeswere in Opposition, leading TPAmembers denied they were a “Toryfront”, they have, since 2010, beensupportive of the most extreme Torypolicies, including the “tax cuts formillionaires” budget of 2012.

The message the TPA deliverssurfs a wave of genuine politicaldisillusionment swollen by theglobal financial crisis and theMPs’ expenses scandal.

This provides a favourable climate in which to promote an‘anti-politics’ theme, particularlyone that focuses on a message of“why should we give them ourmoney?” in taxes.

Feeding on these sentiments anorganisation such as the TPA canpresent itself, as the ‘everyman’, the‘outsider’, opposed to ‘elites’, insupport of all those who simplywant to protect their own moneyfrom a bureaucratic enemy.

This language has echoes of theUS Tea Party movement and its “littleperson against the system” message.The “ordinary guy” rhetoric, how-ever, provides perfect cover forthose who bankroll such campaignsand those who profit most from this“libertarianism” – the private sectorbeneficiaries of a largely unregulatedcapitalism.

Ideological public relationsBehind the ‘everyman’ populism,

the mission of the TPA is to assist anideologically-driven war on the public sector by contributing to thewave of propaganda that demoralisesand undermines the still dominantgeneral belief in public provision.This mission is assisted by the main-stream media’s cutbacks to ‘costly’ –i.e. rigorous – journalism and thefact that publications owned by tra-

VIEWPoINTNIPSA policy/researchofficer JOHN McVEYcasts a cold eye thehigh-profile pressuregroup that never seemsto be out of the news...

Pat King Sheila Nunan

THE ASTI and INTO have bothwelcomed the launch of a newIrish government action plan onbullying but pointed out that severe education cuts are makingit increasingly difficult to maintainstudent wellbeing services inschools.

ASTI general secretary PatKing said the report, published on January 29, recognised the valuable role schools played in“fostering children’s and youngpeople’s self-esteem, confidenceand resilience” as well as thework already being done in addressing bullying and nurturing“inclusive and respectful learningenvironments”.

But warning that cuts werehaving a devastating impact onschool communities, he added:“While all teachers play a role inmonitoring the wellbeing ofyoung people in their classrooms,this is an increasingly difficult taskgiven that classes are larger andmany families are under stress.

“Typically it is teacher yearheads who work to identify pupilsat risk, act as a contact personbetween the school and the fam-ily, access specialist and supportservices if necessary, and imple-ment the school’s code of behav-iour. In many schools, these postshave been virtually wiped out.”

INTO general secretary SheilaNunan pointed out that the report emphasised that much wasalready being done to tackle bullying in Irish schools.

She added that not all bullyinghappened within an educationalenvironment but that most peo-ple looked to schools to resolvethe problem – which was takenvery seriously by teachers.

“Every year thousands ofhours are spent investigating alle-gations, monitoring situations, fol-lowing up on cases and meetingwith parents and pupils. Teachersare committed to tackling bully-ing. Most parents are well awareof the excellent work done byschools and the lengths to whichteachers go to deal with bullying.”

A recent report revealed that12% of students in the Republicreported they were were bulliedweekly at school. This percentagewas significantly higher than inSweden (7%) Denmark (8%) andFinland (9%) but lower thanNorthern Ireland (14%) Austria(17%) and the Netherlands (16%).

EDuCATIoN

ASTI & INTowelcomegovt actionon bullying

Check out the full research publication at:

ditionally right-of-centre, anti-tradeunion press barons, will gladly dis-seminate the TPA’s slickly-deliveredand, to them, ideologically-agreeablesound bites.

Who funds the TPA? The TPA makes great play of the

issue of public sector financial transparency. The full sources of itsfunding, however, are unknown withonly abbreviated accounts publishedsince 2006 and no publication oftheir annual income, list of donorsetc.

attract the funding support of such‘ordinary’ taxpayers as Chevron,Exxon and Shell) and the HeritageFoundation.

Who benefits?So who would benefit most in the

TPA’s ideal society? The answer, ofcourse, is the private sector – theTPA’s wealthiest funders, benefitingboth from a favourable tax regimeand the chance to be the new alternative provider of services thestate no longer offers as a duty to itscitizens.

The trade unions represent a bulwark against such market utopi-anism as they provide potential resistance to the easy capture ofpublic services by the private inter-ests behind such organisations as theTPA. Objectively, the TPA’s currentcampaign against trade union facilitytime arrangements has to be seen inthis context.

Broadcasters should lookbehind the mask

We would expect broadcastersto adhere to their guidelines on‘balance’, disclosure and trans-parency when inviting commentfrom the TPA. This should endthe ‘free run’ the TPA have had upuntil now, properly contextualiseany contribution that is beinggiven by them and ensure theirinput is balanced by alternativevoices that challenge their populist facade.

Tax justice to re-build society

A real tax campaign supports progressive taxation and the neces-sary redistribution through whichcollective, public provision can bedelivered. It shows genuine concernfor all taxpayers by wanting to chasethe £120 billion in taxes uncollected,avoided or evaded annually in theUK.

Unlike the Taxpayers’ Alliance,trade unions support a real fight fortax justice and accept progressivetaxation as “the price we pay for acivilised society”.

What is known is that this sup-posedly ‘independent, grassroots’,‘non-partisan’ organisation, thevoice of the ‘everyman’ taxpayer inthe UK has a considerable numberof wealthy backers, many of whomhave previously donated to theConservative Party.

The TPA also has links to signifi-cant organisations from the richest,most powerful elements of theAmerican right such as the Ameri-cans for Prosperity Foundation(founded by the billionaire DavidKoch), the Cato Institute (who

http://www.nipsa.org.uk/Docs/Publications/2012/Behind-the-Mask

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Union Post February 2013

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