Silent accomplices - TU leaders collaborate

Trade Union Leaders: The silent accomplices The resignation of Michael Smurfit from Telecom is further evidence of the casual corruption among Ireland’s most prominent businessmen and their political cronies and the role of silent accomplices played by Trade union leaders. In Telecom Harold O'Sullivan, ICTU executive member and former leader of the Local Government and Public Services Union LPGSU [now called IMPACT] served as a member of the board. He is now acting chairman in Smurfits absence. What was he doing when Telecom was buying the former Johnston, Mooney and O’Brien site at twice its market price against their own architectural advice on its suitability. Telecoms present headquarters is rented at £21 per square foot as against an average rent in the area of £12 per square foot. Predictably Smurfit and NCB own this building also. Already there is a concerted effort at damage limitation by the government. The enquiry into Telecom is even more of a farce than the one into Greencore, with the Department of Post and Telegraphs effectively investigating itself. The new self-help process extends to the Goodman accountants. They had access to the files detailing the enquiry against them. Even when they were caught the president of the High cour, Justice Hamilton, seemed to approve their actions. Smurfit is being rehabilitated on the basis that the irregularities involved in Telecom involve sums of money which are chickenfeed to someone as immensely wealthy as himself. This is a nonsense argument. Smurfit didn’t get rich by regarding money as chickenfeed and his position as chair of Telecom was of immense strategic importance. Unfortunately Trade Union complicity with these criminals allows these sorts of explanations to stand unchallenged. The fact is that the real np-off of Telecom has not yet occurred. In 1988, when the government had been assuring the unions that privatisation was not contemplated, Smurfit's own bank Paribas and the Investment Bank of Ireland had been secretly carrying out a privatisation study on Telecom. It must be quite clear even to trade union leaders that Smurfit would be in fora Union bosses Phil Flynn of IMPACT and Bill Attlay of SIPTU An Reabhloid page 3

major slice of the action when Telecom was privatised - his tracks well covered with a string of offshore companies. Unfortunately, as we have pointed out previously in An Reabhloid, the union leadership are now so complicit in the Government's privatisation and austerity programme through the PESP that they can do nothing bar keeping a low profile and hoping the storm will blow over. This is a vain hope. These scandals are not aberrations but are symptomatic of the deep political and economic crisis afflicting the 26 counties. The social evils all around us - unemployment, emigration and widespread poverty are the direct product of capitalism’s attempts to For further information contact us at; Belfast: Conway Mill, Falls Road.

Belfast 12 Dublin; 38 Clanawley Road, Kilester, Dublin 5 Limerick; Councillor Joe Harrington, 109 O'Malley Road,

PRICE $1-50

INTERNATIONAL VIEWPOINT

THE INTERNATIONAL ANALYTICAL MAGAZINE OF THE FOURTH INTER-

NATIONAL IS AVAILABLE FROM PEOPLES DEMOCRACY BRANCHES,

restructure itself at the expense of the working class. The widespread corruption in political and financial circles is also due to the fact that every capitalist crisis leads to some breakdown in the ‘normal’ functions of capitalism, loss of confidence and a proliferation of speculative ventures and straightforward swindles. Capitalism will continue to fulfil its primary function - the accumulation of capital - whatever the circumstances and whatever the means available. However the government covers up or minimises the present accumulation of scandals the fact remains that around every corner there lie more banana skins waiting to be trodden on.

Kevin Keating An Reabhloid page 4