Organise the Unemployed!

300—400 workers out of work, organisation would be limited in its ability Prepared to fight? it might undertake — and its limitation was Realising that some major intervention is essential 1 of workers, members As the figures soar on unemployment reaching the official figure of 12.5% (actually nearing 15% when all the unregistered girl school leavers and married women seeking employment for the first time) the trade unions in the south are beginning to realise the full implications of the “economic crisis”. Chiefly among them is the fact that as the nature of industry changes with old industries declining and new-type industries being established, many Irish workers with tradtional skills may never again be employed in this country, The international monopolies moving in on the Irish economy have not got the interests of full employment at heart, which is clearly indicated in the way in which they use Irish plants — mainly as distributive outlets for goods produced elsewhere! The present situation in Grouldings is an excellent example of this, where fertilizer is being dumped here, as the on the trade union movement, [CTU leaders will in November, as we have mentioned, enter tripartite talks. One of the major debating points will be the question of unemployment, An important question to be posed and answered is, how prepared are the trade union leadership to deal with the issue of unemployment? What initiatives have been taken to develop the policies already adopted by many of the major trade unions, what efforts have been made to resist further unemployment and what attempts have been made to involve the unemployed themselves in actively demanding the right to wotk?

Without much effort an answer could be given now — None!

The biggest union, the ITGWU, passed a resolution at its annual conference in June 1975 calling for the launching of a Right to Work campaign, which could involve all unemployed members. But, as with a lot of other resolutions this has never been acted upon! A sub-committee on unemployment involving representatives from the different branches in Dublin, was pushed by | some militants of the [TGWU But this by itself would be problematic, as most of the branch representatives are not unemployed and by the fact that the unemployed do not have representation on the Branch committee of the majority of unions. This form of to mobilise the unemployed in any initiatives indeed clearly shown, in the weaRness of the of the ITGWU and other unions on the May Dublin Trades Council march against =. unemployment, and also in the Bray Trades Council march in July.

Half-hearted measures to deal with unemployment and encourage the involvement of the jobless are totally useless, Some serious groundwork must be started immediately, Firstly, all union branches should examine the numbers of members out of work in facotries etc. what they were working, how many woemn in particular have lost their jobs; — on the basis of this information, each group of unemployed workers should be given representation on the branch committee; facilities should be provided to enable these workers to meet and maintain contact regularly with each other. This last point is casential as a safeguard against the atomisation and demoralisation that inevitably sets in among those with no jobs, More regular general branch meetings at quarterly periods, would encourage greater participation and involvement of all _ WORKERS IN INTERNATIONAL -Es she poy) rounds witht fe gnmmud! oudget and its Cosgraves Parliamentary Secretary, John Kelly, let the cat out of the bag as far back as July when, in a major pronouncement, he rejected the ICTU"'s view that “where private enterprise fails the state should step in", He went on to gay that: “Since the state ix not guaranteed success in the production and marketing of goods any more than the private sector, is it to be expected to provide jobs for their own sake” (Irish Times July 20th),

The following day Dr. T, K. Whitaker, the chied architect of economic planning in the sixties and the most persistent advocate of a new economic Plan, revealed that the real pyrpose of “planning™ Was not the creation of employment through state intervention but to put a straight4acket on wages, He said: “ Rather than link bargoining workers in the unions and these meetings should monitor of the development of policy and action on unemployment.

One broader level, greater linson is needed between all the unions, The initiative of the Dublm Trades Council in organising a National assembly of all trades councils to trash out a common fight against unemployment is an excellent one, provided it becomes a focal point for united actions. Again it is essential that the unemployed are represented in.an on-going way and not just for this event both as unemployed trade unionists and members of unemployed workers associations who also speak for non trade-unionists — workers for whom the whole trade union movement is responsible for, This assembly must be supported by all Trades Councils unlike the march in Dublin which did not receive widepsread national support, Those militants who realised the need for such support and who fought for it, a5 in Limerick, will need to prepare support for the Trades Councils meetings. Any idea that the industrial developments taking Place. including the growing number of MEaT PaCKERS DEMAND UNION decisions on taxes and social welfare benefits it would be far more appropriate that the frame of reference for improvements in pay, pensions and social welfare benefits would be an assessment of the policies to be observed over three of four years ahead, Free Collective is not compatable with the minimum planning of an effective kind.” (Irish Times, July 21st. Our emphasis} In short, putting Kelly and Whitaker together, we get NO state creation of jobs and the abolition of collective bargaining!

The “social and economic plan” is a desperate gambit by the government, employers and trade union buresucrats, Socialists are on favourable grounds to accept the challange. Rather than simply reject the plan we should use the debate created around it to expose the inherent anarchy of the capitalist system and highlight the need fora real plan based on genuine social needs.

Minimum Conditions Since the negotintions around the plan will probably begin in November, immediate action required, The hands of the bureaucrats in the unions can be tied in advance by getting tesolutions in section and branch committees Passed, listing minimum requirements for the acceptance of any plan, 1, All legislation guaranteeing business secrecy must be abolished, How can there be real planning if employers conceal their resources and investments? Workers must be permitted to inspect and audit all company records before they can be confident that they are ‘not simply being used.

2. There must be a definite committment to maintaining and expanding public expenditure, The past problems of public expenditure (ic.

excessive taxation and national indebtedness) can be solved only by introducing a new tax system which would really hit the rich by including 8 Capital gains tax and income tax on the big farmers. The problem of the national debt can easily be remedied by nationalising the banks. As for the many international loans which were negotiated on a fraudulent basis (ive, not allowing multi-national corporations setting up plants, will solve our unemployment problems to the benefit of the workers — should be quashed on the had right now!

This trades councils meeting must prepare an action plan to build a national Right to Work campaign which would sink real roots in the working class, at factory, shop, sector, industry level and would fight around such central demands as; Resist Redundancies!

Work-sharing with no loss of pay! If there is a de-facto lock-out we should demand 5 days work or 5 days pay! Saat employment The right of all women to work!

These are some. of the demands which would provide a central focus in struggles that are emerging on unemployment within the working class.

MSR TRADE UNION CAUCUS ACTION TO SaVs THET for the decline in sterling etc.) they can be renegotiated or repayments simply cancelled, Public expenditure must not be squandered ahh so-called private sector but channeled into a scheme of useful public works, A scandalous situation exists in the building industry where nearly 24,000 workers are unemployed while areas, In the sphere of education we spend only half as much per head of population as they do in the North, In agriculture we export nearly all our meat live for the sake of the big ranchers profits, whereas a proper processing industry would provide jobs for thousands of workers, 4, All those industrial, trading and financial concerns which are obstacles to rational growth or which are inefficiently managed must be nationalised, Most of the trading and financial institutions are purely speculative and parasitic and should be brought under government contral immediately, There are also many “fly-by-night”

industries without any backward or forward linkages to the Irish economy which operate merely as the blood sucking tentacles of imperialist monopolies, The mining and oil refining industries are key examples — they should be nationalised and put to effective use, There also exists industries receiving public assistance which only goes to lining the pockets of inefficient owners and managers — a 1971] report of the Committee on Industrial Progress showed that over 50% of firms, in the now collapsing, shoe industry, were inefficiently managed, Such firms also need to be nationalised and properly run, 5. A commitment to a comprehensive package of progressive legidation is required, This package should include outlawing discrimination against women and youth plus a new deal for the old and aged; a living national minimum wage; the European Trade Union Confederation’s call for a 35 hour week plus a minimum of five weeks holidays etc, Most important of all, special rights must be granted to workers which would give them the right to inspect and veto all production and investment plans so as to ensure that the economy will really be ron for general social needs and not for the profits of the few.

Start to act now!

The above are only a few suggestions which can be used to formulate proposals and resolutions for action in the trade union movement and other mass organisations (tenant associations etc.) In addition to resolutions and proposals practical initiatives can be undertaken, The Dunlaoire Unemployed Workers Committee for example, has started research on how industries in the area could be reorganised to give greater employment, Other local unemployed groups and trade union branches, which have been particularly hard hit by redundancies, could do the same and in this way both involve greater numbers of workers and provide concrete information for an alternative national plan.

This is the way that the tables can best be turned on the secret scheming of the government, employers and trade union bureaucrats — FORWARD TO THE ALTERNATIVE SOCIALIST ECONOMIC PLAN!

MSR Trade Union Caucus tonta from Pq potential fighters for womens rights. Of course it would be foolhardy to say the National Struggle is of no relevance — we would say that it has in an immediate way in so far as il cuts across the struggle for womens rights — then socialist women must fight for an antiamperialist understanding — then perhaps it becomes clearer to more women the nature of imperialism, Besides these differences, we would salute the Socialist Womens Group in their efforts and determination.

----- pull-quotes -----

tens of thousands of families go homeless. This kind of anomaly is repeated in many other