UDA-udr-uvf Paisleyites Want US Prosecuted!

broke down on September 4th. deadlock occurred because the ICTU refused to capitu.late all the way to the employers! demands, Not to worry, however. Those !in the know! told us that the trade union leaders were only putting on a show and would soon be back at the negotiation table with a more reasonable attitude, The astute media commentators who made this prediction didn't make the prophesy by looking into a crystal ball. Like all fortune tellers they watched their subject for vital clues. The vital clue in this case was that while the ICTU walked out of the Department of Labour, where the Employer-Labour Conference was in session, they didn't walk out of the Employer-labour Conference itself. So it was safe to predict that Messrs Roberts & Co would soon be back , The media commentators know that the EmployertLabour Conference has a magical quality about it. Itis an institution designed to harness the trade union movement to the needs ef the employers. As long as the unions participate in it, it is a sure bet that they will buckle under to the demands of the FUE.

On the surface, the ELC is ultrademocratic. It is presented to the general public as a voluntary institution, equally representing workers and employers for the purpose of negotiating and supervising wages. This image of the ELC is grossly misleading; a closer examination reveals a much different picture.

Firstly, the claim that the ELC exists simply to negotiate wage increases is a distortion of the truth. In reality the ELC's function is to hold wages down as far as possible, It is worth recalling that the ELC is the legitimate offspring of the 1961 National Labour Management Conference, It should be remembered that the NLMC was establis-— hed in accordance with the government!s strategy, outlined in the First Programme for Economic Expansion , which stated that, "The success of any policy of economic development will depend on the effectiveness and continuous cooperation of the trade unions in promoting increased productivity and in avoiding increases in wages and salaries'', The NLMC broke'up very quickly under rank and file trade union pressure when the employers tried to impose a wage freeze in 1962, The ELC, however, has been more successful in holding down wages, Despite Ireland having the highest rate of economic expansion in Europe, Irish workers are, according to a recent Financial Times survey, still the lowest paid worm kers in Europe, Secondly It Is untrue that the ELC is a purely voluntary institutione Strictly speaking the unions were under no legal obligation to join or stay in. But does the 'Trade Union Amendment Bill! ring a bell? This was the notorious coercive legislation which the Fianna Fail government threatened against the unions if they refused to collaborate faithfully with the employers, The Bill included clauses which permitted the out -lawing of strikes, confiscation of T.eU. property and finances and the jailing of workers, At the time the trade union leadership used the exis-— tence-of this Bill to intimidate the rankand file into accepting the ELC as a lesser evil Thirdly, the ELC is not based on the democratic representation of trade unions and employers, Formally, the unions and the employers are equally represented but a Trinity College professor acts as "neutral! chairman and the conference is staffed by civil servants. The whole set-up, therefore, is weighted in favour of the employers, The formally democratic structure of the ELC also hides another profound distortion. The ELC was established in accordance with Report No. 27 of NIEC (a body . which was composed mostly of government and employer appointees with a minority trade union representation) which took a clear anti-union stand, The Report noted that "the emphasis on democracy at all levels in the trade unions... frequently makes internal communications and decision making difficult". The result was that the leaders of the ICTU "cannot impose (1) its views on affiliate unions", So as a precondition for effective collaboration between trade union leaders and employers, democracy within the unions had to be curbed. The subsequent assault on trade union democracy took the form of the "two-tier"! picketing system which meant that decisions about strikes were taken out of the hands of the rank and file (at shop and branch level) and put under the control of national |leaderships and the ICTU.

It was only after this system had been imposed that ELC could become a reafityr In short, the ELC is founded or: the subversion of democracy in the unions, The Employer-lLabour Conference is in effect a government and employer instituthon designed to control the trade union movement. It achieves this by forcing the unions to submit to the principles of pay restraint and curbs on democracy. Within the ELC the unions are ona loser even before negotiations begin.

Any serious strategy for defending workers! living standards and their hard won rights to organise, must begin by rejecting the EmployerLabour Conference. The trade union movement must make it clear that it will enter into negotiation with the FUE only on a temporary basis and with the sole aim of considerabiy improving the living conditions of workers, Cor Fight normal rent. gained acertain credence, One of tne few breaks an unemployed per son might have in life wastaken away last May when the Mini ster for the Environment, Sylvester Barrett, introduced the 1980 National Rents Scheme for Local Authority tenants, Previously, those on long term benefits(ie on social welfare or dole since before mid-'76) hadtheir rent assessedon only half their income, This meant a considerable reduction on the For the purpose of "eliminating anomalies'' Barretthas, despite the opposition of the National Association of Tenants! Organi sations(NATO), now put all tenants on acommon footing, His main weapon inremoving this concession was the "dole sponger theory", long sponsored by consecutive Irish rent, governments, Unfortunately, the absurdclaimthat the joblessare well off andif they are not then they areresponsible for their own plight anyway, has about, However, there was some opposition to the new scheme, Rent strikesof various duration took placein areas of Dublin, in Tralee, Dungarvan and Limerick among other areas, InLimerick, apublic meeting of 200 set up the Southill Tenants andResidentsAction Committee which organised an information centre, apublic meeting where MattLarkinof NATO spoke, apicket on the mayoral election, a programme on local radioas well asa concerted propaganda campaign in the local press, The Action Committee, whichhas April Fool's Day this year was marked by a rare stroke of humour by the British. They produced a special printed first day cover envelope to commemorate '10 years of service! by the UDR. Peoplets Democracy decided to join in the joke and produced a 'stamp! of its own reminding the Irish people of the real record of these sectarian gangsters. The DUP joined in the comedy. This group, dedicated to sectarian hatred, demanded that we be prosecuted under the tincitement to hatred! act, The comedy ended however when the RUC demonstrated their traditional willingness to act as the message boys of loyalism. They called on PD member, Mike Farrell and announced that they were !pursuing enquiries! in order to attempt a prosecution of PD members, Our answer is that we know the UDR for the gangsters they are, No threats by the RUC or misuse of 'hatred! legislation (which has never been used to convict loyalists)

will change the policy of our organ= isation or the opinion of the Irish people of the UDR.

poration Tenants affiliated toNATO, haspointed out that Barrett!seagerness to end "anomalies!'! doesnot extend to ending ano malies which work against the tenant, (1) On the basis that areasonable rent mu st be paid from areasonable income, tenants with an income of over £55now pay one seventh (ie amaximum). The Southill Action Committee is campaigning for this figure tobe pushedup to £70 (ieup to what it considers should be a minimum income).

(2) Due to the almost total collapse the maintenance andrepalir services of the Local Authorities there Is the anomaly of some tenants livingin standard accomodation while others, who pay exactly the samerent, donot. Yet no allowance ismade for thisIn the (3)Thereismassive overcrowding in some Local Authority houses yet no allowance is made for the varlation In hou sing quality this situation brings Itis the ending of those type of anomalies along with the settingup of an Independent Rents Tribunal that the Action Committee ls campaigning for, Despite the overall weaknessof the opposition totherent increases, the effect hasbeen to strengthen NATO and lay the groundwork for the strug— gle which will have tobeundertaken against the inevitable attack son working people thisor any other government will launch down this avenues, JOE HARRINGTON

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