Fightback Against Employers

Counties by the Coalition Government's committee on and already prices have risen by 20%, Clearly the battle is on to pushedawn workers’

not of their making. his is the scenario facing trade unlonista as the PCTU sit around the conference table to ciscuss a io discuss the collapse of the “National understanding’. Tn ow say was Over “peETIETcHAS }, A wage norm of 6.5% has been proposed to workers in the 26 “costs and competitiveness’. The employers are continuing to demand a total wage freeze standards of living in an: attempt to deal with an economtc crisis workers received 15% in Wate red weer 1S muortiths while dn the aune peril inflation pushed prices up by weltare, health. cducation, etc} were dropped before the mk had dried on In the face of the curren! economic recosaion, we have been tele) eve crust Couliton cabinet , Their ecoracnie perspective has tac major thruste, So r 7. = Be L Bn RE down public secbor wapes (thus pring ‘example’ to the private sector wages employers) and by preventing the greation of new employment in the public sector (the Gardai have of course been an exception to this rule).

This will seriously inercase unenPleyviment since workers who retire or leave slate employment will not be teplaced, Also industry which depends on public spending for alot of its Incooee. will actually sack workers. For example the refusal at perigsion to build new schowls and heapital wings moe only adversely affects education and health tt threatens the jobs af workers in the eomstuction industry. 2) To cut workers Ling standards in order to improve Treland’s ‘compe titiveness’, This is on unsubtle way of saying Ul onerploy@ent is caused hy owerkers winning wae chairs thos feerging enupuve rs GUE of business, The crisis in Irish industry's cornpelis tiveness ghrod has oodhing be de with Wage rales, Germaoy, deeden umd Eritaio all have higher slandards of living than freland. Tbe trish crisis is cee of undercapitalisnticn ot int instry, a direct result cM British armeriilisd, comtrol of the righ eeamoiny, The [nish bourgeoisie lacked the independence to build its own capital infrastractuce. Inetead they soeculated unproductively om the Leshan slock exchange ur they invited in foreign mulitinationals whose sole jotereat was te boost their profits hy high grant aid and low labour Lrith workers in the 26 counties are being asked to acocpi maponsibility for this coonomic recession aod as ‘penance’ to accept higher unemployment and lower Living stundards How that it hag become evident that the FUE intends to resist real wage increases reaponsibiity falls heavily on the shoulders of the trade wnion leaders to defend wirkers interescs.

The MCTU staid set about orgamsing areal plan of campaign to meet the effects of the recassion — a proeranine of industrial and independent political action bo secure a raalistic wage Inerease that ibeclides an) inflation irmlex clause.

The ICT originally set out to negotiate a 30%: wage increaas. They must mow be forged to stick fo the target, They must he coenpellesl to give Full backing to any onion ca group of workers who lauoch a feht against the employers and the recession, IN_ THIS ISSUE LESSONS OF THE HUNGER STRIKE CPI LINE ON H BLOCK ‘ARMAGH WOMEN IN THE Six COUNTIES REAGUN'S MISSILE MADNESS