Limerick Fightback S.p.s. Win Increase

QUOTE OF THE can judge listening io a pia from John De SS Lorean's fe for a Pretpcticon lm Als tall bored betause he and ble wile wor ora ainaggilng slong on 520,000 a wok, The judge's response was the Wf Bi6,0 a week meant thal aomeone Wad abouwl io hall Into fmanoial ruin, than “there must be = ihesandas Tsuen ue on ihe edes Believe i) or not there are a few people im this country who dake Alon Dukes serboudy when he talks about the need for wage restraint. Normal people dont accep that incomes should full below prices. This is shown by the fact that average wae increases negotiated ao Tar this year are over 12% — which equals the estimated increase in the oot of iving for 1983. Locally in Limerick, How: medica hai offered 16% (accepted), EL. 11 inat acoepted) and Essilor |.4%. (aoce pted | Yet. as Deaid, there ane ane people who take seriously the hairshirt policies of the Coalition. Individuals of this rare specict have heen discovered in the Limerick-Clare area. Collectively, they are jokingly refered to as “The narement of $.P.5," Recenth, when the time came around for wage Hegotiations the company just didn’t want te Know, However. a workers’ sit-i soon changed their mirids and talks began.

It was then if became clear thot the management had ~ caught a bad dose of Broke’: disease, Them offer! A Tz months pay pause!!! The workers presenbed a poalow bot there bas been no Teal recovery in the management 's condition. A secmd offer of a 6 months pay pause anda 3% increas was followed by a straight Aus offer! i Aaymptom of Dukes" disease la an inrutional belief that a combination of threats, intimidation and owt talk about *belhow employees’ will force workers to accept buttons for wapes. Also victims of the disease tend to live in the vast, in the ‘geod ofd nononion days’ and try te act acearrelin gly.

However, all is mot lost. The disease is not incurabke Experience has shown that unity and determination among the workers ia the Joe Aorrington hest remedy. A taste of this medicine helped management to up their offer to 7 from bevt Jouary mod another 4% fran Seer ember. This offer was accepted ona vote of 13% for and 77 agoinat — clear evidence that 2 complete recovery will need stronger medicine trom the workers.

PARAARPARPPPPPPPPPP EL

Interest in the British General Election im Ireland will focus sharply on the contest between the SOLP md Sion Fein for the votes of nationalist working people in the North, But a3 John McAnulty explains below this election is of critical importance for ihe very survival of British capitalism. The central meue of the election is who will pay for the crisis of British imperialist the capitalist class or working people.

CRISIS OF THE CAPITAL IST SYSTEM Britain & the sick man of Europe. The profits of Empire which once made it the most powerful country in the world acted 16 a cushion thal blunted the pressures to modemise and change. The profits of the capitalist claws were squandered in an atlempt to ape the gentry, Royalty and. nobility who still parasitise on the British working class and in the league of world powers, The structural wenkness of British copitalism aed ta, backwand, aod. qaulmoded system of production were thrown inte glaring relief in the ceoesion. In weaker nidugiries the vicious attackr on workers living standards could not compensate for this inherent weakness and many have collapsed. yy So the orisia today & not dimply one more round in the cycle of recessions It is a real strugpte for survival for British capitalism and one ot the frit casvalties has-been the traditional 2-party system.

a a THE PARTIES The focus of media attention has been the debate in the Latwur Party, but the fact is that-a fundamental shift has already taken place in the Tory party. The move to the right under Thatcheriam has brought to the fore the most extremes clement of Toryian determined to inflict a crushing defeat on the workers.

The situation in the Labour party ik more cormplex. The political weakness of the British babour mowerent haa been reflected by its devélopment asa party well te the right, even by the corrupt! terms of European Social Democracy, It has never "| teferm, and has frecpwenthy if ie been willing to attack the i ah working class in order to defend capltalism, Above all, it has from its formation heen a party dedicated to the defence of imperialism - Kany Mason i by to mews af umusual type in British Labour Histor.

In practice Labour Govern ments hove traditionally odition they have shifted: ta the left. The difference this time is that the crisis of capitalism is so deep and #rayed from the path of <— tr Fo —-— fundamental that the Labour class mest willing to fight iid trades union leaderships back bawe corganised and, almoved to the right and in-ope- Moves to the left. Unfortunat. ed oF changed the leadership, Rely for them, it is precisely = they have forced inportant around the trades onions and comcesshons on policy. the Labour party that the huve opposed even rhetorical though they have not defeat sections of the British working The tag-tag-ond bobtall of the iim SBP-Liberal alliance cam be digmisard. They haven't been able to fudge the realicgy of the class strugele-and thelr main importance now would ‘be do prevent any of the mors radical Labour policies being implemented in a hung parkiament.

The Tory manifes(o reiterates their support for continued repression, for the Assembly (though retaining the formula of ‘crers-compnerrity spporr’ before poweria devolved) and an unconditional guarantee to unionism that partition Swill be munities Now put that in context: A nem Tory Goveroment in Britain would move to dis mantle the welfare state, advance u policy of nuclear aggression, ceiitralise stule power, numle the wrions, enush democratic rights and of ae iad eee! Ths geaily akcengiicn the power. instlict here is to atep up repression aod re-establish Unionist ascendancy, buat it is held back by fear of de stabilising the 26 counties and opposition in Europe aged Amarica.

However, if it was to win Hictorles over iis own workers these considerations would vm cary less weight There & no dowbe tat 4 Tory WewOry would bring the apectee of Stommunt one step meurer.~

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Crying poverty