Interview with Des Bonass

The lack of leadership té rank and file workers involved in struggles on this issue.

SR. /s the union leadership united in building a fight: back?

DB “Some major trade union leaders have certainly climbed down. Their Dublin Council of Trade Union delegates, for the first time in years, refused to support an executive motion for industrial action on July Ist. Originally this action had been scheduled for June 17th, but was postponed to avoid a clash with the building workers strike, as they requested. You see, we organised a protest around the Finance Bill and Michael Bell’s amendment (Labour TD for Louth). These amendments were defeated. The DCTU executive strongly believed at that stage it was important to keep a momentum going. But when the general DCTU delegate meeting , took place, some executive members had second thoughts and spoke against action on July Ist. It was ith thousands of redundancies, massive unemplyment, crippling taxes, are Trade Union Leaders building a Fightback?. SOCIALIST REPUBLIC asked des Bonass ATGWU member of the Dublin rades Council execeutive ctte about his recent xperiences of the PRSI campaign. He spoke of the refusal of the bigger unions, FWUI and ITGWU, to mobilise that did it.”

SR Have these leaders got an alternative plan of campaign?

DB “Well, they may say that they do. but it is only on paper. ITGWU and FWUI delegates will deny that they are withdrawing.

We'll see on August 27th when we meet again to discuss a strategy .

But this PRSI campaign isn’t one they really wanted. The pressure came from the Waterford Glass workers. | think some leaders got nervous about its momentum and the political implications of a strong challange to the Govt. After all, the ICTU publically says no to industrial action for political ends while privately members admit that’s precisely what is at stake.”

SR Do you think that they are hesitant to challange Labour in Coalition?

DB. ‘There is no doubt but that they are nervous about breaking up the coalition. Even anti-coalitionists in the trade unions pussyfoot on this one.

There is plenty of rhetoric about the ‘disgrace of Labour’ but little action to defend workers against the ae Tee. savage austerity policies of the coalition. There is a lot of hypocrisy about. We all remember the April 30th day of action and speeches at the GPO about civil disobedience and general strikes. our union (ATGWU) is the only one to try and follow that through. But we cannot _ go it alone. The Waterford Glass workers realised that when the DCTU failed to mobilise.”

SR What do you think Trade Union militants should do now?

DB “Well I think that all this emphasises the need for unity across the unions; around common campaigns solidarity with particular struggles and around the challange to present trade union leaders to lead or stand aside. Thats why ’'m working with others on a fightback conference for the winter of 1983.”

qn = 4 B Arthur Griffith and E.J. Duggan, October 1921. a