Redundancy!

case the workers suthority of workers votes, to preserve these workers means of livelihood, loss of pay. if their jobs — even if it means having to dispense with individual employers. only allowing Naturally, eny Government in 8 capitalist system will not want to interfere . pes the workers pay such large taxes has a direct responsibility, and rather than an immediate Seep. . , ernment sees (i) because the demand for the national can become a national focus Ihe their which could be used by the occupying workers to break out of their he om - isolation and form solidarity with all workers who after all are subject to Ex 7 " the same Government. The fight for redundancy money or for a Co-Op.

pS doesn’t produce the same automatic links with other workers as the fight Toews for nationalisation could.

Bowe (iii) because if the demand gets enough support and the Government ‘ae. of resists, then the struggle can be changed from merely occupying a factory so0n go to the into 2 fight to change the Government.

CONCLUSION ane aus the The ideas outlined sbove are the main immediate concepts the Feesi < in the occupation of s factory raises. If these are grasped, and the problems they — pose understood, the workers will have put the threat of defeat one step bity and determin- clearer and the battle takes a step forward. ire not the private ise jobs belong to ye thinking of the workers? Has there been their committee.

ch of a change in their attitudes? When we started out on this venture some of ANSWER: Ho! ho! You may bet that their us thought that maybe the workers weren't ready thinking has been affected and their attitudes for it; that they might not be able to stand the have changed radically. | can honestly say that Pace or the pressure. But we were amazed to see respect the demand on the Government to nationalise Industries is *sppropriate because it puts the onus on the Government, which claims the not discourage workers from putting the demand for nationalisation forwar (i) because it is the only solution possible until there is a socialist transformation of society. The employers don’t Want to preserve the jobs because they have more lucrative outlets for that capital; a Co-Op. ina accept redundancy, workers should make the Government face up to that further away from them. The ways to achieve complete victory become eT many of the workers felt really strong about something. Of course you can always feel strong about something but you can’t always act to change it. But in this case they could do something, and that made all the difference. You would just have to see what happened, to believe it!

Now our problem is that we have too many ideas and too many people wanting to do too many * close down.

things. !t is very important for us at this stage that we go on acting as a group. Leadership is Gecisive here. But we must not forget either that to have good leadership.democracy is needed.

QUESTION: What role have the Trade Unions and other workers outside Danus played during the occupation? .

ANSWER: Within the factory the workers are the Trade Union, and to that extent everything has been alright. But it is a different story when it comes to the paid-leaders and Trade Union Officials. They have given no leadership; they have followed behind us and no doubt they would have settled for less than we are asking if we let them.

The first person we had down here was John Carroll himself, the vice-president of the Union. He nearly had a fit when he heard that we were sitting-in. He warned us that we were breaking the law sitting-in. He warned us that under the Forcible Entry and Occupation Act our homes and all our personal property could be confiscated as well as us being jailed. But the right to work is the. most basic human right. If we don’t have the right to work then we have nothing. And when you have nothing you can’t be frightened off by talk about confiscation and jail. So Carroll had no effect on us.

The Trade Union Officials are very friendly and courteous, but behind it all they are doing nothing. The problem, as | see it, is that all these people have a vested interest in the present National Coalition Government and they don’t want to rock the boat. Anyway, | don’t think that these people would ever change their attitude in any fundamentg! way. They are too well healed. When we ask one of these fellows to do something for us he keeps saying ‘‘Do you want me to lose my job’. When a Trade Union Official can say that to workers who are facing redundancies, then we can see how far removed from serving the workers interests these people have become.

ourselves but for all workers faced with unemployment — and there will be tens of thousands of these in the next few months. If we in Danus win, it will be a blow to the employers and management. They want unemployment just now to keep down wages.

But if we make this too costly for them, then they will have to think twice before attempting QUESTION: What form has the solidarity between Danus workers and other workers taken?

ANSWER: The occupation is still in its early stages. We received a weeks back-pay and holiday money, so we haven't really felt the pinch yet.

Because of this we haven't organised any solidarity. But | think we are losing time and we should set up committees with workers on a local, a regional and a national basis to publicise our Cause and get help. For example, the ports should be closed to foreign garments and shop assistants should refuse to sell them.

QUESTION: Where does the occupation go from here? The Danus management doesn’t want the, factory to re-open. So how can you save the jobs?

ANSWER: There has been talk of setting up a Co-Op. But that doesn’t seem possible. We are well aware of the problems that would arise if we were simply to go into production under the Private enterprise system. For a start we would need, according to O’ Donovan, a million pounds and sales of £18,000 a week. Under these circumstances things would be very unstable.

There is a way under nationalisation. If we got State assistance with the workers still in control then we could continue producing. But it would not be easy and the question of rationalisation and redundancies would still be posed. However, if we got the factory off the ground within a year we could re-employ everybody and even possibly double the work-force — provided the workers retain control.

The powers that pe in Government are not willing to introduce nationalisation. The example of the mining industry proves this. We see Government ministers running to Australia, to Brussels, to New York, to London and God knows where else. They seem more interested in running the country to suit the big business interests of these places, than in the interests of Irish workers and small farmers.

The responsibility for ensuring our jobs rests with the Government. But the Government.is acting in the interests of the employers and doing nothing for the workers. This is particularly true of the Labour members. Take, for instance,

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Be up 50 many with, or step into the shoes of, the individual employer. But this should | ae the aes period of crisis is not even a short term solution. The Government to which

eg ot Limerick Branch R.M.G. 1G LEAD iin How has the occupation affected they have become more militant and active than