Page 12 - 13 Page 16-17 Workers demand pay rises · land (MUI) to Irish musical culture has been recognised at the first ever RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards. The ceremony, held in Vicar

Vol. 17 No 6ISSN 0791-458X

Significant pay rises will be sought by SIPTU members in private sector companies across the economy and countryduring 2019, Deputy General Secretary, Gerry McCormack hasannounced.

Discussions within the trade union movement are centred on anaverage baseline pay rise target for private sector workers of 3.4%.During workplace level negotiations union representatives will alsoseek to supplement basic pay rises by securing additional benefits, suchas vouchers and improvements in conditions.

McCormack said: “The generally positive economic climate and thestrengthening position of workers as the labour market continues toimprove means that for most of our members in the private sector wewill be seeking to negotiate significant pay rises in the comingmonths.”

On the additional benefits representatives should seek duringnegotiations, McCormack highlighted elements such as annual leave,bonus payments, pensions, ending precarious work practices anddealing with any ‘legacy’ issues in particular workplaces.

He emphasised the importance of tax-free vouchers, which areparticularly attractive and significant for lower paid workers.

by Scott Millar

Continued on page 2

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December 2018

Thousands of people march in Dublin on Saturday 1st December to demand government action on the housing and homeless crisis. Photo: Caroline Murray

Tackling precarious workPage 16-17

Protecting public water services Page 10

Workersdemandpay rises

The Housing Crisis Page 12 - 13

HappyXmas to all ourreaders

LibertyDECEMBER 2018

2 News

Continued from page 1 — Workers demand pay rises

Brexit deal Page 14

Division Conferences reports Page 6 - 8

The Co-operative advantage Page 11

In this month’s Liberty

Liberty View Page 15

Big Start campaign Page 21

District Council news Page 19

Supporting Quality Page 23

Editor: Frank Connolly, SIPTU Head of CommunicationsJournalist: Scott Millar Design: Sonia Slevin (SIPTU), Joe Mitchell (Brazier Media)Publications Assistant: Deirdre PriceAdministrative Assistant: Karen HackettProduced, designed, edited and printed by trade union labour. Printed by The Irish Times, City West, Dublin.Liberty is dedicated to providing a platform for progressive news and views.If you have any ideas for articles or comments please contact: [email protected] is published by the Services, Industrial, Professional & Technical Union, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1SIPTU General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn • General Secretary Designate, Joe Cunningham • Deputy General Secretary, Ethel Buckley • Deputy General Secretary, John King • Deputy General Secretary, Gerry McCormack Production: SIPTU Communications Department, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, Tel: 01 8588217 • Email: [email protected]

McCormack said that theeventual pay claims lodged withmany workplaces will exceed the3.4% figure, as unionrepresentatives take into accountother pressures on workers’livelihoods. “Companies must take into

account the housing and rentdifficulties workers are having. Ina situation where workers can'tafford rent or to get onto theproperty ladder, we absolutely

have to look at a wage increases aswell as campaign for changes ingovernment policy.”He added: "We also need to look

at the childcare costs families arepaying which are at an average of€1,000 a month."McCormack outlined the SIPTU

position publicly at the ResolveIreland conference on conflictresolution which was held on 22ndNovember. At this event, whichwas attended by business, former

government and state agencyleaders, the SIPTU position on theimportance of local workplacebargaining was also outlined.The SIPTU Deputy General

secretary told the conference thatcentralised bargaining is “dead -for the moment”. He added thatlocal bargaining has been good fortrade unions in that it allows themto “regain relationships withmembers that we had lost, anddeal with legacy issues in firms”.

LibertyView

SIPTU members in Aer Lingus outraged at media reportSIPTU members and work-place representatives in AerLingus are extremely con-cerned about the front pagereport in the Sunday Indepen-dent newspaper on 2nd December which suggests thatsenior management at thecompany believes that “staff(are) stealing many millions”.SIPTU representatives will seek

to ensure that the good name andreputation of union members andall workers in Aer Lingus are pro-tected and fully vindicated fromany such outrageous claims, aspublished.The union has called on Aer Lin-

gus management to provide evi-dence as to whether there is anybasis to the claims and to follow

appropriate procedures, due pro-cess and, if required, report themto the appropriate authorities.SIPTU and Congress representa-

tives have sought a meeting withAer Lingus Chief Executive Officer,Stephen Kavanagh, to discuss thematters raised in the media report.

Immediate action by Govern-ment is needed to assist themany Bord na Móna workersfacing the loss of their jobsand their communities whichface economic hardship dueto the company’s plans to ac-celerate the closure of its peatprocessing operations.Speaking to Liberty, SIPTU Sec-

tor Organiser, Willie Noone, saidthe recent job losses in Bord naMóna reinforces the call by SIPTUrepresentatives for the prioritisa-tion of the ‘Just Transition’ frame-work.

“A Just Transition Fund wouldgo some way to alleviate the stressand hardship on the workers andcommunities that will be affectedby these job losses,” he said.“SIPTU representatives have al-

ready requested a meeting withMinister for Communications, Cli-mate Action and the Environment,Richard Bruton, at which we willseek clarity on plans to addressthe immediate employment con-cerns of workers in Bord Na Mona.“At this meeting, we will also

want the concerns of communitiesabout continuing employment inthe locations affected by the Gov-

ernment’s decarbonisation poli-cies to be addressed.”He added: “SIPTU members are

calling for a clear commitmentfrom the Minister that state agen-cies, such as Bord na Móna, will bemandated to treat their employeesfairly and engage in meaningfulnegotiation with workers repre-sentatives. They are also calling onall elected representatives to workfor effective solutions to alleviatethe impact of the scale of joblosses facing workers and commu-nities in the Midlands.”

Government must assist Bord na Móna workers

Inclusion Ireland celebratedthe International Day of Per-sons with Disabilities by host-ing an event on employmentin Liberty Hall.Speaking at the event, SIPTU Sec-

tor Organiser, Michelle Quinn said:As trade unionists we fully recog-nise that people with disabilitieshave a right to aspire to join the workforce. It is a matter of fact that

those who live with a disability ex-perience additional financial costsand that they have a higher poten-tial to be caught in a poverty trap.We must all work together to makesure every step is taken to ensurethat people willing and able towork are given every assistance indoing so. It is only then can we saywe are a truly inclusive society.”

Persons with disabilitieshave right to work

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Michelle QuinnPhoto Derek Speirs

Thousands of people took tothe streets of Dublin on Satur-day 1st December to demandGovernment action on thehousing and homelessness crisis.Organisers said up to 15,000 peo-

ple took part in the march, organ-ised by the National Homeless andHousing Coalition, aimed at keep-ing pressure on the Government tosolve the housing and homeless-ness crisis. Speaking to Liberty SIPTU Ser-

vices Division Organiser, KaranO’Loughlin said: ”Today, was themost successful day that we havehad so far in the campaign with upto 15,000 people on the streets de-manding homes for all and secureand fair rents homes for all.” She added: “That over three and

a half thousand children have nohomes to go to this Christmas is anational scandal. If that doesn’ttouch you somewhere then youhave lost your humanity. The crisisis not going away anytime soonand our campaign is growing and

growing. The Government may notwant to know but we will makethem listen come election time.”Speaking at the rally Vice-Presi-

dent for Campaigns at the Union ofStudents in Ireland (USI) MichelleByrne, said students were sleepingin cars outside colleges or travel-ling for six hours a day to avoidenormous rents. She said: “The energy of the peo-

ple gathered today is one of angerand determination. This move-ment is growing. We will not stopuntil the government takes real ac-tion to end this housing crisis.”The National Homeless and

Housing Coalition includes tradeunion, political, traveller, housingand homeless activists and organi-sations. The Coalition is calling fora number of measures including adeclaration of a housing and home-less emergency, a constitutionalright to housing, an end to evic-tions into homelessness, morerent controls as well as a majorprogramme of public, social and af-fordable, house building.


3News

Members in Coca-Cola Ballina get international backingFILIPINO and IndonesianCoca Cola workers will bemeeting with their colleaguesemployed at the company’smanufacturing facility in Bal-lina, county Mayo, to discusstheir joint struggle for tradeunion recognition with themultinational. The workers will be visiting Ire-

land on 6th December as part of anInternational Union of Food, Agri-cultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Cater-ing, Tobacco and Allied Workers’

Association (IUF) delegation. In Indonesia, Coca-Cola bottler

Amatil has pursued a long-runningattack on the rights of indepen-dent, democratic trade unions.Meanwhile, in the Philippines

major Coca-Cola bottler FEMSAhas implemented mass layoffswith little explanation or justifica-tion. It has also refused to engagein meaningful collective bargainingwith the Federation of Coca-ColaUnions (FCCU) that represents amajority of Coca-Cola workers in

that country. SIPTU Organiser,Dennis Gormley, told Liberty: “TheIUF has been very supportive inour recognition campaign in Bal-lina and has raised the issue ofnon-recognition at global levelwith Coca Cola. The IUF has alsoincluded our members in thewider global campaign againstCoca Cola breaches of humanrights in Indonesia, the Philip-pines and Haiti.” There are currently two Labour

Court recommendations in favour

of SIPTU recognition in relation toour members in the Ballina facilitybut the company has ignoredthem, he said. Gormley added: “Aletter was sent to the managementin the Coca Cola plant in Ballina on16th November. In the letter wecalled upon the company to fullyimplement a Labour Court recom-mendation recognising the right ofthe workers in the plant to collec-tive trade union representation. “SIPTU representatives are call-

ing on Coca-Cola management to

immediately implement theLabour Court recommendationand engage with the union to ne-gotiate terms and conditions ofemployment for our members.”More than 100 workers in the

Coca Cola plant in Ballina areSIPTU members. SIPTU representa-tives recently brokered an agree-ment at the Coca Cola plant inAthy, county Kildare, over its closure and the transfer of busi-ness to Ballina following a LabourCourt hearing.

Thousands hit the streets to demand homes for all

Photos: Caroline Murray

4 NewsLibertyDECEMBER 2018

THE SIGNIFICANT contribu-tion made by members ofSIPTU and its affiliated bodythe Musicians’ Union of Ire-land (MUI) to Irish musicalculture has been recognised atthe first ever RTÉ Radio 1 FolkAwards.The ceremony, held in Vicar

Street, Dublin, on 25th October,saw Lankum come away with theBest Folk Group and Best Singerawards. MUI founder member,Andy Irvine, was also presentedwith a lifetime achievementaward.SIPTU Deputy General Secretary,

Ethel Buckley, told Liberty: “Earlierthis year, SIPTU invited Lankuminto Liberty Hall to rehearse fortheir latest album. We are de-lighted that Lankum won the bestgroup award in the inaugural RTÉRadio 1 Folk Awards and wishthem continued success with thealbum.” The successful awardsceremony broadcast was itself theproduct of the professionalism ofSIPTU members in RTÉ working asproducers, camera operators andin many other roles. During the ceremony,

SIPTU/MUI members Jimmy Kellyand Greg Boland, who died earlierthis year, were also praised fortheir important contribution toIrish music in recent decades.

Folk awards for AndyIrvine and Lankum

Well deserved: Folk legend Andy Irvine

Lankum came away with two gongsat the inaugural RTÉ Radio 1 FolkAwards in Vicar Street, Dublin

PICTURES: Derek Spiers

SIPTU members in theShanganagh WasteWater Treatment Plantin Shankill, CountyDublin, have secured payincreases of 2.5% perannum for three yearsback dated to mid-2018.The deal also includes an agree-

ment on the introduction of newshift arrangements which arescheduled to commence from 1stJanuary 2019. The agreementemerges from a recommendationissued by the Labour Court fol-lowing a hearing held in August.

This was followed by local discus-sions and the drawing up of pro-posals that were accepted bymembers in a vote during Octo-ber.SIPTU Organiser, Jimmy

Coughlan, said: “This agreementhas followed an extensive negoti-ations process with the company.It also includes a payment of€1,000 in recognition of thechanges to shift practices. Suchan extensive agreement couldonly be secured due to the dedi-cation and commitment of SIPTUrepresentatives in the work-place.”

Pay rises for Shanganagh Waste Water workers

THE county Limerick-basedconstruction firm O’KellyBrothers has maderetrospective payments due toworkers under the SectoralEmployment Order (SEO) forthe industry.It comes after a hearing at the

Workplace Relations Commission(WRC) on 7th November.SIPTU Organiser, Mary

McElligott, told Liberty: “This

agreement follows several monthsof discussions. Employees havesecured all underpayments due tothem, both on the correct hourlyrate of pay, along with overtimepayments for hours worked eachweek which exceeded 39 hours.”She added: “In addition, the

company has agreed that allmembers’ entitlements from theConstruction Workers’ PensionScheme will be regularised.”

Pay award enforced at O’Kelly Bros

LIBERTY Hall was one of sev-eral iconic buildings acrossthe country that were lit up inred on Friday, 23rd Novemberto support anti-racism charityShow Racism the Red Card(SRtRC).Speaking following the SRtRC

campaign launch, SIPTU DeputyGeneral Secretary Ethel Buckleysaid: “Racism, and its impact onthe lives of workers is a matter ofgrave concern for all of society.However, the vision of a society inwhich every worker – whatevertheir race, creed, colour, ethnicityor nationality – is treated fairlygoes to the heart of the tradeunion movement.She added: “SIPTU represents

workers from all communities andbackgrounds across the island ofIreland. We are proud of the diver-sity of our membership and we arecommitted to campaigning along-side workers, employers, commu-nities and state agencies to stamp

out racism and sectarianism inIrish workplaces.”SRtRC Coordinator Garrett Mul-

lan explained that one key part ofthe campaign was about standingin solidarity with those who haveexperienced racist abuse, whilethe other was about raising fundsso that the charity could continueits vital work of educating youngpeople and promoting integration. He told Liberty: “It is fantastic to

have such a visible statement ofsolidarity and commitment toending this problem with iconicbuildings – including Liberty Hall– being lit up in red.”A report published earlier this

year by European Network AgainstRacism (ENAR) Ireland revealedthe highest level of racist abusesince 2013. The report identified256 such incidents, including 23assaults, 35 cases of ongoing ha-rassment and 113 of online hatespeech in the first half of the yearalone.

Liberty Hall show Red Card in Lights

SIPTU Honorary Vice President Bernie Casey, left, joins delegates and observers from the TEAC Division Conference –Johnny Jackson, Amanda Kavanagh, Ciaran Garrett, Alison Regan, Stephen Lewis, Yvonne O’Callaghan and Yvonne Ward – on the Rosie Hackett Bridge, Dublin, to show racism the red card. Photo: Jimmy Weldon


5Gig for Gaza Kids

The Occupied Territories Billproposed by Senator FrancesBlack passed its second stagein the Seanad on Wednesday28th November last by a solidmargin of 30 votes to 13. Themotion, seconded by SenatorAlice Mary Higgins, was sup-ported by the main opposi-tion parties including SinnFéin, the Labour Party and Fi-anna Fáil and several indepen-dents. It was opposed by FineGael senators.The Bill, which proposes to

make illegal the sale of goods pro-duced in areas which are under il-legal occupation or settlement willhave a further hearing in theSeanad before it goes before theDáil for ratification and enact-ment, if successful.The Seanad vote followed

months of lobbying and publicawareness meetings across thecountry by SIPTU members, theICTU and a range of NGO’s and po-litical activists. The final rally ofthe campaign took place in Liberty

Hall on Thursday 22nd Novemberwhen Senator Black spoke andsang at a concert to raise funds toprovide medical aid for the chil-dren of Gaza.Members of the Dublin District

Council participated in publicmeetings which took place acrossthe county including in Cork, Lim-erick and Kildare before the finalevent in Liberty Hall.Among those who also per-

formed were singers Paddy Casey,Saoirse Casey and Mick Hanlywhile musicians Donal Lunny,Matt Molloy, Paddy Glackin andformer Musicians Union of Irelandpresident, Andy Irvine, also ap-peared before a packed and energyfilled theatre.SIPTU members also raised sig-

nificant funds for the Middle EastChildren’s Alliance at the five divi-sional conferences of the unionover recent weeks. Over €15,000has been raised to provide medicalrelief to children in the besiegedPalestinian area since September.

Gig for Gaza Kids

1. Senator Frances Black performing in Liberty Hall theatre

2. Saoirse Casey

3. Mick Hanly

4. Donal Lunny, Paddy Glackin and Matt Molloy

5. Paddy Casey

6. SIPTU Honorary Vice President, Bernie Casey, Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland Ahmad Abdelrazek and SIPTU Honorary President, Padraig Peyton

Photos by Derek Speirs

1

6

2

4 5

3


6 TEAC Division Conference

THE SIPTU TEAC Division Bi-ennial Delegate Conferencesaw more than 140 delegatesfrom across the Transport, En-ergy, Aviation and Construc-tion sectors assemble inLiberty Hall for two days ofdiscussion on 23rd and 24thNovember. The conference theme was

‘Proud of our past, rebuilding forthe future’. Speakers and motionsaddressed a range of issues, includ-ing the underfunding of publictransport, and a just transition forBord na Móna workers.The proposal for a new northern

runway also featured as well as thedebate about why another termi-nal is not required at Dublin Air-port. The enforcement of theConstruction Sectoral Employ-ment Order was also up for discus-sion. Addressing the delegates,SIPTU TEAC Division Organiser,Greg Ennis, said: “Just to be abso-

lutely clear, the TEAC Division andthis union supports the expedi-tious construction of the new€320 million northern runway atDublin Airport. “While we welcome the DAA’s

recent announcement of its €900million expenditure plan to caterfor extra capacity, which will seeup to 40 million passengers perannum using Terminal 1 and 2, anew terminal at Dublin Airport isnot required now or in the near fu-ture.”There was also discussions on

the need for local authorities tobuild social and affordable housingand serious health and safety issues in Ireland’s seaports. Theconference was addressed by anumber of keynote speakers including Professor Guy Standing,author of ‘The Precariat’ (See Liberty page 17) and SIPTU GeneralSecretary, Joe O’Flynn. In his report to conference,

SIPTU Sector Organiser, John

Murphy, said a levy on transportcompanies should be consideredin order to fund a dedicated policeunit to deal with increasing inci-dents of anti-social behaviour onbus and rail networks.He said: “Earlier this year, insur-

ance companies agreed to the im-plementation of a levy to fund a

new Garda unit that will be dedi-cated to investigating insurancefraud. Such an approach may haveto be considered in relation to thetransport sector. The absence of adedicated transport police unit isnot sustainable due to the level ofthreat faced by members of ourunion and the general public be-

cause of anti-social behaviour.”Motions passed at the confer-

ence covered issues such as theright of workers to choose to workbeyond 65 years of age, precariousemployment and support for thesetting up of a National TransportAuthority Advisory Council.

TEAC Division President Tommy Wynne,Division Organiser Greg Ennis,SIPTU President Bernie Casey, and TEAC Divisional Committee member Steve Hannan at the TEAC Division Conference in Liberty Hall Photo: Caroline Murray

SIPTU representatives arepushing for better protectionsand safety protocols for alldock and port workers. Thisfollows the tragic deaths ofthree people in Dublin Portover the last 18 months. SIPTU Organiser Jerry Brennan

said that the union was once againpushing to “organise the unorgan-ised” at seaports across the coun-try “with increasing success”. “When our union was estab-

lished over a century ago, JamesLarkin initially focused on organis-ing what remain the most impor-tant arteries of our economy, ourseaports. The ITGWU fought to en-sure that order was placed on thedangerous and casualised work ofthe docks.”“We are returning to our roots

with our fight for better protec-tions and safety protocols for alldock and port workers followingthe recent tragic deaths in DublinPort.“We have written to the Minister

for Transport, Shane Ross, seeking

a meeting on this issue. “What is needed is a certified

training programme for dockers inrelation to all dock work of a typesimilar to the Safe Pass Certificateused in the Irish construction in-dustry.” The deaths include that ofseafarer, Dennis Gomez Regana,from the Philippines, on DublinPort’s Southbank Quay on 14thNovember. ITF Inspector, Michael Whelan,

said: “Lashing and securing is ahard, dangerous job that has longbeen the subject of dispute. TheInternational Transport WorkersUnion (ITF) and SIPTU have consis-tently campaigned for this job tobe regulated and certified withtrained shoreside dockers carryingout the task.” He added: “The shipping owners

and operators have resisted thisand have instead insisted that sea-farers carry out the job. The ITF be-lieve that seafarers should not dothis work, but instead, while inport, they should be allowed torest and prepare for their next voy-age.”

PAY agreements of 2.5% to 3%per annum have been securedby SIPTU members at a num-ber of companies in recentweeks. These include DublinPort Company, Port of CorkCompany, Peel Ports/MTL,Mainport Shipping and theGalway Harbour Company.

SIPTU Organiser, Jerry Bren-nan, told Liberty: “We have suc-cessfully negotiated on payincreases throughout the sectorand continue to challenge thoseemployers who do not properlyvalue their employees.

Full pay restoration was alsosecured for staff of the Commis-sion for Irish Lights earlier thisyear with SIPTU winning aLabour Court ruling to have anindependent appeals panel ap-pointed to oversee cases concern-ing the categorisation of workers.

Docks unions want action on safety

SIPTU and ITF want to see action on safety. It follows three deaths in 18 months at Dublin Port

TEAC focus onfuture challenges


7Manufacturing Division Conference

Pay, precarious work and fallout from BrexitORGANISING the unorgan-ised, winning pay increases,combatting precarious workand protecting workers fromany potential fallout fromBrexit was the focus of twodays of discussion at theSIPTU Manufacturing DivisionBiennial Delegate Conference. More than 180 delegates from

across the country attended theconference held in the BreaffyHouse Hotel, Castlebar, countyMayo on Thursday, 8th Novemberand Friday, 9th November.The conference theme was

‘Proud of our past, rebuilding forthe future’. The motions debatedreflected the concerns that work-ers have about the quality of work,pensions, childcare as well as sev-eral other issues, including Brexit.In her address, SIPTU Manufac-

turing Division Organiser TeresaHannick highlighted the success ofthe union’s pay strategy, includingincreases in pay, securing succes-sor pay agreements, winning im-provements in benefits such asannual leave, eliminating out-sourcing as well as defending andimproving pension provisions.She pointed out that there hadbeen significant ‘greenfield’ organ-ising over the last number of yearsand that the division had seen amajor breakthrough in previouslynon-union workplaces.Conference heard a call to put in

place a Brexit Adjustment Assis-tance Fund to support workersmost at risk from the impact of theUK leaving the EU. In calling for the fund to be set

up, ICTU General Secretary, Patri-cia King told delegates: “This newinstrument should be developedand implemented with the consul-tation and participation of tradeunions as is the norm in other Eu-

ropean countries with a goodrecord in anticipating and manag-ing restructuring and labour mar-ket changes.”Endorsing the idea of a Brexit

Fund, Teresa Hannick highlightedthe union’s actions in safeguardingmembers from Brexit.“The only certain thing about

Brexit is that employers will belooking to take advantage of anycrisis,” Hannick said. “As tradeunionists, we must work togetherto be Brexit-ready to protect ourmembers’ jobs, wages and termsand conditions.”In his address SIPTU Deputy

General Secretary, Gerry McCor-mack, said one of the biggestthreats facing the trade union

movement was the erosion of per-manent and pensionable jobs. He said: “The only way workers

can effectively combat this situa-tion is through solidarity withintheir unions, collective bargainingand campaigning.”McCormack then paid tribute to

members working in Boston Scien-tific claiming they were a shiningexample to all workers. He told delegates: “Our mem-

bers in Boston Scientific haveproved in their campaign againstthe spread of precarious employ-ment that solidarity works andhave secured 120 permanent jobsfor their colleagues.”

SIPTU members Raimonda Grina, Olga Jurova and Dainius Slivinskas at the Manufacturing BDCPhotos: Jimmy Weldon

Busy agenda: Over 180 delegates attended theManufacturing Division conference in Castlebar

IN RECENT weeks, the SIPTUManufacturing Division hasconcluded 14 more pay dealsfor workers in industriesacross all its sectors which average above 2.5 - 3% perannum.The companies involved range

from STL Logistics/Guinness Dis-tribution, Clona Dairies and Ban-don Co-Op in the Agriculture,Ingredients, Food and Drink Sec-tor, to material manufacturerssuch as Rettig Ireland and WellmanInternational.Many of the deals also included

other items, such as increasedChristmas bonuses and vouchers.In Rosderra Irish Meats Group Lim-ited in Edenderry, county Offaly, a€500 voucher was secured exclu-

sively for SIPTU members. SIPTU Manufacturing Division

Organiser, Teresa Hannick, toldLiberty: “The pay campaign we areconducting across all manufactur-ing workplaces which are organ-ised by SIPTU is based on securingour members a just share of theprofits generated in their compa-nies.“In negotiations our organisers

are not only focused on what isbest for members in the immedi-ate term but also the long-term fu-ture of enterprises. That meansworking with management, wherepossible, to secure fair remunera-tion for our members which alsodoes not damage the effective op-eration of the enterprise.”

14 new pay deals across Division Agreement on time lost due to storms at Wellman InternationalMembers in fibre manufacturerWellman’s International inMullagh, County Cavan, votedin October to accept a Workplace RelationsCommission (WRC) proposal inrelation to working time lostdue to Storm Ophelia andStorm Emma.SIPTU Organiser, Denis

Sheridan, said: “Our membersvoted to accept a WRC proposalfor employees who were senthome during the storms,

Ophelia and Emma. Theproposal states that employeesaffected by Storm Ophelia can‘work in the time’, meaning theyhave been paid for the hours notworked but have to work thosehours back during the year.Those sent home during StormEmma will be paid for time lost.”He added: “The parties are

in discussions regardingprocedures for such events inthe future.


8 Services Division Conference

COMBATTING the spread ofprecarious work practices wasthe main topic of discussionsat the SIPTU Services DivisionBiennial Delegate Conferencein Portlaoise, county Laois, on1st and 2nd November.In her main address to the more

than 170 delegates gathered at theMidlands Park Hotel, Services Di-vision Organiser, Karan O’Lough-lin, said: “As a union, we mustredouble our efforts to organiseworkers – especially workers inprivate sector services and workersin the areas of work that have beenso deconstructed that people canno longer sustain themselves.“This must be done by convinc-

ing them to recognise that workerstogether are stronger within theirunion than without it.”SIPTU Vice-President Bernie

Casey also focused on the need toincrease the power of the unionthrough organising precariouslyemployed workers in her speech to

conference. The first motion – which was

carried unanimously – called forthe Private Sector Group withinSIPTU to develop a specific and tar-geted campaign to organise work-ers in precarious employment “toassist them in creating better,more secure work for the future”.The successful Better than Zero

campaign against precarious workpractices spearheaded by the Scot-tish Trade Union Congress (STUC)was highlighted at conference. STUC Policy Officer, Sarah

Collins, told delegates: “The cam-paign developed a dual strategy ofpublic brand damage and legal ac-tion. “The effect is to sear the black

and white Better than Zero symbolon to companies’ public image –symbolised by the stickers that ap-pear on doors, tables, and menus.”She added: “Once the company

has been ‘Better than Zeroed’, itoften gives way to demands.”

ICTU Assistant General Secre-tary, Owen Reidy spoke aboutBrexit to conference. He under-lined the importance of maintain-ing the free movement of peoplebetween the Republic and North-

ern Ireland to the economic andsocial wellbeing of workers andpointed out that some 20,000 peo-ple commute daily between the ju-risdictions.“I think relations are at an all-

Rachel Keane and Karan O’Loughlinwith female delegates from Limerick at the Services Divisionconference in Portlaoise

time low between British and Irishpoliticians. That fragile constitu-tional settlement that everyonebought into with the Good FridayAgreement could be on the line,”he warned.

SIPTU Services Division mem-bers gathered in Liberty Hallrecently to mark the retire-ment of union stalwart MaryMcBride.SIPTU Deputy General Secretary,

John King, paid tribute to Mary’srole in the union’s battle for im-provements in pay and conditionsof employment for contract clean-ers over a long number of years.

He said: “Mary’s support forunion campaigns was guaranteed.No matter what the event, Marywas there to add her support. Herloyalty to the cause of workingpeople was unwavering.”Mary was a shop steward in

Noonan’s and worked in St Luke’sHospital for many years. She wasa member of the Contract ServicesSector Committee and the ServicesDivisional Committee.

An Employment RegulationOrder (ERO) negotiated bySIPTU representatives withemployers in the Joint LabourCommittee (JLC), setting outpay rises for contract cleaners,reached its final phase on December 1st.The deal provides for a 40 cent

increase in the hourly rate forcleaners bringing it up to €10.80per hour.SIPTU Sector Organiser, Diane

Jackson told Liberty: “This agree-ment was won by our membersacross the contract cleaning sector. We are now entering talkswith the employers for the nextagreement and are buildingunion power in the cleaning sector as we enter these talks.”She added: “The more

members SIPTU represent at the negotiation table, the better thedeal will be.“We are conducting a national

survey of contract cleaners tofind out what are the top five issues for cleaners and the improvements they want.”

SIPTU wins increase in cleaners hourly rate

Organiser Paul Hansard, Deputy General Secretary John King, Sector OrganiserDiane Jackson, SIPTU Services Local Based Organiser Peggy Rafter and NEC mem-ber Christy Waters make a presentation to union stalwart Mary McBride (centre) tomark her retirement Photo: Paddy Cole

Stalwart Mary’s loyalty praised

SIPTU secures 14th pay increase for Regeneron Cleaners

SIPTU members working asindustrial cleaners in the Regeneron Pharmaceuticalsplant in County Limerick have secured a 14.1% pay in-crease effective from 1st December 2018 and a TUPEwith terms and conditions of employment which are superior to than those in the Employment RegulationOrder (ERO) for the sector.SIPTU Organiser, Rachel Keane,

said: “These workers, who re-cently moved from Clean Habit tothe contacting company Noonanvoted to accept the pay deal onMonday, 26th November. This isthe second win for these workerswho recently balloted to accept aTransfer of Undertakings (TUPE)agreement which includes therestoration of terms and condi-tions of employment, which arebetter than those in the ERO for thesector.“The agreement represents a

pay increase of 14.1% applicablefrom 1st December, bringing thebase rate to €11.90 per hour forall cleaners on site. All overtime

and premium rates are to increasein line with these rates. Theagreement also contains a com-mitment to continue to engage tokeep the base rate in excess ofERO rates and an additional fi-nancial settlement.”Keane added: “SIPTU members

form an integral part of the man-ufacturing process and we are de-lighted that Regeneron recognisesthe quality of their performancein this workplace. Huge credit isdue to the members who werevery active and determined to getorganised into our union.”Keane along with Workers

Rights Centre advocate, GerKennedy and Arek Muszynski, ofthe Strategic Organising Depart-ment took a collaborative ap-proach to dealing with the issueswhich ensured a successful out-come on both the TUPE and thepay increase negotiations.Regeneron develops and manu-

factures medicines for the treat-ment of medical conditions,including cancer, eye diseases,asthma and eczema.

Precarious work tops agenda at SIPTU Services Conference


9Health Division News

By Paddy

Cole

SIPTU Cork and Kerry HSAs vote to take industrial action

SIPTU representatives are setto launch a campaign aimed atsecuring recognition, betterterms and conditions – in-cluding the implementationof guaranteed working hoursand payment for travel timefor Dublin-based home careworkers, later this month.SIPTU Health Division Organ-

iser, Paul Bell said that the cam-paign will seek to address the payinjustice faced by thousands of lowpaid workers across the capital,many of whom are providing es-

SIPTU representatives arein talks with managementat University Limerick Hos-pital in a bid to resolve adispute in the portering de-partment.SIPTU Sector Organiser Tony

Kenny told Liberty: “Since ourlast stoppage, engagement onthe overall state of industrial re-lations and the issues affectingour portering members havecommenced with the CEO ofthe hospital group. “We remain hopeful that a

fair, equitable and respectfulresolution can be found to thisand other matters through this

SIPTU members working inthe National AmbulanceService (NAS) attended aspecial one-day conferenceat the Pillo Hotel, Ash-bourne, county Meath, inNovember.The conference theme, ‘NAS –

Community’, showcased diver-sity within the working environ-ment and highlighted howworking together improves pa-tient service and creates a betterworkplace for ambulance profes-sionals. SIPTU Ambulance Sector

Organiser, Miriam Hamiltonspoke at the conference abouthow important union organisingis in the sector as well as the roleSIPTU has played in fighting fora quality service for communi-ties and decent jobs for workers.She told Liberty the confer-

ence enabled union members toengage with both national andinternational speakers on thebest way forward for the service.She said: “Our members in the

SIPTU Healthcare Support Assistants(HSAs) in counties Cork and Kerry havevoted overwhelmingly in favour of takingindustrial action in a dispute over theHSE’s failure to implement the conditionsof new contracts.SIPTU Organiser, Marie Butler, told Liberty:

“SIPTU represents approximately 1,000 HSAsthroughout counties Cork and Kerry. Despite thecommitment of these workers to their profes-sion, of assisting those in need in their ownhomes, the level of anger they feel at the failureof the HSE to honour their new contracts is suchthat more than 80% voted in favour of industrialaction.” She added: “We are calling on the HSE to heed

this vote and immediately implement the termsof these new contracts.”

engagement, and in recognition ofthis we have not notified manage-ment of any further industrial ac-tion at this juncture.” He added: “The strike committee

‘Hopeful’ over bid to resolve portering Dept dispute

sential patient care to the mostvulnerable people in our commu-nities.He said: “This campaign will be

done in collaboration with ourStrategic Organising Departmentand be one of our main objectivesthroughout 2019. As a union, wehave proved in the past that beingpart of a strong collective is theonly real way workers in the homecare sector can win any kind of de-cent progression in pay, training,education, recruitment and reten-tion.”Bell added: “This new Stronger

Together campaign gives the homecare workers of Dublin hope and afighting chance to win some of thegains made by other home careworkers around the country.”

has met to review the recent in-dustrial action and will be updat-ing all members on thesediscussions to decide on a futurecourse of action shortly.”

‘Stronger Together’home care campaignto launch in Dublin

NAS do a fantastic job. Everyday they are making a differencein communities across the coun-try. The conference offeredSIPTU representatives a greatopportunity to recruit newmembers, to share our experi-ences and to sign up more peo-ple for our new incomeprotection scheme with Corn-market.”

Ambulance workers and the Community

SIPTU members in Cork and Kerry set to take action in a dispute of implementation of a new deal for home care. Photo: Graham Seely

Photo from left: SIPTU IndustrialOrganiser, Sharon Cregan,Professor Yvonne Coghill andSIPTU Ambulance SectorOrganiser Miriam Hamilton at theSIPTU recruitment stand at theNAS Community conference.Picture Hillary Collins Photo: Paddy Cole

Photo: Graham Seely

from the beginning the real battleto protect public water services hasto be fought at the industrial leveland secured through tough negoti-ations.

The latest development in thisprocess took place with the Department of Housing, Planningand Local Government writing lastmonth to the Irish Congress ofTrade Unions inviting local author-ity unions to enter discussionswith it and Irish Water under theauspices of the Workplace Rela-tions Commission.The need for these discussions

has been prompted by public an-nouncements by the managementof Irish Water that it wishes to re-move the delivery of the publicwater system from the local au-thorities and bring it fully underits control. This would entail end-ing the Service Level Agreement(SLA) with unions representinglocal authority water workers in2021. That is four years before it isdue to expire, in 2025.


10 PAC Division

Having a constitutional guarantee that Ireland could not make themistake of increasing private involvement inwater supplywould be a progressive development...

... the trend internationally is to bring water supply, wherethere is privatesector involvement, back under public control

SINCE 2012, SIPTU membershave been the fight to halt thecreeping privatisation of pub-lic water services and main-tain this essential utilityunder democratic control. Our campaign began when we

joined forces with our colleaguesin the European Federation of Pub-lic Service Unions (EPSU) in the‘Water is a Human Right’ cam-paign. Through this campaign we have

been successful in getting the EUto recognise that water servicesshould not be treated as a com-modity but a public good that mustbe safeguarded, not opened up forcompetition. In Ireland, SIPTU members have

campaigned and secured agree-ments to halt the creeping privati-sation of water services. We havealso called for the holding of a ref-erendum which would ask citizensto back a constitutional protectionfor the public control, ownership,management and supply of water. That is why the Public Adminis-

tration and Community Divisionhas given a guarded welcome tothe announcement by the Govern-ment last month that it is consid-ering a referendum on this issueand has referred the proposal tothe Attorney General.Although the wording of such a

constitutional amendment will bekey to ensuring it provides themaximum possible protection topublic water services, the referen-dum campaign will provide uswith an opportunity to fully out-line to the public the dangers in-herent in the commodification ofour water supply. It will also allow us to highlight

that internationally the trend is tobring water supply, where there isprivate sector involvement, backunder public control.This is because of the higher cost

and poorer service from privatisedwater services. Already, there aremoves across European cities to re-municipalise water services includ-ing in Paris, Berlin, and Barcelonaas well as in Scotland. The LabourParty in the UK has also committeditself to the re-municipalisation ofwater services in England andWales. Having a constitutional guaran-

tee that Ireland could not make themistake of increasing private in-volvement in water supply wouldbe a progressive development.However, as our members in the

local authority sector have known

In July 2018, the Minister for

Housing, Planning and Local Gov-

ernment, Eoghan Murphy, con-

firmed these plans and that Irish

Water would become a standaloneutility, separate from its currentparent organisation Ervia. The Minister has since then ac-

cepted that there can be nochanges to the SLA without the ac-ceptance of all parties. He has alsostated that he would prefer the up-coming talks to conclude in Febru-ary 2019.SIPTU members providing local

authority water services, and thewider membership of this union,can be assured that we are enter-ing these talks without acceptingany pre-determined outcome. Our priorities remain the same

– the maintenance of water ser-vices within the public service andensuring that there is no change toany agreement without it beingthe democratic will of our mem-bers.As well as defending public

water services, we are also focusedon the wider push for the rebuild-ing of the country’s local munici-pal services. This must be done ina manner which maximises thebenefits for our society. It is essential that the mainte-

nance of our parks, roads, streetsand many other services andamenities continue to be providedin a manner which places the pub-lic good before profit generation.That is why last year the Local

Authority sector of the unionlaunched the ‘Your County, YourYouth, Your Future’ recruitmentcampaign, an initiative which aimsto unite the need to recruit morelocal authority workers with theneeds of young people seekingemployment in their home coun-ties. It is also why we always fight to

defend the public provision ofwater and other vital services.

SIPTU members protest outsidethe Dáil in 2013 against EU policies promoting the privatisation of public water.Photo:RollingNews.ie

By John King

Protecting water as a public good

Water servicesshould not betreated as a commodity but apublic good thatmust be safeguarded,not opened upfor competition


11Economy

By Vic

Duggan

WHAT if the economy was or-ganised around co-operationinstead of competition? Whatif the principles of sharedownership and communitysolidarity replaced the pursuitof profit and maximisingshareholder value?It’s so far from our everyday re-

ality that, for most of us, it is littlemore than a thought experiment.

First principles...In fact, the co-operative move-

ment has a long, proud and globalhistory of doing exactly that. Dat-ing from 1844, and updated in1966 by the International Co-oper-ative Alliance, the ‘Rochdale prin-ciples’ set out the ideals foroperating a co-operative enter-prise. Central to these are open, volun-

tary membership and democraticgovernance on a ‘one member, onevote’ basis. For the most part, fi-nancial surpluses are reinvested inthe coop, and the accumulated sur-plus belongs to all members. There is also a commitment to

education of members and thepublic around co-operative princi-ples, and to co-operation betweenco-operatives. Essentially, thesecore principles underpin the oper-ations of co-operatives worldwideto this day.Worldwide, there are some three

million co-operatives, numberingmore than one billion membersand employing 280 million people– or one in 10 paid workers on theplanet. The Irish Co-operative Organisa-

tion Society (ICOS) claims morethan 150,000 members and morethan 12,000 employees in its Irishco-ops. Many of these are producerco-ops in the agri-food sector.There are about 3.6 million mem-bers of credit unions in Ireland,showing the enduring attractive-ness of workplace and community-based co-ops. Since it was set up in 1973, Co-

operative Housing Ireland has sup-ported the provision of about5,000 homes across the county,and currently manages a housingstock of about 2,000. In more re-cent years, co-operative communi-ties have built up to deliverchildcare services. As we can see al-ready, co-operatives come in manyshapes and forms, bringing to-gether workers, producers, con-sumers, savers, borrower,householders and social serviceusers.

Concrete examples...One of the common arguments

made against co-operatives is thatthey are difficult to scale up, par-

where a dense network of small-and medium-sized co-operatives isintegral (accounting for 30% ofGDP) to the fabric of an economycomparable in size to that of Ire-land. Rather than a single behemoth

corporation, such as Mondragon,which has yet to be replicated else-where on anything approachingthat scale, in Emilia Romagna it isthe co-operative ecosystem that iskey. This networked ecosystem ap-

proach allows for economies ofscale, without a need for centrali-sation in – or the leadership of – asingle ‘unicorn’ co-operative. Es-sentially financed through an earlyform of membership crowdfund-ing, the region’s Co-op supermar-ket has since become the leadingretailer countrywide. Emilia Ro-magna has also seen a significantgrowth in social co-ops, efficientlyproviding social services such aschildcare and eldercare.Some have argued that worker-

owned firms couldn’t possibly becompetitive in a global marketeconomy. But, why then has theprivate sector taken such a fancy toemployee stock ownership plans(ESOPs)? Because, they know thatemployees will be more productiveif they feel ownership of the fruitsof their labours.

It is precisely this impulse thatunderpins the co-operative ethos.Along similar lines, the UK’sLabour Party Shadow ChancellorJohn McDonnell recently proposedthe setting up of an Inclusive Own-ership Fund to which corporationswith 250 or more employeeswould issue 1% of their equity cap-ital every year, up to a maximumof 10%. Workers would then benefit by

way of an annual dividend cappedat £500, with surplus dividendsgoing to finance public invest-ment. Similarly, some argue that

worker control of firms is a recipefor chaos and unsustainable wagegrowth. On the contrary, Germanyhas at the same time one of themost competitive private sectorsand most developed systems ofworker representation in the

world. Every firm with five or more em-

ployees must have a work councilwhere this representation is guar-anteed while half of the boards ofdirectors of the largest corpora-tions must consist of workers’ rep-resentatives. In Germany, as inworkers’ co-operatives worldwide,it is more common during chal-lenging economic times for work-ers to agree to wage moderation toavoid job losses.

Policy programme...Irish policymakers have for too

long fawned over foot-loose for-eign capital, to the exclusion of in-digenous entrepreneurs and socialmovements. We need to do moreto value and support our social en-trepreneurs, including those in theco-operative movement who proveevery day that other economic andbusiness models are possible. What would a policy framework

conducive to growing the co-oper-ative alternative look like? A twin-pronged approach is necessary. Onthe one hand, there is a need forfurther study and refinement ofthe co-operative model to adapt itto various sectors of the moderneconomy, including how best toalign incentives of all stakeholders. On the other hand, there is a

role for national policymakers toplay. In Italy, for example, undis-tributed profits of co-operativeshave been largely exempted fromcorporation tax since 1977. Other reforms eased the restric-

tions on raising money from mem-bers and allowed unemploymentinsurance payments to be used in-stead as lump-sum capital forworkers to co-operatise their work-place rather than being laid off. A supportive framework could

also be put in place to foster linksbetween co-ops in different sec-tors, between workers and con-sumers for example, or byincentivising credit unions to pro-vide seed capital for industrial,housing or childcare co-ops. At a time when the price of

housing and childcare is becom-ing unbearable for too manyfamilies, community-based co-operative models could point theway to a more sustainable alter-native.

ticularly in the face of cut-throatcompetition from shareholder-owned firms. Certainly, achievingscale is not without its challenges.But, an example from the Basquecountry is instructive. With nearly€12bn in annual sales, more than80,000 employees and operatingthrough 266 federated entities and15 R&D centres, Mondragon Corpo-ration is the most famous exampleof a successful transnational co-op-erative. Operating in cutting edge indus-

trial sectors, as well as in retail andfinance, Mondragon has largelymaintained its co-operative ethoswhile growing sustainably andcompetitively. Closer to home,John Lewis & Partners has blazed atrail in high-end retail.The prosperous Emilia Romagna

region of Northern Italy provides aslightly different example of scale,

The Case for the Co-op

Irish policymakers

have for too long

fawned over foot-loose

foreign capital, to the

exclusion of indigenous

entrepreneurs and

social movements

We need to do more

to value and support

our social

entrepreneurs.

Far from being basket cases,co-operatives worldwide employ one in 10 paid workers


12 Housing Crisis

By Marie

Sherlock

Government gets housing sums wrongIN LATE October, I gave a pre-sentation at a conferencewhere the National Develop-ment Plan, future housingneed and population projec-tions were discussed.

A well-regarded economist spe-cialising in infrastructure predictedthat in 20 years’ time, we will lookback at the good ol’ days of 2018and 2019 and think that a homelessfigure of 10,000 was small com-pared to the scale of the homelesscrisis as it will then be.The reality is that unless we see

a significant increase in housingsupply, this situation is going to getworse. Already homelessness is upalmost 16% in the 12 months sinceSeptember 2017.If that devastating scenario does

come to pass, the likely causes willbe twofold: (i) continued relianceon the private sector to meet hous-ing demand, and (ii) a gross under-estimation by the authorities ofthis State as to the actual volume ofhousing that is needed. That the Government is failing

its own housing supply targets isbad enough. More frighteningly,there are grounds to be believethose targets are way below whatthis country needs in terms of thenumber of residential housingunits required. The National Planning Frame-

work Project Ireland 2040, forecaststhat the Republic of Ireland re-quires 550,000 houses by 2040 –that is 25,000 per annum to 2020and somewhere between 30,000and 35,000 houses every singleyear after that. This does not allow for projected

higher inward migration whichcould add another 281,000 to pop-ulation figures. Neither does itallow for an increased demand forone-bed and two-bed residences aspeople have smaller families.More immediately, there are a

number of key features of existinghousing policy that are entrenchinginequality between workers andhouseholds.The most obvious is the growing

reliance and stated preference ofGovernment for HAP (Housing As-sistance Payment) to meet the

medium-term and longer-termhousing needs of low incomehouseholds. Over the lifetime of the Govern-

ment’s programme Rebuilding Ire-land, social housing constructionwill account for just 25% of totalsocial housing output. Betweenthe RAS (Rental AssistanceScheme) and HAP, some 65% of fu-ture social housing will be relianton private landlords, while theState will be in control of just 36%of social housing through acquisi-tions, long-term leases, voids anddirect build.However, HAP is not currently

structured as a long-term housingsolution. Tenants are subject to thesame ‘notice to vacate’ rights asevery other private market tenantand there is a rent review every

two years. Access to top-ups is available but

the critical issue is that HAP tenan-cies depend on there being a suffi-cient supply of rentalaccommodation at affordableprices in the housing market.Those entitled to HAP are compet-ing in an already highly scarce mar-ket. The Daft.ie report in availablerental supply shows record lows inrental vacancies over the first quar-ter of this year. Given this environment, HAP is

effectively institutionalising pre-

carious living arrangements forvulnerable families and exposingthose same families to a greaterrisk of homelessness. The key issue here is that there

is no long-term thinking as to howlow-income families will behoused into the future. Over thepast 30 years, we have seen a dra-matic decline in social housingoutput and if we assume that thereis a large and growing cohort whowill never be able to borrow to buya house, then major housing prob-lems are being stored up. Already we know that when we

look across household type, loneparents are typically the most vul-nerable group in terms of theirhousing situation. Compared withsingle person households, two-per-son households and householdswith two persons and children, agreater share of lone parents inCensus 2016 were reliant on theprivate rental market (See column2 in diagram left).Looking ahead, if the 30% of the

population who are currently nothome owners continue rentinguntil the age of retirement, theywill face huge difficulties keepingan affordable roof over their headsafter they leave the workforce.Well over half of all workers willonly be able to rely on the Statepension in retirement. Yet thelevel of contributory and non-con-tributory state pension is set at alevel that assumes that pensionersdo not face housing costs and al-ready own their house.

Thousands of people took to thestreets of Dublin on 1st December toprotest and demand homes for all. Photo: RollingNews.ie

Housing Profile by Household Type

That the Government is failing its own

housing supply targets is bad enough.

More frighteningly, there are grounds

to be believe those targets are way

below what this country needs


13Housing Crisis

WE NEED to build a broad al-liance of all those housingneeds. This is a big challengebecause the needs are so var-ied: homelessness, waitinglists, excessive private rentsalong with lack of tenure secu-rity, rising house prices, homerepossessions, and specialneeds (for Travellers, the dis-abled, the elderly, etc.). The solutions are equally varied

and sometimes have over-lappingdescriptions: public, social, coun-cil and voluntary housing; costrental, affordable rental and in-come-linked housing, affordablehome purchases, off-balance-sheetfinancing, etc. By bringing clarity and simplicity

to the debate we can strengthenthe ability of trade unionists andcivil society groups to communi-cate a progressive agenda.

Public Housing...Regardless of the housing type,

the above descriptions refer to aPublic Housing programme. Whatlinks the different solutions is thatthey are either non-profit or basedon ability to pay. Whether housingfor rent or purchase, whether de-signed to address homelessness orexcessive rents – they are all PublicHousing. There are three types ofPublic Housing.

1. Social HousingThis traditional form of public

housing is means-tested and fo-cused on low-income groups. It isideally placed to quickly meet themost urgent housing needs. In ad-dition to homelessness there aremore than 2,000 households inunfit accommodation, and 8,000households with someone with adisability or exceptional medicalcondition. Some 19,000 house-holds have been on the waiting listfor more than seven years whileover 6,000 are elderly. Social housing can meet these

needs in the short and mediumterm. However, it would struggleto meet the needs of workers expe-riencing high rents or trying tosave for excessively-priced hous-ing. For that we need additionalfit-for-purpose public programmes.

2. Cost Rental or Affordable RentalCost-rental (or Affordable

Rental) means what it says: rentsare based on the cost of providingthe accommodation: construction,borrowing, maintenance and man-agement costs. John O’Connor –CEO of the Housing Agency – re-cently called on the Government tointroduce cost-rental accommoda-tion.He said: “I have been suggesting

solutions like this for quite a num-ber of years. We need . . . to haverentals for €600 and €700 permonth. We’re getting dragged intohigher rent levels together.”Cost-rental could slash current

rent levels by up to 50%. The ICTU Housing Charter calls

for “mixed-income and socially in-clusive housing”. Cost rental doesjust that. It would be open to allexcept those on ultra-high in-comes. Whether you are on the social

housing waiting list, a low-paidcleaner or an average paid manu-facturing worker – all would be en-

titled to apply for cost-rental ac-commodation. If a tenant’s in-come is not enough to meet therent, the Housing Assistance Pay-ment can make up the difference.HAP would then subsidise lowpublic rents unlike now wherethey are subsidising high privaterents.

2. Affordable Purchase Homes The third category is Affordable

Purchase Homes. Again, the con-cept is simple: the state builds ahouse and sells it to families atcost. The Minster has stated thatit costs about €210,000 to build athree-bedroom house. Yet thosesame houses can go for more than€350,000 on the open market.An Affordable Purchase Homescheme would bring home owner-ship to those who otherwisewould be unable to own a home.There would be restrictions to

prevent affordable homes frombeing turned into speculative as-sets. Already, non-profit housinggroups put in clawback provisionsto prevent the sale of affordablehomes on the open market. Thiswould help ensure that publichousing remains public.

A programme of local author-ity-led Public Housing would bemade up of social housing, cost-rental/affordable rental and af-fordable-purchase homes. In theshort term we need to prioritiseinvestment to house the home-

Raise the Roof for Public Housing

less and those with urgent needs,along with reducing excessiverents. And we must stop the sell-off

of public land. Currently, localauthorities are privatising publicland. There is a further dangerthat the Government’s Land De-velopment Agency could engineerthe biggest transfer of public re-sources to private interests sincethe bank bailouts and the massivedisposals by NAMA. As the ICTU Housing Charter

demands: “All public land mustbe reserved for public housingand not passed to the private sec-tor for development.”We have the finances. The Gov-

ernment has billions of euro inthe Strategic Investment Fund,cash balances and the projectedNAMA surplus. And we have theland – the state owns or controlsenough land to build 144,000dwellings.Most of all we have the need.

Let’s put together a transforma-tive Public Housing programme,raise the roof and resolve thehousing crisis.

By Michael

Taft

1) This year €1.065 billion was allocated to capital spending on housing. We won't know the final outturn until early next year.

2) The National Development Plan (NDP)committed the Government to spending €1.220 next year. This represented an increase of €155 million over last year's allocation.

3) The Opposition cross-party housing motion which was supported by the 'Raise the Roof' campaign called for capital spending to be increased to €2.3 billion. This would have meant an increase of €1.080 billion.

4) Budget 2019 allocated E1.336 billion - an increase of only €116 million over the NDP commitment.

The Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy, is claiming that the Budget2019 allocation will mean an additional 7,900 'new-build' and boughtunits (it is difficult to get a breakdown between the two - boughtunits do not increase the overall housing stock, merely subtract itfrom the private sector).

If the Government had complied with the Opposition motion, thiswould have meant additional investment of nearly €1.1 billion, whichwould have meant an additional 6,400 housing units above the NDPtargets.

As it was, the Government ignored the Dail and increased investmentby a mere €116 million, or an additional 690 housing units.

An additional 690 units - that was the paltry government response toRaise the Roof, the Dáil and the housing crisis.

Some 19,000 households havebeen on the waiting list for more than seven years


14 Brexit

Last week’s dire warningsfrom the Bank of Englandabout the UK crashing out ofthe EU with no-deal was an-other jaw-dropping momentin the ongoing Brexit saga. Ina ‘worst case’ scenario, UKGDP would plummet by 8% in2019 compared to the currentforecast, with unemploymentrising to 7.5%, inflation to6.5% and interest rates to5.5%. House prices would fallby 30% and interest rateswould climb to 4% in this ‘dis-orderly’ exit. While there areother less ‘disruptive’ alterna-tives, they all lead to a con-traction in growth over thenext five years. Analysis re-cently published by theBritish government’s own de-partments backs this up.In reality, the prospect of the UK

hurtling towards a No-deal Brexitcould dissipate over the comingweeks. Labour maintains that MPswould act to avoid a No-Deal out-come. Comments last week fromthe shadow Chancellor, John Mc-Donnell, seem to mark a furthershift from Labour, saying the partywill “inevitably” back a Peoples’vote, if a general election can’t beforced, admitting the latter is “verydifficult” to achieve because of Par-liament’s rules. An extension to thenegotiation timeframe for Brexitwould then be needed. This comesin the context of a majorgamechanger: Brussels and Londonhave struck a political deal to allowfor Brexit. While there are signifi-cant risks to Irish workers and theeconomy from the proposed agree-ment, a no deal Brexit would be potentially disastrous for this coun-try.UK leader, Theresa May, has con-

Brexit deal under the spotlight...

Transition Period • From 29th March 2019 to 31st December 2020 during which the UK remains subject to all EU laws and procedures. • UK would not be represented in decision-making at EU institutions.

Citizen Rights • EU citizens living in UK and UK citizens living in EU, at the end of transition period, will be able to stay, along with family members. • Need to apply for residence status in UK having lived there five years. • Right to take up employment or self-employment. • Workers maintain workers’ rights based on EU law during transition. • Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK can remain (as per theexisting bilateral agreement)

Temporary UK-wide customs territory • Only comes into place from 1st January 2021 if the UK and EU do not agree an extension of the transition period (before 1st July 2020) and if the future relationship has not been agreed.

• ‘Backstop’ or insurance policy to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. • No tariffs, quotas, checks of rules of origin (except fishery products). • Northern Ireland will apply some extra EU single market rules for close alignment.

• Idea is for a comprehensive agreement to supersede the need to use the ‘Backstop’.

• Not yet legally binding.• Detailed and complex negotiations still required on all aspects.

• Sets out goal of “an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership”.

• Ends free movement of persons between UK and EU.

• Includes “level playing field” conditions to cover labour standards.

• No tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions on goods.

founded doubters so far by winningagreement from her cabinet andfrom leaders of EU Member Statesfor two landmark texts that couldreshape relations between theUnited Kingdom and the EuropeanUnion. But convincing the UK Par-liament to approve what has beenagreed at EU level is arguably a big-ger challenge. If this hurdle cannotbe crossed, the prospect of a generalelection or a second referendum ison the cards. Against the backdropof a possible deal, it is important toassess the potential implicationsfor workers on this island.

Political Declaration on the Future Relationship between UK and EU

Key elements of the Draft Withdrawal Treaty

• Technological solutions will be explored as an alternative to the ‘Backstop’.• ‘Ambitious’ arrangements for trade in services envisaged.• Provides for future PEACE PLUS programme to be funded by the EU and UK.• Allows for UK participation in EU programmes, e.g. science and education, under conditions.

• Possible visa-free travel for short-term visits and entry for research, study, training.

• Co-operation on transport, energy, carbon trading, security.• New Fisheries Agreement by 1st July 2020 – contentious area.

PICTURE: RollingNews.iePremier league clash: Leo Varadkar and Theresa Mayat a Downing Street Q&A earlier this year

By Loraine

Mulligan


15Liberty View

Liberty View

Your union is facing into2019 with confidence andin a position to advancethe interests of itsmembers further than inany period since themiddle of the last decade.This is due to the generally

positive economic climate and thestrengthening position of workers asgrowth rates are maintained at asustainable rate. This means that formost of our members in the privatesector we will be seeking tonegotiate significant pay rises. In thepublic service we will continue ourwork of restoring pay and conditionsand improving services.A stable society can only be

achieved by seeking to share thefruits of economic well-being aswidely as possible. That is why as aunion we are proud to havenegotiated more than 1,000agreements through which ourmembers have won improved payand conditions since 2012.The Irish Congress of Trade Unions

Private Sector Committee will meeton the 19th December to jointlyagree a strategy to maintain thisforward momentum and a baselinepay rise figure which unions acrossthe economy will seek to implementin the coming year.

A fair wage riseAt this meeting, union leaders will

discuss the exact dimensions of aminimum wage rise for members inthe private sector, which is fair tothem and can be supported in termsof the wider economic situation.These discussions will be informedby research conducted by the NevinEconomic Research Institute (NERI).Due to the strengthening labour

market, with an unemployment rateof 6.1% in November, there is apositive climate for wage growth.The key figures that must inform adecision on a baseline wage rise areinflation and productivity.NERI measures inflation by

considering increase in prices for alldomestic consumption. This figurefor 2019 is estimated at 1.8%. Interms of labour productivity,meaning the more value thatworkers in Ireland will contribute togoods and services, the Departmentof Finance has forecast it willincrease by 1.1% in 2019. In contrast,the OCED has forecast aproductivity increase for Ireland of1.4%.So a baseline pay claim, taking into

account inflation plus productivity,must be at least 3.4% plus additionalbenefits.However, what these figures do

not fully capture are the excessivecosts for many workers in Ireland ofhousing, childcare and makingadequate savings to secure aliveable income in old age. That iswhy so many workers require wagerises well in excess of the 3.4% baseline figure. These are issues whichwill also inform considerations bythe members of the Congress PrivateSector Committee.

Localised bargaining isessentialAs a union we are committed to

maintaining workplace level wagebargaining. This is what is best forindividual enterprises and what isbest for our members.For enterprises, localised

bargaining means management canbe sure that union representativesare taking into account the exactconditions and prospects in theirworkplace when negotiating forimprovements for workers. We mustaccept that in an era of globalcompetition and rapid change it isessential to consider the future long-term well-being of companies whenseeking to agree a fair return forworkers’ labour.It is also essential that we continue

to develop leadership andnegotiating skills of our members atthe workplace level. Theempowerment of shop stewards andworkplace committees, tosuccessfully conduct such enterpriselevel negotiations, is crucial to theoverall health of our organisation.Only with a union energised at thislevel can secure improvements inwages and conditions and buildtowards achieving the wider socialaims of our organisation.

Meeting our challengesIn the coming months, we will

further build our workplaceorganisation through the pursuit ofpay claims in the private sector. Inmost cases, these will not only seekto achieve the baseline rise butabove it and remuneration formembers in many other ways,including the payment of vouchers,improvements in conditions andother initiatives.However, energising our union in

this manner also provides aspringboard for advancing theinterests of members through

pollical and social campaigning.These campaigns will seekimmediate action on issues thatdirectly impact on members andtheir communities.

The most urgent of these issues isthe campaign to end the worseninghousing crisis. During 2019, yourunion will be leading the demand forthe implementation of a localauthority led public house buildingprogramme that will seek to providehomes for all. This campaign will notonly be taken onto the streets, butinto the Dáil and council chambersaround the country. It will first andforemost be built in the workplace,where the collective strength ofworkers is anchored.

However, what thesefigures do not fullycapture are theexcessive costs formany workers inIreland of housing,childcare and makingadequate savings tosecure a liveableincome in old age

The most urgent ofthese issues is thecampaign to end theworsening housingcrisis. During 2019,your union will beleading the demand forthe implementation of a local authority ledpublic house buildingprogramme that willseek to provide homesfor all

Union members to demandsignificant pay rises


16 Interview

SCOTTISH Trade UnionCongress Policy Officer, SarahCollins, addressed SIPTU ac-tivists attending the ServicesDivision Biennial Conferenceon the successes of a cam-paign against precarious workpractices.Talking to Liberty, she detailed

the work of the Better than Zerocampaign and how recent politicalevents in Scotland, most notablythe 2014 Independence Referen-dum, has brought a new dy-namism to trade unionism in acountry with a long history oflabour struggle.

“The Better than Zero campaigndeveloped a dual strategy of pub-lic brand damage and legal action.The effect is to sear the black andwhite Better than Zero symbol onto companies’ public image – sym-bolised by the stickers that appear

on doors, tables, and menus. Oncethe company has been Better thanZeroed it often gives way to de-mands.“Numerous bars and restaurant

owners have been in touch, capit-ulating to pay wages or give holi-days or un-sack people, oncethey’ve been ‘called out’ on theBetter than Zero Facebook or Twit-ter pages.”She added: “Better than Zero

forced the issue of bad work intoScottish politics and media – andthe Scottish Government hasagreed, through our shared ‘fairwork’ agenda, that public grantsand investment will now be con-ditional on companies paying theLiving Wage and not using zero

hour contracts.“Despite the successes of the

campaign, we are not an advicecentre or a lobbying group. Theonly way to build capacity of thosein precarious work is to tool peo-ple up directly to organise in theirworkplaces and be able to collec-tively challenge their own em-ployer. Public image, externalmobilisation and the law are toolswhich become much heavier withthe weight of the workers.”Brought into political activism

as a student through involvementin anti-war and anti-educationfunding cuts demonstrations,Collins became a leading memberof the Radical Independence Cam-paign (RIC), which was set up in

late 2012 to call for a ‘Yes’ vote inthe referendum about Scotland’sfuture. She said: “My views are strongly

anti-British imperialism, that wasprobably the most defining thingabout how I got involved in poli-tics in the first place. So when youstarted breaking down the ques-tion of Scottish independence andwhat that would mean about actu-ally breaking the British State, andwhat that would mean as an inter-national socialist, that is wheremy passion for independencecomes from.” The RIC played a key role in

mobilising a large number of activists, many in their early-tomid-20s, and providing them withvital political experience. Collinsrecalls the campaign as one done,“on the concept that you had toliterally go door to door aroundthe streets, the schemes of Scot-land to reach the forgotten votersthe people that don’t vote at all.We didn’t campaign on the na-tional question but the demo-cratic deficit, the cuts, the healthservice, the issues affecting peo-ple. It worked in re-engaging peo-

ple with politics.”Despite the ‘No’ vote Collins

and her fellow activists were notdeflated. Many were already in-volved in trade union work andbegan to focus more of their ener-gies into the labour struggle. Shesaid: “The trade union movementaccepted us because we hadproved ourselves as organisers. Wedidn’t have to convince ourselveseither because if you are from aworking class background youknow the importance of thepower of the collective – youknow that the labour struggle iswhere you change society.”Collins believes such this re-en-

gagement in politics has played arole in the rise in union member-ship among the under-25s andhelped fire up the 48-hour strikeby 7,000 women Glasgow CityCouncil workers for equal pay inOctober.“The unions had been pursuing

this issue for 12 years,” Collinssaid. “It had all gone through thecourts system but deep organisingby mainly women trade union or-ganisers found the workplaceleaders who had previously felt letdown concerning this issue. Theygot them behind the campaignand a push came from the grass-roots up for action.”Collins recalls the strike as a

highly successful display of work-ing class strength. “Many other workers didn’t

cross the picket line. One GMBshop steward put it well when hesaid on the news, ‘I’m not going tocross the picket line against thesewomen – one is my wife the othermy aunt. We’re all getting ballotedon pay shortly. We have to standtogether’.”

‘We need to tool people up to organise at work’

...if you are from a workingclass back-ground youknow the importance ofthe power of the collective – youknow the labourstruggle iswhere youchange society

By Scott Millar

Public image,

external mobilisation

and the law are

tools which become

much heavier with

the weight of the

workers

Dispatches fromPalestine:This photo exhibition by Hughmalala is a study of

life under occupation and the mechanics of control.

Running in The Bernard Shaw, Dublin

from December 3rd until December 27th.

Free admission.

STUC Policy Officer Sarah Collinsaddresses Services Division BDCPhoto: Paddy Cole


17Interview

HIS 2011 book The Pre-cariat: A New DangerousClass, Professor GuyStanding warned thatunless the needs, insecu-rities and aspirations ofthose in precarious work,or as he termed it thenew class of the ‘pre-cariat’, were addressed asa matter of urgency thennew political monsterswill emerge.According to Standing, who

spend 30 years working for the In-ternational Labour Organisation(ILO) and is a former advisor to thelate Nelson Mandela, the precariatis a class of workers in insecure em-ployment, who have a lack of con-trol over their working lives andwho suffer from crippling uncer-tainty. He breaks the precariat into three

separate but equally sufferinggroups – the ‘atavists’, the ‘nostal-gics’, and the ‘progressives’. Stand-ing says that each group is reelingfrom the aftershocks of years of de-privation and displacement andtheir predicament can no longer beignored.Standing spoke to Liberty ahead

of his address to SIPTU members atthe recent TEAC Biennial DelegateConference in Liberty Hall to dis-

cuss what the trade union move-ment can do to win back the fran-chise on hope for the precariat fromthe Trumps and the Brexiteers ofthis world.He said: “The precariat is defined

by three dimensions in terms ofdistinctive relations of production.The most obvious aspect is peoplewho do not have an occupationalidentity or narrative to their lives,who work in unstable and insecureemployment and people who haveto do a lot of work that is not ac-

counted for or respected.“The second aspect is that the

precariat has been suffering fromstagnating wages that are morevolatile and unpredictable, a loss ofnon-wage benefits and a loss of ac-cess to rights-based state benefits.They are living on the edge of un-sustainable debt.”

The chipping away at ‘the com-mons’, the shared norms andspaces in our society, and the de-gree of economic uncertainty facingthe precariat, Standing proposes,has resulted in a more stressful so-ciety, with many overwhelmed withfear and anxiety.While this is receiving some at-

tention, Standing believes theretends to be too much more focus onthe workplace rather than acknowl-edging it as a much wider societalproblem that has to be rectified bythe state.“The social income has been dis-

mantled,” explains Standing. “Ifyou are in the precariat you have afeeling of being a supplicant. Youare losing your rights and are beingtreated in an undignifying way. Theold proletariat’s enemy was alwaysthe boss. Now the precariat’s num-ber one enemy is the state becauseit is the state that is dismantling theinstitutions and it’s the state thatdoesn’t care about the environ-ment.”Standing claims the State is a le-

gitimate target for the ire of the pre-cariat and that trade unions mustadapt their vocabulary and imageryto these new realities.“I think we need to re-orientate

how we articulate our strategies onthe environment which is a concern

for people in the precariat and howwe reconstruct our social protectionsystem.” On the subject of basic in-come, Standing is strongly of theopinion that it would serve to en-hance collective bargaining power. “Basic income would strengthen

our ability to oppose repressive re-lationships and allow us to bargainstronger,” he said. “We are living ina time of chronic insecurity. Thereis nothing that makes people moretimid than to be chronically inse-cure. Therefore if we give peoplesome basic security, some assurancethat they will have some money intheir pocket, come what may, theywill be bolder.”Until we recalibrate the welfare

state that includes a basic incomeon top of a redistribution in whathe terms “rentier capitalism”,Standing believes policymakers willonly be fiddling around the marginsof the problems facing the precariat.“We have got to see the system as

a challenge. We need a system thatis redistributive, that gives peoplerights and that gives collectivevoice. If you don’t have a voice, youwill always be insecure.”Pressed on how the trade union

movement can contribute to stop-ping any further rise of the politicalfar right, Standing says the move-ment should come out strongly infavour of a basic income, strongly infavour of bargaining with the statein a frontal way and should play aleading role in the revival of ‘thecommons’.

Tackling the monster of precarious work

Therefore if we give peoplesome basic security, some as-surance that theywill have somemoney in theirpocket, come whatmay, they will bebolder

By Paddy

Cole

Guy Standing Photo: Jimmy Weldon

18 NewsLibertyDECEMBER 2018

The most important challengefacing the union for the nextfew years is the setting up ofthe Local Area Committees(LACs) and the developmentof our District Councils.When the union was restructured

from our branch structure in 2010 weformed sectors and divisions. Thiswas done after much discussion andresearch.At the time it was the correct for-

mula. However, at this time ourcountry experienced a severe down-turn in its economy and our unionwas not immune to the fallout fromthis. We lost thousands of membersespecially in the construction indus-try and with them went the neces-sary finances to introduce fully thenew structures of our union.We conducted a further review of

the union in 2016 and had an exten-sive consultative process that thou-sands of members and activists

participated in. I, myself, was a mem-ber of the Steering Committee thatcompiled the Report of the Consulta-tive Review.While members felt that the divi-

sional and sectoral structures were asuccess, there was gap in communi-cation at grass roots level. Our mem-bers felt that our union had losttouch with the communities andtheir issues and also with the loss ofthe Branch went the camaraderieamongst member and the social sideof our union that is so necessary inany organisation.The District Councils that were

created to fill that void but not func-tioning adequately in many areas.The report of the consultative pro-cess recommended the setting up oflocal area committees in each districtcouncil area. Our committee repre-senting private sector workers andone for public service workers. Themain business of these “locals”would be to discuss industrial issuesat a local level but they would also bethe feeder committees to the DistrictCouncil.Representatives of both commit-

tees would come together to formthe District Council. Three areas have

been identified as pilot areas. Gal-way, Waterford and Sligo.If we can successfully set up the lo-

cals in these areas, then we can repli-cate them across the rest of thecountry. What is very important isthat funding is provided for each Dis-

trict Council to hold two seminarsper year.All the members of the “Locals”

and indeed other shop stewards andactivists are invited to attend theseseminars. I believe this is absolutelyvital to highlight and discuss issues

both national and those in our localcommunities and re-introduce thesocial side of our union again. AsHonorary President I am asking ourshop stewards and activists to get involved and help us rebuild ourunion in our communities.

By Padraig

Peyton

SIPTU TEAC Division Organiser Greg Ennis (left) presents TEAC SectorOrganiser, Martin Meere with a bust of James Connolly in recognitionof Martin’s contribution to our union. Martin is retiring from his role asSIPTU Construction Sector Organiser in January 2019. Photo: Caroline Murray

Keep it local

SIPTU members in theWarrenpoint HarbourAuthority in countyDown have secured a2.25% pay increase,backdated to the be-ginning of June 2018.SIPTU Organiser, Jerry

Brennan, said: “Negotia-tions are ongoing on a suiteof improvements to pay andconditions which will bringabout a consolidated rate ofpay to include skills pay-ments into the basic rate forthe varied categories of em-ployees.”This process aims to se-

cure improved payments forovertime, sick pay, pension-able pay and holiday pay.

Pay increase at Warrenpoint Harbour Authority

A pay agreement for 24months has been se-cured by SIPTU mem-bers in Glen Electric inNewry, County Down.The deal includes a

2.73% basic pay increasebackdated to 1st April2018, with a further2.73% basic pay increase

from 1st April 2019. Therehas also been a £25 in-crease in the ChristmasBonus, while retirementbenefit has been increasedby £100 in all incrementsto a maximum of £800.SIPTU organises over

120 members at the majormanufacturing facility.

Glen Electric workers secure 24 month pay deal

Padraig Peyton (right) at meeting with members of the SIPTU local area committee for the private sector in Galway. Photo Paddy Cole


19District Council News

North West remembers contribution of the IWWU

Belfast wreath-laying to honourWinifred Carney

Palestine information meeting for Limerick DC

Preparations underway for MayFest 19

SIPTU members from acrossthe North West gathered inthe Sligo Park Hotel on 29thNovember for a seminar onthe vital role women haveplayed, and continue to play,in the trade union movement.Organised by the Sligo, Leitrim

and Roscommon District Council,the event featured contributionsfrom SIPTU Deputy General Secre-tary, Ethel Buckley; SIPTUeconomist, Marie Sherlock; andlocal historian Sorcha Clarke. Discussions included the role of

the Irish Women Workers’ Unionand their historic victory for allworkers in the 1945 laundry strikeas well as the major influenceCountess Markievicz, Rosie Hack-ett, Helena Molony and Louie Ben-nett had on the formation andbuilding of the trade union move-ment in Ireland.

Opening the event, SIPTU Hon-orary President and Sligo, Leitrimand Roscommon District Councilmember, Padraig Peyton empha-sised the importance of suchevents in honouring the proudpast of the union while as thesame time rebuilding it for the fu-ture. Among the highlights of theevening was the contribution fromSIPTU member in the CommunitySector, Nessa Cosgrove. Nessa spoke of her experience

juggling life as a full-time workerand parent and how the union canadapt to make it more inclusive forwomen. On 27th November, SIPTU Sligo,

Leitrim and Roscommon DistrictCouncil members also attendedthe relaunch of the Sligo andLeitrim Council of Trade Unions inthe Sligo County Hall.

THE WORK of socialist andtrade union activist WinifredCarney was marked by theSIPTU Northern District Coun-cil with a wreath-laying cere-mony at her grave in the city’sMilltown Cemetery on 3rd De-cember.As well as members of the

union’s Northern District Council,the event was attended by mem-bers of the SIPTU Equality Com-mittee; Honorary President,Padraig Peyton; Honorary Vice-President, Bernie Casey; andDeputy General Secretary, Ethel

MEMBERS of the SIPTULimerick District Councilattended a public informationmeeting in the South CourtHotel in the city in support ofthe Occupied Territories Billon 19th November.The large crowd was addressed

by Senator Francis Black, NiallCollins TD and others about theBill and heard first-hand accountsof what the Palestinian people arecurrently having to endure. A significant contingent of

SIPTU activists at the event

PREPARATIONS forMayFest 19, the annual se-ries of cultural events heldin Liberty Hall to mark theperiod between May Dayand the anniversary ofJames Connolly’s execu-tion on 12th May, are wellunder way.Hosted by the SIPTU Dublin

District Council, the theme ofnext year’s MayFest is ‘YoungWorkers’. The festival will in-

clude talks, musical events anda photographic exhibition onthe housing crisis and the cam-paign to end it. SIPTU Dublin District Coun-

cil’s Deputy Chairman, DesDerwin, also attended a meet-ing of the Dublin Council ofTrade Unions on 27th Novem-ber, which discussed its role incampaigning to end the hous-ing crisis as well as other activ-ities it will be organising in2019.

Buckley. Carney, born on 4th December,

1887, in county Down, took partin the Easter Rising and wouldlater work as an ITGWU organiser.From 1918 until her death in 1943she was involved in socialist poli-tics in Belfast.Northern District Council mem-

ber, Tim Smith, said: “Winnie Car-ney was a feminist, socialist andtrade unionist. She is one of thoseoften less celebrated figures whowere integral to the maintenanceof progressive, anti-sectarian poli-tics during some of the most diffi-cult years in the history of Belfast.”

included Honorary

President Padraig Peyton

and Senator Paul Gavan.

Preparations are also

continuing for what will

be a busy year ahead for

the SIPTU Limerick

District Council as 2019

marks the centenary of

the Limerick Soviet with

a number of public

meetings and other

events being planned.

Photo from left to right: Senator Paul Gavan, Pat Condon, Malcolm Moran, Padraig Peyton and Deirdre Canty.

Question from the floor atthe information meeting

Photo from left to right: SIPTU Honorary President Padraig Peyton, SIPTU Economist, Marie Sherlock, SIPTU member in theCommunity Sector, Nessa Cosgrove, Local Historian, Sorcha Clarke, SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Ethel Buckley andSIPTU Honorary Vice President, Bernie Casey following the Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon District Council Seminar on therole of women in the Irish trade union movement. Photo Paddy Cole

Members of the SIPTU National EqualityCommittee and the Northern DistrictCouncil laying a wreath at Winifred Carney’s grave in Milltown Cemetery, Belfast on Monday 3rd December


20 Stardust

Thousands call for new Stardust inquestRELATIVES and supporters ofthose killed and injured in theStardust fire in Dublin havedelivered 48,000 signatures tothe Attorney General, SéamusWoulfe, as part of their de-mand for new inquests intothe 48 young people who diedin the February 1981 tragedy. Singer Christy Moore joined

hundreds of campaigners in aprotest walk from Westland Row tothe Attorney General’s office onMerrion Square, Dublin 2, on Tues-day 20th November where the pe-titions were submitted.Addressing the large crowd,

which included members of thecampaign seeking justice for 12people killed by the British Armyon Bloody Sunday in January 1972,Stardust campaigner AntoinetteKeegan called for a fresh inquestgiven the new information nowavailable about what caused thefire at the venue in the northsideof the city.Keegan, who lost two sisters in

the blaze, said that there was fur-ther proof available that the firestarted in the roof space of the

building where faulty electricalwiring is believed to have ignitedcombustible cooking oils and pol-ishes stored nearby. Witnesses outside saw flames

coming from the roof space beforeit spread down to the dance floorwhere hundreds of teenagers werecelebrating St Valentine’s night.Fire exits were blocked andchained preventing many from get-ting to safety. A subsequent tribunal of inquiry

blamed unnamed persons for set-

ting fire to the seating inside thebuilding, a claim which has longangered the people of Coolock, Ar-tane and other parts of northDublin. The incorrect conclusion by tri-

bunal chairman and formerSupreme Court president, RonanKeane, has since been withdrawnby the State. Among those whodied was a young girl from Derry,Susan Morgan, who was remem-bered at last month’s protest.

Photo: Courtesy Irish Mirror

Photo: Courtesy Irish Mirror

Christy Moore with CatherineKeegan who lost two daughters in the Stardust fire.

Derry Stardust victim SusanMorgan remembered.

Evening of awards at SIPTU CollegeAN AWARDS night for stu-dents who had completedthe ICTU/SIPTU TradeUnion Studies, Skills forWork and Educate to Organ-ise programmes was held inSIPTU College on 21stNovember.Introducing the awards, Head

of SIPTU College, Tish Gibbons,said: “The function of this col-lege is to provide the opportu-nity for education and trainingfor all of our members, activistsand staff. We know that we haveto change the way we do this,that we can’t continue to do itin the way that we have previ-ously done it.“SIPTU had a consultation

process with our members acouple of years ago and lot ofwhat came out of that now di-rects the way we conduct ourbusiness.

“We are required to look atthe manner in which we deliverour courses, to use weekendand pop-up courses where wecan, reading circles, online de-livery – changing how we actu-ally deliver and what weactually deliver.”She added: “We have to have

a focus on political educationto make sure that it is to thefore in all courses, that we in-clude our labour history and itsrelevance today and we explainits connection to politics andhistory.”SIPTU General Secretary, Joe

O’Flynn, also addressed theevent. In his comments, he fo-cused on the need to build upthe capacity of SIPTU College aswell as the union’s current cam-paign for a public house build-ing programme. SIPTU College Head Tish Gibbons

Photo: Jimmy Weldon

General Secretary Joe O’Flynn makes presentationsto successful course participants during the evening

For more information on SIPTU College and its

courses, check out www.siptucollege.ie


21Big Start

Big Start network goesfrom strengthto strength...LAST month, Early Learningand Care (ELC) professionalsfrom across Sligo formallylaunched their Big Startcounty committee.The committee is part of a wider

national network of activists cam-paigning for better pay and in-creased funding for the EarlyLearning and Care sector. SIPTU Organiser Ann O’Reilly

told Liberty: “The campaign is

THE Government’s plan to de-velop a “radical new fundingmodel” for the childcare sec-tor must address pay and af-fordability, according toSIPTU activists.The commitment was made as

part of its ‘First 5’ initiativelaunched on Monday, 19th Novem-ber by Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar andthe Minister for Children andYouth Affairs, Katherine Zappone.SIPTU activist Jessica Lee told

Liberty that the strategy containeda lot of actions that the union hasbeen campaigning for – such as in-creased parental leave and greatersupport for children with addi-tional needs – but stressed that thereport fell short in adequatelydealing with the issue of how lowpay is undermining quality in thechildcare sector.She said: “There isn’t any doubt

that low pay has resulted in astaffing crisis in the sector. Quali-fied educators earn just €10.88 perhour on average with thousandsemployed on precarious contracts.

This has led to a turnover rate ofalmost 30%, fundamentally under-mining the drive to improve qual-ity.”

SIPTU Sector Organiser, DarraghO’Connor, said: “Ireland spendsonly 0.2% GDP on Early Years Careand Education compared to an EU

average of 0.7%. This is not sus-tainable for workers, parents orproviders. “This failed approach has simply

resulted in high fees for parentsand low wages for educators. Notonly do we need to increase spend-ing dramatically on the Early Yearssector, but we also need to makesure that this money is spent effec-tively.”He claimed developing a radical

new funding model was a massiveopportunity to improve the lives ofeducators, parents and children. “By building a strong childcare

union we can ensure a radical so-lution that delivers rather than asticking plaster that props up afailed system,” O’Connor added. “The SIPTU Big Start campaign

seeks to unionise the Early Yearssector. “It is only through such a cam-

paign which seeks to unite work-ers, parents and providers that wecan bring about the radical changethat is needed in the childcare sec-tor.”

going from strength to strength.Pay for ELC professionals is on theagenda like never before and theMinister for Children has commit-ted to making improvements. “All we need to do now is to

build on our ever-growing and ex-isting membership to introduce aSectoral Employment Order (SEO)for the entire sector.”She pointed out that through the

network of local Big Start commit-

tees “a union of Early Years profes-sionals” was being built. “These local committees are the

stronghold of the sector within thecounty. The membership now hasthe channel to communicate theirconcerns and issues into the Na-tional Early Years Committee.”O’Reilly added: “These great ac-

tivists are what will drive the BigStart campaign forward, bringingus one step closer to an SEO and

recognition for the sector, which isnow long overdue.”ELC professional and SIPTU ac-

tivist John Davey said he hadjoined the Big Start campaign be-cause he felt frustrated by the dis-tinctions made between EarlyYears practitioners and other pro-fessionals working with youngchildren and wanted proper recog-nition.He continued: “Many of us are at

least as qualified as national

school teachers, special needs as-sistants and therapists yet we aretreated with much less respect.“Additionally, we have all the

downsides of being public sectorworkers with none of the benefits,such as secure employment andyear-round pay. “SIPTU is the only organisation

that I believe has the vision anddrive to change this,” he added.

Sligo Early Years professionals formally launched their Big Start CountyCommittee last month. The committee will focus on building their union in Sligo to campaign for increased funding and to establish a pay scalewith a Sectoral Employment Order.

SIPTU Manufacturing delegates Imelda Murphy (left) and Anne Conlon (right) withBig Start Campaigner Ann O’Reilly at the Division’s recent conference in Castlebar.Photo: Jimmy Weldon

Radical solution needed to deliver childcare

I r e l a n d

Please suppor t this campaign and help protec t and sustain qualit y jobs in Ireland

If every household spends an extra €4 on goods manufactured in Ireland each week, it can create up to 6,000 new jobs in Ireland!

SUPPORTING QUALITY CAMPAIGN

a jointinitiative www.supportingquality.ie

CA

LEN

DA

R 2

019


22 Supporting Quality


23Supporting Quality

Irish Distillers is one of thegreat success stories of industryin Ireland. Producing uniquelyIrish whiskeys such as Jameson,Powers and Redbreast, thecompany continues to expandboth the global reach of its salesand its production facilities.The company employs over 600

people across its operations in Corkand Dublin. Among them is SIPTUmember, Don Fitzgerald, who worksin the distillation & brewing areas inMidleton Distillery in County Cork. Don is proud of his role in

producing some of the leading drinkbrands in the world. “We work toour deadlines and we are extremelyproud of our quality products”, hetold Liberty. “In particular Jamesonis a world renowned brand. If Imention it in a bar anywhere, the

reaction of the bar staff is often thatit is their favourite drink, thenwhen I tell them I make it as aliving, people go wow what a joband I say yes that is correct.”Distilling of Irish whiskey first

began in Midleton in 1825. When

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966,as a result of a merger between JohnPower & Son, John Jameson & Sonand Cork Distilleries Company, itwas decided to locate the newenterprise’s distilling andmaturation facility in the CountyCork town. In 1988, Irish Distillers joined

Pernod Ricard, gaining access tounprecedented levels of investmentand an extensive global distributionnetwork. This expansion hascontinued to the present day. In2015, a €220m investment inMidleton Distillery was completedwhich doubled its productioncapacity to meet global demand forits portfolio of premium whiskeyproducts. In 2018 Irish Distillersannounced a further €150 millioninvestment in its operations. However, the actual process of

distillation has its roots way back inIrish history, as Don explains, “Theprinciples in the process ofdistilling whiskey have not changedsince time began. It still involvesdistilling in a copper pot still, boiledor heated to a certain temperaturewith a volume taken off the swanneck which is collected in receivers.Technology has allowed largervessels, better monitoring of theprocess, the use of gas electricity,steam as opposed to coal and firebut otherwise the principle hasn’tchanged, just the size and thevolume has changed.”He adds: “Our Irish whiskeys

have always been triple distilled.” Don is part of an eight person

shift team who work across thedifferent elements of the distillingprocess. They receive their makerequirements from the MasterDistiller, Brian Nation, “He tells uswhat he wishes to be made thatmonth, week or day even. Fromthere we take the differentingredients from which we make

the different products. These aretriple distilled in the copper pots towhatever volume is required.“All shift long we are monitoring

computer screens and producingproducts, the final distillate is thensent up to the vat house, where it isput into casks and there it rests inwarehouses for a minimum of threeyears.” Over the years the product is

sniffed for sensory rather thantasted to ensure it meets the highquality standards expectedA member of SIPTU since the day

he arrived on site as a productionoperator ten years ago, Don saysthat the workers and managementhave a successful collaborativeapproach to any issues that arise.“There is an open door policy. If

you need to discuss things with theGeneral Manager or the DistilleryOperations Manager either is in hisoffice or as he walks around the

plant and you can get a few minutesconversation or set up a meetingtime that suits everyone, which cantake some facilitation because ofshift work. “For wider issues, union

representatives meet, one fromeach shift, and everything we do isagreed as a group and that goes backto the management. We have our

differences, it is a workingenvironment, but the managementand staff work closely together in anopen and constructive manner.”Don concludes that, “For the

future I hope that our wonderfulportfolio of premium productscontinues to go from strength tostrength, that the name of Irishwhiskey goes further and furtheraround the world and if I have it thesame in 10 years-time as now thenI will be a very lucky person.”

An ancient process powering global success

Photo from left to right: Cork Deputy Harbour Master Nicholas Burke, SIPTU Industrial Organiser Jerry Brennan presenting a Supporting Quality plaque to Port of Cork HR Manager Tomas Ahern with Port of Cork Union committee chairman Leonard McElroy.Photo: Scott Millar

Dublin Bus worker Paul Ward, SIPTU Dublin Bus Convener Steve Hanna, and SIPTU member TinaAhern present Dublin Bus HR Services Manager Allan Grant with a Supporting Quality membershipplaque in Dublin Bus headquarters on O’Connell Street, Dublin. Photo: Paddy Cole

SIPTU Shop Steward Keith Rankin, Fabia Gavin Supporting Quality,Joe O'Flynn SIPTU General Secretary, Gerry McCormack SIPTUDeputy General Secretary, Teresa Hannick Manufacturing DivisionOrganiser and Mick Browne SIPTU Organiser. Photo: Jimmy Weldon

For wider issues, union

representatives meet –

one from each shift –

and everything we do

is agreed as a group

A SIPTU member since

the day he arrived on

site as a production

operator 10 years ago,

Don points out that

the workers and

management have a

successful collaborative

approach to any issues

that arise

W 2019 roku odbędą się w Irlandii wyborysamorządowe. Migranci,w tym Polacy, mogą miećrzeczywisty wpływ na tokto zostanie w nichwybrany i jakie zmianyzostaną zaprowadzone w ich lokalnychspołecznościach.Aktywne uczestnictwo w życiu społeczno-politycznym Irlandii todbanie o integrację naZielonej Wyspie.

W dniach 3-4 listopada 2018 rokuw Dublinie odbył się X JubileuszowyZjazd Forum Polonia w ramachktórego zainicjowano kampanięinformacyjno-edukacyjną dlaspołeczności polskiej w Irlandii natemat irlandzkich wyborówsamorządowych. Związki zawodoweSIPTU zachęcają wszystkich doangażowania się w życie lokalnychspołeczności

Kampania pod hasłem „Jesteś usiebie, zagłosuj!” ma na celumobilizowanie irlandzkiej Polonii doaktywnego udziału wprzyszłorocznych wyborachsamorządowych w Irlandii. Polacy wsą najliczniejszą mniejszością naZielonej Wyspie, ale jednocześniejedną z najbardziej niewidzialnychgroup w życiu obywatelskim ipolitycznym tego kraju.

Koordynatorka kampanii, Viola diBucchianico powiedziała „W ramachkampanii zaprojektowaliśmy ulotkęinformacyjną w języku polskim o tymjak się zarejestrować i jak głosowaćw irlandzkich wyborachsamorządowych. Ta ulotka jestdostępna dla wszystkich na naszejspecjalnie przygotowanej w tym

celu stronie internetowejwybory.forumpolonia.org. Tam możnateż znaleźć wiele przydatnychinformacji na temat zasad rejestracjiprzedwyborczej, głosowania oraz jakprzekonywać innych do tego by

aktywnie uczestniczyli w wyborachsamorządowych w Irlandii. Wielu znas mieszka tu już ponad dziesięć latzatem warto w końcu włączyć się wżycie obywatelskie naszego miasta.W ten sposób też pracujemy nalepszą przyszłość dla naszych dziecidla których Irlandia jest domemrodzinnym”.

W ramach tej akcji Forum Poloniabędzie m.in.: zachęcać do rejestracjiprzedwyborczej, do kandydowaniaoraz głosowania w irlandzkichwyborach samorządowych, dokontaktów z lokalnymi kandydatamina radnych a także do włączania sięw podobne projekty innychorganizacji polonijnych na terenieIrlandii.

Kampania wychodzi naprzeciwpotrzebom zasygnalizowanym wopublikowanym 7 listopada raporcie„Monitorowanie Integracji 2018”. Wdokumencie tym opracowanym przezEconomic and Social Research

Institute, autorzy zwracali uwagę naniebezpiecznie niskie zaangażowaniepolityczne i wyborcze wśródmigrantów w Irlandii, czego poniękąddowodem jest bardzo niska liczba ichprzedstawicieli wybranych wwyborach samorządowych. Autorzypodkreślili, że system politycznyIrlandii oferuje "względnie łatwiejszemożliwości integracji migrantów wporównaniu z większością krajówUE" oraz że wszyscy mieszkańcyIrlandii, niezależnie od narodowości,mogą kandydować i głosować wwyborach lokalnych. Dotychczasowafrekwencja wyborcza wśródspołeczności migrantów, którestanowią 17% populacji państwa,pozostaje jednak stosunkowo niska.

Grzegorz Sala, kierownik wydziałukonsularnego Ambasaday RP wDublinie podkreślił: „Według danychszacunkowych WydziałuKonsularnego Ambasady RP wDublinie liczba obywateli RP na terenieIrlandii może sięgać ok. 150 tyś. osób.Duża liczba obywateli RP mieszka wIrlandii od wielu lat stanowiąc istotnączęść lokalnych społeczeństw.Aktywizacja, uwrażliwienie izachęcenie obywateli RP do czynnegoudziału w wyborach do samorządówIrlandzkich poprzez możliwość takkandydowania, jak i głosowania jestdużą wartością. Silny głos Polonii niepozostanie niezauważony i będziemiał wpływ na dalszy rozwójlokalnych społeczeństw w wieluobszarach życia społecznego orazpogłębianie integracji”.

Z naszej związkowej stronyzachęcamy nie tylko do udziału wwyborach samorządowych, ale też doaktywnej działalności związkowej wwaszych miejscach pracy. Z roku narok coraz więcej Polaków i innychmigrantów jest wybieranych naprzedstawicieli związkowych. Oby takdalej! Irlandia jest krajemzróżnicowanym etnicznie i powinnobyć to widoczne też w innychstrukturach – samorządowych,instytucjonalnych i organizacyjnych.

Polecamy: Strona kampanii „Jesteśu siebie. Zagłosuj!” na której możnaznaleźć mnóstwo użytecznychinformacji - wybory.forumpolonia.org

W razie pytań albo wszelkichsugestii proszę pisać na [email protected]


24 Polish News

SIPTU zachęca Polaków do udziału w wyborach samorządowych

25Liberty Hall Theatre Guide LibertyDECEMBER 2018

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For Liberty Hall Theatre bookings contact Laura Woods,E-mail : [email protected] or Tel: 01 858 6354 for more information.


26 International

STUDENTS past and presentgathered in the Hugh LaneGallery in Dublin last monthfor a special celebration mark-ing the 70th anniversary ofthe People’s College.

The college was founded in 1948by trade union members and ac-tivists to give workers a means ofadvancing their education.

The People’s College continuesto provide adult education in lan-guages, social and political studies,literature, art appreciation and cul-tural activities as well as personal

The People’s College Choir close out the college’s 70th anniversary celebration in the Hugh Lane GalleryPhoto Shauneen Armstrong

development and communicationskills for trade unionists, theirfamilies and the general public.

People’s College Director, JoannePearson, told Liberty: “We areproud to be a college of the people,by the people and for the people.

“For almost three-quarters of acentury we have been providinglife-long learning for workers andtheir families based on the princi-ples of democracy and inclusionand ensuring that students are atthe centre of all we do.”

People’s College marks 70years of service in song...

For more details, see calorgas.ie or call 1850 812 450 (ROI), 028 9045 5588 (NI)

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SUPPORTINGQUALITY

International convention needed to tackle workplace violence against womenTHE Irish Congress of TradeUnions has joined with theEuropean Trade Union Con-federation (ETUC) and the In-ternational Trade UnionConfederation (ITUC) in a callon all governments and em-ployers to back a strong andinclusive international labourstandard on violence and ha-rassment in the world ofwork.

The call came on the UN’s Inter-national Day for the Elimination ofViolence against Women, whichtakes place on 25th Novemberevery year. “We know that some

EU governments are looking towater down text that was agreedthis year,” said Congress EqualityOfficer, David Joyce. “We hopethey will change course and thatthe Irish Government will con-tinue to play a constructive role inthe negotiations. With supportfrom governments, violenceagainst women in the world ofwork can be wiped out by employ-ers and union members.”

Joyce explained that an ILO Con-vention could complement exist-ing EU and national law requiringall workplaces to put in place pro-cedures for dealing with violence

and harassment, victims’ rightsand ensuring perpetrators facesanctions. He added: “It couldmake a huge difference to the livesof those living in countries with nosuch laws.”

ITUC General Secretary SharanBurrow said: “Violence and harass-ment costs lives and livelihoods. Itaffects millions of women andtheir families.

“Next year, the ILO has the op-portunity to take a huge step to-wards a world of work free fromviolence and harassment. We arecalling on governments and em-ployers to join us in aiming high.”

27Book Review LibertyDECEMBER 2018

In the October edition ofLiberty it was mistakenlyreported that only oneperson was killed duringweeks of unrest inNicaragua earlier thisyear. The comment wasattributed to the deputyforeign minister ofNicaragua, ValdrackJaentschke, during hisvisit to Liberty Hall onMonday 1st October. Wehave since been contactedby the Nicaraguan em-bassy in London, and byother readers, alerting usto the error which was theresult of a misunder-standing of the remarksby Senor Jaentschke.The foreign minister

had said that on the daythe unrest broke out in

his country on 19th Aprilthe first person killed wasa police officer, HiltonRafael Manzaneres. An-other two people diedlater on the same day, asupermarket worker whowas not involved in thepublic disturbances and aSandinista supporter,Richard Pavon Bermudez.The Nicaraguan govern-ment has stated that 199people died during theprotests which continuedfrom April to 25th July.It claims that the major-

ity of those killed be-tween April and the endof July were notprotestors, including 22police officers, 8 govern-ment workers, nine stu-dents and many innocent

bystanders. It also claimsthat 253 people died inNicaragua during thesame period as a result ofcriminal homicides, traf-fic accidents or othercauses. It accused someNGO’s of distorting thetrue figures by includingdeaths that were not theresult from the anti-gov-ernment protests.A number of human

rights organisations, in-cluding the Inter-Ameri-can Commission onHuman Rights (212), theNicaraguan Associationfor Human Rights (448)disputed the govern-ment’s estimates.

The October edition of Liberty car-ried a worrying report ”Silent coupin Nicaragua.” The NicaraguanDeputy Foreign Minister, whomyou quoted, described four monthsof protests - against increased pen-sion charges combined with lessbenefits - as “a silent coup” by“right-wing political and businessinterests” and “US backed inter-ests” “seeking to overthrow thedemocratic government.”Official police figures said that

199 people died during fourmonths of protests while NGOsclaimed 300 and blamed the gov-ernment for using unjustifiedforce.“The violence and impunity of

these past four months have ex-posed the fragility of the country’sinstitutions and the rule of law,and created a climate of fear andmistrust,” said UN High Commis-sioner for Human Rights in a UNReport covering 18th April, whenthe repression of popular protestbegan, to 18th August 2018.The UN was critical of some

protestors saying ‘that members ofthe Sandinista party, Governmentofficials and members of the secu-rity forces (in particular the Na-tional Police) were attacked, and 22

police officers killed” and some ina brutal way. However, the UN saysthese attacks “do not legitimise inany way a response by the Statethat is not in line with interna-tional human rights law.”Amnesty International con-

cluded that a central plank of thisrepressive policy was the state'spersistent efforts to criminalise op-ponents, referring to anyone whoprotested against the governmentas “terrorists” or “coup plotters” inan effort to justify its own violentaction. It referenced several spe-cific speeches by President Ortegaand his wife, Vice PresidentMurillo, attacking the protestors as“bloodsuckers,” “criminals,” “vam-pires” and “terrorists and coupleaders who were trying to seizepower.”It is deeply disappointing that

the article in Liberty appeared tojoin the Nicaraguan government inthis name-calling of the protesters.It was protests, not a “coup” and itwas far from “silent,” with up to300 deaths and 2,000 injuries of cit-izens.

Fraternally,Paul SweeneyDublin.

Letter to Editor

Robert Ballagh – A Reluctant Memoir (2018) Head of Zeus

Robert Ballagh is no strangerto the labour movement orthe problems of workers.

Those problems came hometo him very intimately onecold and miserable wintermorning in 1976 when, withnone of his artistic work sell-ing, he presented himself atthe Labour Exchange in Gar-diner Street. Despite his bestefforts to explain his positionhe found the only way eventhe most helpful of the SocialWelfare officers could dealwith him was if he didn’tmind being described as “anunemployed self-employedlabourer”.It was this categorising of him as

a “non-person” that ultimatelypropelled Ballagh and others in1981 to form the Association ofArtists in Ireland. It was, as he de-scribes in his “Reluctant Memoir,”the “first time in the history of theIrish state that artists combined

together to improve their lot”.They joined the cultural divisionof the Irish Transport and GeneralWorkers Union and thus began alifetime of involvement with therights of artistic workers and theirplace in society, most recently ex-emplified by his collaborationwith the late Cathy Henderson indesigning the 1913 LockoutTapestry in 2013, images fromwhich comprised the iconic Lib-erty Hall “wrap around” in thatcentenary year.It is that sense of the relation-

ship of the artist with communityand society that infuses not onlymuch of his work but is also re-flected in this book. The LockoutTapestry was succeeded by the1916 Tapestry which also provedthe imagery for that centenary’scovering of SIPTU’s head officebuilding. The most compelling

image of that work was Ballagh’sreinterpretation of Paget’s classic“Birth of the Republic” which com-bined both his sense of the idea ofthe Republic and his ability to con-vey that to a modern audience.It is a devise that he has used to

reflect other concerns and com-mitments, such as his 1970 takeon Goya’s “Third of May 1808”, aresponse to the situation in theNorth or his “Raft of the Medusaafter Gericault” a scathing refer-ence to the abdication of leader-ship in Celtic Tiger Ireland.A renowned portrait artist, he

has painted the great (such aNobel Laureate and joint discov-erer of DNA, James Watson), thenot so good (Charlie Haughey) aswell as figures from the left, suchas Connolly, Larkin and PeadarO’Donnell. His work as designerfor “Riverdance” is world

renowned.So much more than the “jobbing

artist” he sometimes refers tohimself as, Ballagh is also a com-mitted activist on a range of frontswhich includes the rights of thePalestinians. All this and muchelse lie between the covers of thisfascinating memoir, reluctant orno, of a painter and his work,which was once described as “artmade by an intensely political per-son”.Ultimately though, it is deeply

personal, threaded throughoutwith family, his parental gift of“contrarianism” and the heartfeltloss of his late wife Betty and herguiding hand. More than a merecatalogue of his life, this tells youwhat it feels like to be Robert Bal-lagh.

Michael Halpenny

An intensely political artist

Clarification: Nicaragua death toll

After years of tireless cam-paigning the Committee forthe Commemoration of IrishFamine Victims (CCIFV)have confirmed that a fixeddate for National FamineMemorial Day (NFMD) has

been pencilled in for thethird weekend of May.The Committee for the Com-

memoration of Irish Famine Vic-tims (CCIFV) spokesman MichaelBlanch told Liberty that the fam-ily community based group from

Tallaght have campaigned since2003 for a NFMD and is happythat Government has committedto a fixed date going forward in2019 and beyond to honour thevictims of the great Irish famine.

Fixed National Famine Memorial Day confirmed for third weekend of May


28 Book Review

By Michael

Halpenny

Pointers to how this Presidency works...

MoneyBy Conor McCabe Published by Sireacht-Cork University Press

IN ROBERT Tressell’s working-class epic, The RaggedTrousered Philanthropists, thehero, Frank Owen, graphicallydemonstrates to his fellowhousepainters the essence ofcapitalism in what he calls“The Great Money Trick”. He does so one lunchtime with a

few slices of bread (raw materials),knives (machinery of production),labour (three willing but unbeliev-ing workmates) and a few coinsfrom his pocket (money). Exposingthe confidence trick that money is,

it’s really the centre point of Tressell’s book and has beendramatised and illustrated onmany occasions.From a more academic point of

view, the late great economist, JKGalbraith, said: “The process bywhich banks create money is sosimple that the mind is repelled.”He continued: “The study of

money, above all other fields ineconomics, is one in which com-plexity is used to disguise truth orevade truth, not to reveal it.”Conor McCabe’s mission in his

latest work is to join this illustri-ous band in revealing: “The great-est trick that capitalism everplayed was in convincing theworld that money was neutral”.

Echoing Galbraith, he explainsthat capitalism was able to do thisbecause “money exists in an ab-stract and opaque space, with itsown language and gatekeepers toknowledge”.Rather he sees an understanding

of how societies (such as ours withall its inequalities) construct them-selves is key to understandingmoney, which is not neutral but“serves the logic of capitalist accu-mulation”. Thus this relatively short book is

a clarion call not just to tackle theinequalities facilitated by themoney system but the system it-self. To do that, he argues, requiresa political strategy, involving “civilsociety, organised labour and polit-

ical representatives” – what heterms a “commonwealth of pro-gressive forces” – working onagreed objectives in housing, work,health, childcare, education, andtaxation.This book shines a light on how

money works, and – much moreimportantly – for whom, (whichexcludes most of us). In the pro-cess, it deals with the inescapablepolitics around the question aswell the post-war genesis of themodern economic order. It also makes some interesting

observations on trade unions andon modern Irish history and is awelcome addition to the battle forideas, the better to educate us forthe struggles before us now andyet to come.

Unravelling the secrets of The Great Money Trick

BOOK REVIEWS

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

A FEW months ago at the junc-tion of East 60th Street and3rd Avenue in Manhattan’sMidtown, just opposite NewYork’s basilica to rampant con-sumerism, Bloomingdales,there was one of those elec-tronic posters which you seeeverywhere. This one said“Time for the Judge!”

No doubt it put a spring in thestep of many a Democrat voter,hoping that the Feds were comingto prosecute, even impeach DonaldTrump. Unfortunately, the ‘Judge’in question was Aaron Judge, starof New York Yankees baseball teamand he wasn’t coming to sort outthe President.One mid-term election and a

baseball World Series later, Judgeis still the Yankees’ star outfielderand Donald Trump still holds thereins of power in the White House,the Senate and (whisper it) theSupreme Court. Talk of impeachment is more

muted now, not unconnected withthe fact that Democrat HouseLeader, Nancy Pelosi, set her faceagainst its promotion as the wayback for them, describing it as a“spider hole”, which would onlygalvanise Republican supportaround Trump. So if you’re lookingfor the impeachment and the gos-sipy stuff, turn away now.

Short and Moneyball (about base-ball). He now turns his forensicskill to the business of governmentunder Donald Trump and his fam-ily members, mates and cronies.He lays out his stall by looking at

the American system of govern-ment through the eyes of MaxStier, head of the Partnership forPublic Service. His organisation an-nually awards ‘Sammies’ (‘Oscars’)to public servants among the twomillion who work for the govern-ment in its management of a port-folio of risks. To him and Lewis,these are the real heroes in thesorry tale that has unfolded overthe last two years. The security risks that they have

routinely managed predictably include tracking damaged nuclearweapons, North Korea, Iran andprotecting the electricity grid from

cyber-attack. But it is risk number five that is

the focus of this short book – the“risk a society runs when it fallsinto the habit of responding tolong-term risks with short-term so-lutions”. ‘Programme management’ is the

“existential threat that you neverreally imagine as a risk… it is whatyou never learned that might saveyou”. In other words, it’s all theimportant work that governmentdoes that is taken no notice ofuntil it’s gone – destroyed fromthe inside.Then, as the writer succinctly

puts it, “enter the (Trump) presi-dential transition… A bad transi-tion took this entire portfolio ofcatastrophic risks… and made allthe bad things more likely to hap-pen…” In fact, so bad was the

Trump handover that in some gov-ernment departments his transi-tion team never showed up toreceive the voluminous briefingdocuments prepared for them or topark their automobiles in the park-ing lots cleared for them. When they did turn up at the De-

partment of Energy, one of the keyrisk Departments examined byLewis, their “Beachhead Team”asked not one question. This mayhave had something to do with thefact that the Trump point manthere was Thomas Pyle, lobbyistfor the coal and oil industries, andtheir Secretary, former Texas Gov-ernor, Rick Perry (remember him?). Another interviewee, Kevin Con-

cannon, the son of Irish migrantworkers, spent eight years manag-ing the US Department of Agricul-ture (USDA) school-lunchprogramme and a plethora of simi-lar food support programmes thattogether accounted for 70% ofUSDA’s budget. Just like many others in govern-

ment he prepared for a transitionteam that never showed up. Whatdid come, however, was a Trumpproposal to cut the food stampsprogramme by 25%.This is a compelling book that

looks under the bonnet of govern-ment under Donald Trump reveal-ing a risk probably far greater thanany other. As the author states:“They’re talking about Trump butthey’re not talking about the effectof Trump on the things he is sup-posed to be running.”And no magic impeachment

wand looks likely to sort that outanytime soon.

Michael Lewis is a former WallStreet investment banker turnedbest-selling author of books on theworld of finance, such as The Big

Game of risk: President TrumpPICTURE: Michael Vadon (CC BY-SA 2.0)

29Book Review LibertyDECEMBER 2018

OBITUARY

TOM O’Dwyer served for 28years as an industrial officialbefore his retirement in 2009.His career began in Wynn’sHotel and the BurlingtonHotel, where he was also tobecome a trade union activistand shop steward.Tom was subseqently on the No. 4Branch Committee (Hotels andCatering) for many years. Ap-pointed as an industrial official in1981, Tom represented membersin the Hotels and Catering Branchas well as – for a brief time – mem-bers in the Services Branch .A highly-skilled and articulate

official, Tom took great pride inrepresenting members, and his ef-forts served those workers well.

He excelled in championing therights of all workers but especiallythose working in the hotels andcatering industry.Tom was highly experienced in

appearing before the EmploymentAppeals Tribunal and especiallyliked the opportunity to cross-ex-amine witnesses in any fora. He loved defending workers and

their rights. Such was his enthusi-asm and persistence that heearned the nickname ‘Petrocelli’,after a character in the 1970s

American TV legal drama of thesame name. Tom was an excellentcolleague to all, often mentoringyoung officials and shop stewards. He willingly shared with them

his lifelong love and experience of

the trade union movement. He wasalso always willing to learn fromothers.Tom was compassionate, astute,

principled and kind but didn’t suf-fer fools gladly! Nor was Tom allwork and no play – he loved tohave fun and he loved to socialise,travel and to dance.No gathering was complete with-

out his rendition of My Way. Anavid reader and a strong advocateof lifelong education, much of hislearning was self-taught.Above all he believed in dignity

and respect for all, and on securinggood terms and conditions for allworkers. Tom spent a very signifi-cant portion of his life promotingthe causes of workers, regularlyholding Saturday morning clinicsat his home in Ballyfermot wherehe would advise, write letters, andoffer to advocate for people whorequired assistance.The trade union movement will

be the poorer for his passing. Wesalute our comrade and we extendour sincere condolences to hisTom will be sadly missed by hisbrothers, sisters, nieces, nephewsand a large circle of friends. Mayhe rest in peace.

An articulate andable defender ofworkers’ rights

Joyce was handicapped fromthe start by a language he did not understand and judged by ajury not of his peers and who weredoubtlessly contaminated by evidence heard inthe previous trial ofhis co-accused

By Michael

Halpenny

The Maamtrasna Murders By Margaret Kelleher Published by UCD Press

ON THE night of 17th August1882 a group of seven armedmen dressed in white báinínvests entered a thatched cot-tage in Maamtrasna on theGalway- Mayo border. Whenthey left, five members of theJoyce family were dead ordying. The discovery of the bodies led

to a manhunt. Two days later 10local men were identified byneighbours as members of theraiding party, some of them rela-tions of the deceased. There was enormous pressure

on the authorities to secure convic-tions, not least because only threemonths previously the state hadbeen rocked to the core by the as-sassination in the Phoenix Park inDublin of the Chief Secretary forIreland Lord Frederick Cavendishand his Under-secretary ThomasBurke. Above all the country was atwar over land and in a period ofunparalleled land agitation – theLand War. Two years before in 1880, the

Irish National Land League organ-ised their historic campaign of iso-lation against the land agent ofLord Erne, Captain Boycott atnearby Lough Mask, just 12 milesfrom Maamtrasna.In 1882 alone there had been the

killings of land bailiffs in Castleis-land, county Kerry and at LoughMask itself. And it was rumouredthat the motive for the attack onthe Joyce family on the night of17th August was because a mem-ber of their family was believed tohave acted as an informer in theinvestigation into the killing of theLough Mask bailiff, Joseph Huddyand his grandson John.This new book by Margaret

Kelleher pivots not so much on thepolitical context of the murdersbut rather illuminates the lan-guage and cultural issues that sur-rounded the subsequent trials andthe guilty verdicts that became acause célèbre for Irish Nationalistsat the time. In the 1880s Ireland

was not only going through an ex-tended period of agitation overland but was adjusting to the massemigration and social upheavalswrought by the Famine. One majorfeature of that period of enforcedtransition post-Famine was thelanguage shift from Irish to En-glish. Nevertheless at the time of the

Maamtrasna murders while someof the 10 accused spoke or under-stood English, some weremonoglot Irish – speaking Gaeliconly. The accused around whommuch of the book centres, MaolraSeoighe (in English, Myles Joyce)was one of the latter, speakingonly Irish.Because of fears of jury tamper-

ing, the trial of the 10 accused,which would normally have beenheld at the Galway assizes, wastransferred to the Special Commis-sion Court at Green Street in

Dublin, a venue which had seenmany historic trials and was tobe reconstituted in more moderntimes as the Special CriminalCourt. There, when his time came 40-

year-old Joyce took his place onthe witness table in the centre ofthe court (as was the fashionthen) to be arraigned for themurder of the five members ofthe Joyce family. However, it was a trial he could

not participate in nor under-stand as it was conducted whollyin English. He did have an inter-preter, but it was a police inter-preter who was a member of theRoyal Irish Constabulary (RIC),the very force that had arrestedhim and the other nine co-ac-cused.He was handicapped from the

start by a language he did not un-derstand and judged by a jurynot of his peers and who weredoubtlessly contaminated by ev-

Book Review

idence heard in the previous trialof his co-accused. The verdict of guilty was almost

a forgone conclusion and had mis-carriage written all over it, so muchso that even the conservative DailyExpress of London reflectedwidespread disquiet over the out-come of the trial.The condemned man’s final ad-

dress to the court echoes down theyears. He said he was “as clear of it(the charge) as the child not yetborn” and that whether he be“hanged or crucified” he was asclear of the crime as can be.This book relates in marvellous

and scholarly detail one of the in-famous miscarriages of justice onthis island and also records its rec-tification 136 years later when ear-lier this year, President Michael DHiggins issued a posthumous Presidential pardon to Seoighe.

Michael D Higgins:Presidential pardon

Massacre in Mayo and the fatal error that followed it...

Tom O’Dwyer

Tom was

an excellent

colleague to all,

often mentoring

young officials

and shop

stewards

Principled: Tom O’Dwyer


30 Sport

Identity. The word has been fol-lowing Irish football around forthe greater part of the last threedecades, leading to countlesspointless debates over who isIrish and what defines the no-tion of ‘Irishness’. In relation tothe Irish football team it pro-vided easy outs to Britishtabloid headline writers whospent the 90s writing of the‘England B team’ in only a waythat English people free of anyunderstanding of colonialismcan. When Jack Charlton, World Cup

winner with England in 1966, tookcharge of his first game as Irish man-ager in the March of 1986 a bannerwas unfurled from among the Lans-downe Road crowd of 16,500 reading‘GO HOME UNION JACK’. Unfortunately, no colour writer

has ever been able to track down the

banners owner to find out howhe/she enjoyed the 10 years of BigJack led success that was to follow. The night it was announced that

Mick McCarthy – born in Yorkshireto an English mother and CountyWaterford father, would be takingover the Irish job for the secondtime, albeit in a weird quasi interimmanager mash up with StephenKenny, I took to YouTube to re-livethe glory days of the qualificationcampaign for World Cup 2002. Having spent a few hours salivat-

ing over that Roy Keane tackle onMarc Overmars and developing anadmiration for the underrated mid-field role Mark Kinsella played,YouTube took me further down therabbit hole to a Documentary onMick McCarthy’s first campaign asIrish manager. The unsuccessfulqualifying campaign for France ‘98. Half way through ‘McCarthy’s

Park’ the cameras find the Irish teamin Iceland preparing for a game inwhich Ireland would once again berescued by Roy Keane. Prior to kick off visibly stunned

Irish players are standing in a hotelfoyer watching rolling news coverageof the death of Princess Diana of

Wales and Mick opines that ‘Thewhole nation is in mourning’. TheIrish players don black armbands forthe game - considerable gesture con-sidering the same one was not madein 1994 following the Loughlinislandmassacre in county Down when sixfootball fans were murdered by loy-alists while watching a Republic ofIreland game.That Mick McCarthy’s first task as

Ireland manager is to head to Lon-don to try and persuade West Ham’sbreakout star of the season, DeclanRice, to re-declare for Ireland over thecountry of his birth tells us the con-fused and, at times, bewildering na-ture of Irishness is still very much inplay. Irish identity since the days of Big

Jack has been increasingly fluid. Ifanything, the teams of Euro ‘88through to those Mick inherited asmanager first time round reflectedthe Irish brain drain which occurredoff the back of the failing state whichemerged after the revolutionaryyears. Given this history it would per-

haps make you think that the Irishpublic would be sympathetic to chil-dren of immigrant parents now liv-ing in Ireland declaring for thecountry of their parent’s birth. Butthe kneejerk Twitter reaction to asuggestion by former Southamptonboss Mark Hughes that MichaelObafemi was ‘weighing up his inter-national’ options showed that per-haps some Irish people have yet tograsp this concept. The 18-year-old Southampton

striker was born in Dublin to Nige-rian parents but was raised in Lon-don, opening the door for anEngland call-up. Before lining out forthe Republic, in what would turn outto be Martin O’Neill’s last game incharge, he is also eligible to play forNigeria. Immigration could save Irish foot-

ball. But if one bright kid with aDublin accent decides it’s Nigeria orPoland to which he owes his alle-giance it’s for us to remember theheroes of Stuttgart and Giants Sta-dium hummed along to Amhrán nabhFiann in Cockney and Scouse.

By Kevin

Brannigan

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31Crossword

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Documents

Page 12 - 13 Page 16-17 Workers demand pay rises · land (MUI) to Irish musical culture has been recognised at the first ever RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards. The ceremony, held in Vicar