Thursday November 30 1995

Celtic Tiger hype exposed

Coalition silent on strikes and redundancies

STRIKES, shut downs, redundancies, pay cuts, just another week of struggle for Irish workers. However, as the Clinton trip goes into overdrive the Dublin government Information Services (GIS) presents a differing view of the 26-County economy.

GIS have given the visiting media an extensive information pack complete with documents from the IDA, the Department of Finance and a Morgan Stanley investment bank appraisal of the Irish economy.

The information pack spins tales of the ``Celtic Tiger Economy'', which has ``the best availability of skilled labour in Europe'', where ``labour costs are among the lowest in Europe'', an economy which is ``well managed and stable''.

What is the reality though? Journalists this week could also report on the other side of the `Celtic Tiger', where workers rights, wages and conditions are being continually eroded while company profits rise.

Over the last week Dunnes workers have been extending their protests at management wage cuts for Sunday working in the Christmas period. Workers at 58 of the 62 branches in the 26 Counties have voted in favour of industrial action. 30 branches will have pickets placed on them this weekend.

Quinnsworth workers are also fighting to stop their employer cutting overtime rates for Sunday working. Workers at Ireland's most profitable company Allied Irish Bank (AIB) are in dispute as well. 700 workers who were suspended during the 1992 strike are taking AIB to court over pay withheld from staff who rightly refused to do the work of striking workers. AIB reacted by deducting up to 20% of workers salary over the same period.

In Dublin the 220 workers at Hallmark cards are facing 45 redundancies after their company was was bought by the giant printing corporation Wace. Wace paid £6.5 million for Hallmark and is now considering ``the best way'' to cut costs.

There was no comment from the Dublin government on the proposed redundancies at Hallmark, or even calling on Wace to preserve employment at the Hallmark plant which registered profits in its last financial year.

Hallmark cards do merit a mention, in the IDA's glossy brochure given to journalists in the information pack for Clinton's visit. It is just one of ``the top companies from around the world which have found Ireland to be a highly competitive location''.

Redundancies were also announced as part of the ``restructuring'' of Neodata, A US owned firm with offices in Listowel, Kilmallock and Newcastle West Neodata is to cut 107 jobs. The silence was deafening from the Dublin Government on another employment setback. Neodata are also mentioned in the IDA's US investment profile document.

What chances any of these economic realities make into the media reports of the Clinton visit? Probably higher that the Dublin government taking positive measures to protect Irish workers rights.