Trading places
TUC set to repeat ICTU failures
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The old ways - resolutionitis, the committe rooms, the fixing,
the small groups trying to run the show - that's not the future
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``We will not go back to the days of industrial warfare, strikes
without ballots, mass and flying pickets and secondary action and
all the rest. You don't want it to happen and I won't let it
happen''.
This was Tony Blair speaking as the first British Labour Party
prime minister to address the TUC for 20 years.
Blair was speaking to delegates telling them that the Thatcher
union-bashing legislative agenda of the past 18 years would not
be rolled back. Instead it was the Trade Union Movement that
would have to change. ``The old ways - resolutionitis, the
committe rooms, the fixing, the small groups trying to run the
show - that's not the future''.
Instead he wanted a new ``culture of modern trade unionism'', where
unions would become more democratic. He urged them to follow the
example of New Labour. Blair claimed that it wasn't industrial
muscle that would influence him but ``the persuasivness of unions'
arguments''.
On the plus side Blair did come to the conference promising
changes in the right to union recognition, the reinstatement of
workers sacked during disputes and a review of the two year
qualifying period for unfair dismissal. Currently workers in
Britain and the Six Counties have to wait two years before they
are protected from arbitrary dismissal.
On the negative side there was Blair's vision of flexible workers
who would ``build the most educated, skilled, adaptable and
creative country in the western world.
Irish Trade unionists must have watched the debate at the TUC
with interest as many of the motions and debates were close to
those dicsussed at debates here last July at the ICTU conference.
Much of the talk about social partnership between trade unions,
employers and government is a path that 26-County trade unions
have been following for at least the last ten years. Now their
British counterparts are set to follow them.
Tony Blair is striking the same tone that Bertie Ahern did in the
26 Counties ten years ago when he was minister for Labour. He led
the negotiations for the Programme for National Recovery. He in
common with many employers propagated the language of global
competition, of the need for cost effective flexible workers. The
core theme of all this so called partnership was to make workers
the focus of all change.
Yes workers are the most important part of any business but the
employer and government agenda of the past ten years in the 26
Counties has been to blame workers for economic failures while at
the same time implementing legislation that limit their rights.
In Britain there was a range of legisation introduced in the
Thatcher era. In the 26 Counties similar legislation was
contained in the 1990 Industrial Relations Act.
Blair was silent on what he expected from employers in his new
Britain. This is the crucial contradiction in his philosophy.
There has been no legislation introduced to curb the power of
employers and this is paralleled in the 26 Counties.
His own leadership of the Labour party is characterised by a
small powerful group centred around him who have dictated the
pace of change in party policy development since he assumed the
leadership and more importantly since he assumed control of the
party.
So-called social partnership has delivered little in the 26
Counties, except low wage increases for workers and increased
profits for employers. Social partnership in Britain will provide
the same results.
It seems that somewhere along the line the simple cause and
effect of why unions exist has been forgotten deliberately.
Workers formed unions because they were being exploited by
employers. Are we to believe that in the 1990s such exploitation
has disappeared.
It hasn't and in fact there is plenty of evidence that the
situation is in many workforces worsening. One common example of
this is the fact that both the ICTU and TUC conferences discussed
the problems of union recognition. Here then is the real picture
of where the trade union movement stands in Ireland and Britain
today. Both movements are fighting for the most basic right, that
of joining a union.
Tony Blair told the conference that he was looking forward to the
day when ``I come to the TUC and the phrase labour law is not
mentioned''. Only he can make this happen.
Cork workers march for rights
An estimated 800 people marched through Cork city last Saturday
to proclaim the right of every worker to join a trade union. The
demonstration was called by the Communications Workers Union in
support of two of their members, Tony Moore and Ian Coughlan, who
were dismissed by Airport Haulage Agents, a sub contractor of
TNT, when they applied to join the union.
There was a strong turnout of Dublin union members who packed two
train carriages to join the Cork march. Speakers on the march
called for the government to intervene to force the company to
respect the right of workers to join a union.
Supermarket price rip-off
Falling prices for farmers but rises for consumers. It doesn't
make sense but it is the reality in the Irish food market today.
A report published by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) this
week showed that over the past 12 years retail food prices have
risen by more than six times the increase in the amount paid to
farmers for basic foodstuffs.
The report also shows that the farmers cut of food products is
only one third of the retail price that we pay in our
supermarkets. Other parts of the report also show the
exploitative practices of supermarkets.
Beef prices have been relatively unchanged over the past twelve
years. Prices in supemarkets have risen by over 15%. Lamb prices
have fallen by 14% for farmers but the prices we pay have risen
by 34%. Pigmeat prices have fallen by 3% but the price we pay has
risen 39%. Dairy product prices have risen by 28% but the price
consumers pay has risen by 62%. Wheat prices have fallen by 12%,
but the price of bread has increased by 27%.
The report has been presented to the minister for Enterprise and
Employment Mary Harney as well as the Consumers Association. It
remains to be seen whether Harney is prepared to take on the
retail giants who are hiking up these prices. We are watching,
Mary.