Keywords: Unemployment, Ireland This article is from an Irish magazine. Ireland currently has 20%++ unemployment. WITH A further massive increase in unemployment over the last few months there are now 243,000 signing on in the South. Of course we, as anarchists, are entirely opposed to this appalling waste of human potential. But can this problem be solved? Can unemployment be eliminated? What can be done? WSM members who were delegates to the recent INOU conference give their views. INOU "First a glaring example of how not to fight unemployment. The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed is a federation (in theory) of unemployed groups and centres throughout Ireland. Instead of organising the massive numbers of unemployed people they are generally more concerned with organising and attending expensive poverty seminars and building service centres providing cups of tea and "info". "After 5 years in existence only now has a motion been put down to allow individual unemployed people (not in groups or centres) to join and this was, eventually, not put to the conference. Rarely are they seen at demonstrations and pickets or even at labour exchanges - political lobbying and letter writing is more their line. PROGRAMME "The INOU didn't even ask for representation for the unemployed at the talks on the new Programme between bosses, unions and the government. This is not to say that such a deal would ever be in the interests of the unemployed but it does reveal the character of the INOU. The organisation is really a front for the inaction of union officials. It is paraded out for the odd photo opportunity to "highlight their concern" about unemployment. "They refused to condemn the new deal which was a disaster for unemployed people. At an executive meeting they were quietly made aware that if the deal was condemned there would be no further trade union money for unemployed centres. UNREPRESENTATIVE "The Portobello and Thurles unemployed action groups conducted a survey which found that over 85% of the 2000 unemployed people surveyed believed there would be no improvement in there living standards or job prospects over the 3 years of the Programme. However an ICTU official claimed it was "unrepresentative" saying that it did not represent the "view of the centres". Given that the ICTU funds these centres it is not too surprising that they did not come out against the agreement. "We believe that unemployment is bound up totally with the capitalist mode of production. It won't disappear until workers, employed and unemployed, take control. The unemployed act as a reserve army of labour for the bosses, keeping wages low and making workers afraid to strike. THE FUTURE "We believe that only after the abolition of class society and the gearing of production towards meeting need rather then making profit that there will be work for all. With the use of technology the working week will be greatly reduced and many of the really dull jobs may be abolished. One day the wheel may come full circle with work becoming a voluntary activity enhancing both to society and the worker. THE PRESENT "For now we believe it is essential to break the division imposed between employed and unemployed workers. The bosses have tried hard to divide us but our common interests are obvious. We campaign for full membership rights in the unions for the unemployed and for unemployed union sections. Such links on the ground would move us closer to the time when workers use their economic strength to fight for socially useful work for their unemployed relatives and friends. "Union members should refuse to undertake attacks on the unemployed, e.g. cutting off gas and electricity because of inability to pay the bills. The unemployed can reciprocate by helping on pickets and getting involved in strike support activity. This is the way to build a mass campaign for socially useful work which threatens one of the very foundations of capitalist society. THE PAST "The Outdoor Relief (a scheme like SES) strike in Belfast in 1932 showed what unity between scheme workers, the unemployed and employed workers can achieve. The ODR strike saw Catholic and Protestant workers and unemployed fight hand to hand with the RUC. The Northern statelet was forced to make concessions to the unemployed. "In the 1950s the unemployed movement in Dublin grew strong enough to get Jack Murphy elected to the Dil as an unemployed candidate. I'm not suggesting that this is the way to change things, it certainly is not ...but it does show that, given the right conditions, unemployed groups can gather large-scale support and involvement. FOR NOW "We will continue to work within the INOU with such campaigning groups as there are. We are also involved in Trade Unionists and Unemployed Against the Programme which is the sort of network that might, one day, form the basis for a rank and file movement of workers and the unemployed". The above article originally appeared in the Irish anarchist paper Workers Solidarity. The Workers Solidarity Movement can be contacted at WSM PO Box 1528 Dublin 8 Ireland.