from Workers Solidarity No 44 paper of the Irish anarchist Workers Solidarity Movement Part 2 Democratic left's disposable radicalism WHO REMEMBERS when Democratic Left was formed? It was only two and a half years ago when they arrived on the scene trying to convince us that they were like an anti-coalition Labour Party. Their founding policy statement said "we see no role for our party as a partner of a right wing government". And some were convinced, like the Labour members who uprooted themselves and joined DL, thinking it more left wing. Now they are sitting in government with the former blueshirts of Fine Gael (the people who gave us a 'state of emergency' in the 1970's) and their rivals in Labour (who contributed Conor Cruise O'Brien to Liam Cosgrave's paranoid administration). Still, no point in raking over old coals. They will be far too busy having a go at workers in the ESB and Telecom, presiding over a run down health service, keeping social welfare payments at a pitifully low level, and all the other 'responsibilities of government'. It was easy to predict that DL would jump into bed with almost anyone who would give them a ministerial car. After all they believe in the division of society into rulers and ruled. You won't catch Rabbitte or Gilmore calling for the workplaces to be turned over to the workers. And if you believe rulers are ok, you won't have a moral problem with being one. The excuse will be that if it wasn't DL it would have been the PDs. As if DL are doing us a favour by riding around in state cars, getting big salaries and implementing laws like the Industrial Relations Act and giving tax amnesties to millionaires. It was harder to predict that John Bruton would need them so badly that he would have to give cabinet jobs to four of their six TD's! Trusting a politician to stick by his/her policies is as naive as expecting a four year old child to guard a box of chocolates without eating half of them. To win reforms (apart from ones that have little financial cost or risk of unpopularity) we need the 'muscle' of strikes, demonstrations and civil disobedience to win concessions. That is what gets us the bigger changes, not appeals to well meaning or 'left' TDs. And if we want to change the way society is run we can't rely on professional politicians. Anarchists want to end the rule of the rich and see power in the hands of all - not a small group of industrialists, ranchers or politicians. ************ Competition or con? IRELAND IS THE 19th most competitive country in the world. This was the finding released last September by the Geneva based World Economic Forum. Yet workers in TEAM, Irish Steel, Packard, the ESB, and a lot more jobs are told that they must accept lower pay and/or worse conditions in order to "become competitive". The ten most competive countries were listed as: 1. USA 2. Singapore 3. Japan 4. Hong Kong 5. Germany 6. Switzerland 7. Denmark 8. Netherlands 9. New Zealand 10. Sweden While it is undeniable that low wages are one factor in attracting multinational investment, there are other factors. Why are we always told that we must be like Singapore or Hong Kong but not like Germany or Sweden? Why must bosses be given more as an "incentive to invest" but workers given less as an "incentive to work"? ******** Anti-Traveller thuggary on increase OVER THE PAST year, there has been a series of physical attacks on Travellers in different parts of the country. Travellers were attacked in Glenamaddy, in New Ross, Wicklow and Bantry. In Bantry, a group of hired vigilantes wearing balaclavas broke into the caravan of an elderly Traveller couple. They hit the woman in the face with a pick axe handle, breaking her nose and giving her dozens of stitches. In Bray, thugs burnt the caravan of a local Traveller family, and their van. When the Council offered them another site in Rathnew, the locals chased them out of there too. No-one has been charged with these attacks. In Enniscorthy Christmas was marked by a 300 strong march through a Traveller camp. As with Orange marches, this was designed to intimidate and humiliate. Armed gardai were present but were more intent on searching Travellers' caravans than in stopping the bully-boy crowd assembled by the local Farmers Committee. One of the participants claimed in the Irish Times that they were "not racist, but the Travellers should be sent to Spike Island or Timbucktoo"! The rise in racism against Travellers is happening all over Europe. Gypsies and Travellers from Eastern Europe are seen as fair game for racial abuse and attacks. In Ireland anti-racism means standing up to the hatemongers and supporting Travellers rights. Patricia McCarthy ****** Lies, damned lies and statistics NEVER FORGET that we won the last referenda on abortion rights! Anti-abortion campaigners such as Des Hanafin and SPUC have been trying to rewrite history by claiming that they won, and that the country had voted against abortion. These views are filtering into the mainstream. A Fianna Fail ex-minister claimed recently that the last referendum was a vote against abortion. The government has postponed indefinitely legislation on legalising abortion, in any circumstances, in Ireland. Also, the anti-abortion lobby has pressurised local authorities in 21 counties to adopt resolutions calling on the Government to hold a third referendum on abortion. So let's put the record straight. The 1993 referenda was a vote for women's rights, not against them. The anti-abortion lobby, which included the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, campaigned for a No, No, No, vote. This meant; No, on the substantive issue on the grounds that it allowed limited abortion rights in Ireland, No, on the right to travel, and No, on the right to abortion information. Pro-choice groups campaigned for a No, Yes, Yes, vote. We campaigned for a No vote on the substantive issue because it was far too restrictive. The pro and anti-women's rights groups were directly opposed in the votes on Travel and Information. So from these results we can tell which side the people supported most. And we slaughtered the fundamentalists, with 62% of the Travel vote and 60% of the Information vote. A definite win. Mick Doyle ********** Trusting the politicians WE ARE OFTEN told that the parliamentary system is the best way, the most democratic way, to get change. Politicians are supposed to represent us, and if they don't do what we want we can change them and get ones who will do what voters desire. The story of water charges gives us one small look into the reality behind the illusions. When Fianna Fail abolished household rates in 1977 they said the lost revenue would be replaced by injecting #30 million into the building industry. This was to create 5,000 extra jobs (and PAYE contributions) whilst eliminating 5,000 unemployment benefit payments. The following year they added 5% to VAT and increased PAYE & PRSI to cover the loss of rates. The Local Government Financial Provisions Act No.1 'guarrantied' that local authorities would receive enough money from the government for their needs. The first suggestion of imposing local charges came in the 1982 Fianna Fail manifesto, 'The Way Forward'. Later that year a general election was called. In newspaper advertisements Fine Gael warned that if Fianna Fail won they would impose service charges. In the same newspapers Fianna Fail warned that if Fine Gael won they would impose service charges. The Labour Party said they were totally opposed to such charges. So all three of them were, at least by implication, against these charges. A coalition of Fine Gael and Labour formed the government, and in July 1983 passed the Local Government Financial Provisions Act No.2 which empowered City and County Managers to charge for services. In 1985, just before local elections, the government decreed that Councillors would have the final decision on the charges. Fianna Fail contested these elections on an Anti-Service Charges ticket. Immediately after the elections they did a U-Turn and voted for them. Just before the General Election of 1987 Fianna Fail gave a written guarantee to the National Association of Tenants Associations. Paddy Lalor, MEP and Director of Elections, promised that if they formed the next government they would scrap the service charges. He further promised that local authorities would be given enough money for their needs. Since 1978 householders have been paying domestic rates through increased VAT & PAYE. Local charges are simply a way of getting us to pay twice, it is double taxation. They are dishonest charges. The politicians who voted for them are dishonest. They are practiced liars and are not entitled to our trust. That is why the only way to be sure of ending these charges is a massive national campaign of non-payment. ******* No room at the refuge AN EASTERN Health Board report published in December 1994, shows a huge increase in the number of homeless people put up in Bed and Breakfast accommodation by the Health Board. Five years ago, the homeless unit run by the Board in Dublin's Charles Street spent #25,000 on Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Last year they spent just under #300,000. Homeless people who cannot get into the hostels because they are full, are put up in Bed and Breakfasts by the health board. Most of them are women and children turned away from a Womens' Refuge because of lack of space. In a six week period in 1992, 101 women and 300 children were turned away from the Dublin Refuges because they were full. An increasing number of homeless people put up in B&Bs are kids, as young as 12 and 13, again because there is nowhere else for them. A High Court case is being taken by one of the boys in this situation at the moment. B&Bs are private enterprises run for profit. Nearly all of them make their unfortunate clients leave during the day, no matter how many children they have to drag around with them. Recently even the B&Bs were full. Traveller women and children were put up in Grade A and B hotels by the Health Board, much to the disgust of the management! The homeless crisis is out of control in Dublin, especially for young kids. The lack of house building and the absence of any kind of a coherent child care policy has created this mess. The B&B owners are making a profit out of the misery of the homeless, and the Health Boards are wasting money on useless "solutions" which should be spent on house building. It will take years to make up for the lack of a house building programme from 1986-1991 unless there is an emergency building programme and specialist services for homeless kids set up. Fiona O'Toole ******** Water Disconnection threats defeated in Dublin WITH THE re-introduction of service charges in the three new Dublin Councils a year ago, the anti- service charge campaign spread to Dublin. Throughout the summer public meetings at which people pledged their opposition to these charges were held in a large number of areas, culminating in a conference in late September attended by approximately 130 people representing local campaigns and residents' associations. This Conference established the Federation of Dublin Anti-Water Charge Campaigns (FDAWCC). A co- ordinating committee was elected and it was agreed that all-Dublin activists' meetings would be held monthly and would remain the supreme decision-making body of the campaign. Over the ensuing months well- attended public meetings were held in practically every area. Registers of non-payers were collected, local councillors lobbied and picketed and a very successful series of public protests were held outside council meetings when the 1995 estimates were being discussed. A successful Trade Union Forum was held to discuss how trade unionists - and especially council workers - could get involved. This phase of the campaign culminated in a protest rally in the city centre in late November. By December 1st - the date on which non-payers' accounts fell overdue - non-payment rates were holding firm despite the councils' mix of bribery ("free" draws for those who paid) and ntimidation (threats of disconnection). Official figures given by the councils showed that the non-payment rates of November 1st remained virtually unchanged (South Dublin - 65%; Fingal - 67%; Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown - 41%). Council Threats On Sunday November 26th South Dublin County Council's campaign of intimidation began in earnest. Selected residents received letters threatening disconnection of water supply if the charges were not paid within seven days. These letters were designed to isolate and intimidate people but in the vast majority of cases had quite the opposite effect. The campaign responded with the immediate distribution of 60,000 leaflets advertising a 24- hour emergency 'hotline' for those who required advice or assistance. Emergency public meetings were held in many areas and lists of volunteers taken who would help to monitor their areas and ensure that disconnections were resisted. Assurances were received from council manual workers in SIPTU and AGEMOU that they would not become involved in doing the council's dirty work. Unfortunately, the water inspectors - most of whom are members of IMPACT - were unable to get similar backing from their union leadership. Disconnections defeated At 4 am on Wednesday December 6th the first attempts to disconnect were made. Water inspectors who arrived in estates in Clondalkin, Lucan and Tallaght found, however, that campaign activists were well- organised and that mobile patrols were in place to prevent disconnections. Over the following two weeks several unsuccessful attempts were made to effect disconnections. Time and again when inspectors arrived at non-payers' homes they discovered that stopcocks had been blocked up and that disconnection was not possible. And indeed on more that one occasion - with residents of the Riversdale estate in Clondalkin deserving special mention - council vans were run out of areas where cut-offs were attempted. All told, the number of successful disconnections was tiny - less than 20 according to the council themselves - and in all of these campaigners were able to reconnect supply within hours. Preventing disconnections was a huge success for the campaign and a major bodyblow for the council. The tremendous fight against such tactics over many years in areas such as Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Leixlip, Ashbourne and indeed many others proved an inspiration for Dublin residents. There is no doubt that it is as a result of the years of campaigning by committed activists in these areas that the new government was forced to make some changes in the area of service charges. Neither is there any doubt that Dublin councillors and council officials now know that the campaign must be taken seriously. Local Action Groups While all those involved in the campaign deserve congratulation, the events of December also highlighted an organisational weakness. The number of people directly involved in this activity was relatively small and this put huge demands on those activists. In order to counteract this for the next phase of the campaign, immediate steps must be taken to ensure that in every area where there are a number of activists, they are encouraged to form themselves into local action groups taking responsibility for the maintenance and development of the campaign in their areas. As we look to the next round in the battle, the necessity for total decentralisation and for cohesive action groups in all areas is of the utmost importance. The campaign must aim to really involve its activists - not just as leafletters or as people who can be depended upon to show up for a picket - but as the people on whom the success of the campaign depends. Gregor Kerr CONCESSIONS FORCED FROM GOVERNMENT The Programme for Government:- *acknowledges the crisis in local authority funding *promises a "professional study" leading to a White Paper *introduces a Tax Allowance for service charges paid (see below) *promises legislation to prevent councils from disconnecting water for non-payment of charges NEW TAX ALLOWANCES Those who paid the charges on time in 1994 will be able to claim a new Tax Allowance of up to #150 at the standard rate. This will mean:- South Dublin Charge #70 New T.F.A. #70 Rebate #18.90 Fingal Charge #85 New T.F.A. #85 Rebate #22.95 Dun Laoghaire Charge #50-#90 New T.F.A.#50-#90 Rebate #13.50 - #25 Mayo Charge #205 New T.F.A #150 Rebate #40.50 (Where the service charge is over #150, the rebate is obviously proportionally smaller) GET INVOLVED While the measures announced in the Programme for Government can be claimed as a victory, the charges remain and the councils are likely to be looking at new ways to force compliance (court action, etc.). The campaign must remain in existence and intensify its efforts. The local action groups which must be the mainstay of the campaign can only become a reality with the active involvement of all those opposed to the charges. We urge all our readers to get involved. Contact the FDAWCC by ringing Gregor Kerr (4947025) or Joe Higgins (8201753). *********** Wexford strike declared illegal WORKERS AT Nolans Transport in New Ross have been told their strike is illegal. They have been in dispute since February 1993 for better pay, better conditions and union recognition. Now they could be jailed if they continue to picket. Last December's High Court judgement ordered SIPTU to pay over #1.3 million in damages and expenses to Nolan Transport. This has very serious implications for the entire trade union movement. If the judgement is allowed to stand, it will have two principal consequences. Firstly, in relation to balloting procedures. Up to now trade union leaders had insisted - despite several warnings to the contrary - that under the terms of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act only trade union members could challenge the validity of a ballot. Now, however, it is made explicitly clear that employers are entitled under the law to challenge balloting procedures. This means that workers can be brought into court and asked how they voted in a secret ballot! If they are afraid of the sack and deny they voted for a strike, their union can sued for damages. Secondly, there is a clear implication that strikes for union recognition are unlawful. Two prerequisites will now have to be met in order for unions to take strike action against employers who refuse to negotiate. Firstly the union will have to have members within the terms of the rulebook, implying that they will have to be paying subscriptions over a period of time. Secondly, the strike will have to take place over a specific issue such as dismissal for union membership. It will not be possible for a strike to take place simply for union recognition. There are other implications in the judgement such as the issuing of leaflets during a dispute (Nolans were awarded #25,000 for "defamation") and the fact that a company whose profits actually increased over the past year was awarded #600,000 damages for "loss of earnings". They also got #8,000 petrol costs for every month of the strike because blacking of their trucks by sympathetic trade unionists meant their lorries had to make longer journeys. This situation has come about as a direct result of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act. As such, ICTU leaders who were instrumental in drawing up this Act and who scoffed at all criticisms of it must bear a portion of the responsibility for landing the trade union movement in this mess. We must not allow our movement to be shackled in this way. The demand must be for SIPTU to refuse to pay one penny to Nolans, and for all unions to amend their rule books, removing the changes brought about by the Industrial Relations Act. Instead of giving in to state intimidation the unions should respond with protest stoppages and demonstrations. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Workers Solidarity Movement can be contacted at PO Box 1528, Dublin 8, Ireland or by anonymous e-mail to an64739@anon.penet.fi Some of our material is available via the Spunk press electronic archive by FTP to etext.archive.umich.edu or 141.211.164.18 or by gopher ("gopher etext.archive.umich.edu") or WWW at http://www.cwi.nl/cwi/people/Jack.Jansen/spunk/Spunk_Home.html in the directory /pub/Politics/Spunk/texts/groups/WSM for an anarchist mailing list send the message subscribe firstname secondname to anarchy-list-request@cwi.nl