T WAS NOT inevitable that tant the parie purse and sell Sid would arrive in Ireland to off public assets that had been built up over generations. It was not inevitable but it was the logical consequence of the policies pursuea by both une Dublin government and the trade union leadership.
Ireland missed out on the wave of privatisations that took place in the 1980s in Britain thanks in part to the example set by Thatcher. The only party to openly endorse Thatcherism in Ireland, the Progressive Democrats, has had trouble getting itself elected and may very well disappear at the next general election.
Privatisations then are not popular in Ireland. But what the ruling class could not achieve by force they have achieved by stealth and the trade union leadership has been their invaltole ally in achieving this.
for privatisation fits neatly into the policy of Social Partnership which the bureaucracy has loisted on the Irish trade union movement. The word foisted is the correct word in this case as there has been open democratic debate about the nature of social partnership or its implications.
The bureaucracy has blocked moves for such a debate and intervened in struggles such as those in TEAM Aer Lingus to contain them within the parameters of Social Partnership. This has meant the defeat of those struggles, which are later dressed up as victories.
This was seen quite clearly in the Ryan Air dispute which saw other workers in the airport engage in unofficial action in support of the Ryan Air baggage handlers.
T he airport was closed down and the dispute threatened the future of Partnership which requires working class passivity in the face of attacks and resignation top inevitable defeat. The referral of the issues to the Labour court (Ireland's equivalent of ACAS) was unfortunately enough to end the action.
The sale of Telecom takes place in the context of a trade union leadership which cannot and will not even detend the right to trade union recognition. Instead of this, they have gone one step further in agreeing to the sale.
The workers currently employed by Telecom will get shares in the company totalling 5% of the total. However, they are not being given these shares now - they will get them in five years time. Meanwhile their hands will be tied in negotiations with the company. Future employees of Telecom will not be share holders and will not even benefit from the sale but will suffer any worsening in pay and conditions.
Workers who are noT part of the share deal will not be able to turn to their for protection. The Communications Workers' Union has taken out an £85 million loan to buy a stake in the company thus binding the solvency of the union to that of the company.
They will be like a stock holding company - their future and the future of the workers they represent will be subject to the vagaries of the. stock market. Any demands by workers that affect the profits of the company will also affect the solvency of the union.
Given the trade union leadership's existing willingness and ability to stab workers in the back through Social Partnership, how much more willing will they be when they themselves have a direct stake in the hatter?
Partnership has SUCCUL working class passivity. The Telecom sale has been presented as a fait acompli and has to date met no resistance and it seems unlikely that it will. This sale is been used to pave the way for further privatisations such as Cablelink, Aer Rianta and Aer Lingus (national airport authority and airline).
Telecom has been in the sights of the government for some time; they first proposed. selling it off in 1996. The union launched national poster campaign with the slogan 'keep the fat cats' hands off Telecom'. The government ended -up selling off 20% to Comsource, a Dutch and Swedish company.
The union backed down and began talk about 'strategic alliances' in the world market. Swallowing the gruesome logic of Partnership, they have accepted that the increased competition of the global market means unity with 'our employers" and competing with workers in other countries. National Assets are to be looted with not only the co-operation of the unions but their active participanion.
The Irish trade union movement is possibly the only one in Europe whose leadership has totally adopted the Maastricht programme for the reorganisation of European capital and the building of fortress Europe. It is not surprising then that they should back privatisations which are a significant part of Maastricht.
At the May Day rally held in Dublin this year none of the trade union bureaucrats speaking even mentioned privatisation. The war in the Balkans and the unofficial scaffolders' dispute which has managed to paralyse the booming building industry were also ignored T hose who choose to 'oppose these privatisaare immediately come into conflic: with the trade union bureauCacy who are will oppose such struggles. They will also need to expose Social Partnership which the bureaucracy has used as a battering ram to demobilise militants.
Some on the left pretend that a fight can be led against the first two without taking on the leadership. They are not a mere bureaucratic obstacle to be overcome, nor are they really deep down on our side.
They are in alliance with the ruling class through Social Partnership. It is they who push through all the rotten deals and its is they who will push through the sale of Telecom and try to crush any opposition that might arise. OUTLOOK sations against the evils of capitalism and the bureaucratic dictatorships. tary, social and economic devastation faces millions of people. provide socialist solutions is becoming clearer, the task of creating new leaderships remains ahead. Socialist Outlook is written and sold by socialists committed to this mation of society and a pluralist, socialist democracy world wide. The overall goal which we pursue is the emancipation of all human beings from every form of exploitation, oppression, alienation and violence, must abolish wage slavery and national oppression. the decisive moment of crisis. "None so fit to break the chains as those who wear them" organisations - an alliance which respects their legitimate autonomy and a revolutionary International, we aim to guide and encompass the the human race. 2UU, and we'll be in touch.
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