Friday, December 9th, well done!

national | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Tuesday December 13, 2005 20:15 by Paul Kinsella - CPSU Activist And An Post Worker (Strictly Personal Capacity!)! paulkinsella53 at yahoo dot com 53 Lorcan Grove, Santry, Dublin 9, Éire 0851478100

Well done to the 100,000 plus Protestors, who took part in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) National Day of Protest in Support of the Irish Ferries Workers on Friday, December 9th!

A credit to all who organised it, from ICTU, to the various Trades Councils, such as the Dublin Council of Trade Unions (DCTU), to all 57 Unions affiliated to ICTU, all of whom took part, and the non-affiliated Unions, such as the National Bus & Rail (NBRU), and the Independent Workers Union (IWU), who also participated in Friday’s National Day of Protest. Let’s not forget the most important people of all, who made it such a success, the ordinary man and woman. Also, a special word of thanks to the many students and school kids, who walked out of their classrooms to take part in the (ICTU) National Day of Protest on Friday. Finally, another special word of thanks to the brass band from the Communications Workers Union (CWU), who kept everyone entertained with political and trade unions songs, such as “The Internationale’, as we passed by the Rotunda. We, the ordinary people of Ireland, both Working and Middle Class, showed our revulsion at what Irish Ferries, and other employers are doing, and we said “we’re as mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!” We also showed that tiny minority clique of unrepresentative right wing cranks, commentators and journalists, just how out of touch they are with the mood of the Irish people! Its time to put some manners on the bosses and the ruling class! Let’s keep up the pressure! Instead of entering into talks which are going to lead nowhere, due to the stubbornness of the Irish Ferries management, we must have, at, the very least, a National 24-Hour General Strike, with only a few very limited essential services, such as very restricted power supplies and casualty services, running only on a strictly limited basis. Now, because of Christmas, this won’t happen before the New Year, but, as soon as we enter the New Year, we must organise a date for this National 24-Hour General Strike. I am suggesting Friday, January 13th, 2006 (unlucky for some! Such as Irish Ferries management and the Government!), because everyone will be back in work, and all the schools and colleges will be back by Friday, January 13th, and that’s when we’ll have the maximum impact! Also come January 1st, everyone will be back on full Annual and Sick Leave, and many of us, myself included, had no Annual Leave left, this did reduce the numbers who would have took part somewhat. Friday, January 13th, 2006, General Strike!