Meeting to discuss uniting public and private sector workers

dublin | worker & community struggles and protests | event notice Thursday March 05, 2009 22:36 by Gregor Kerr - WSM - 1st May branch

A public meeting to be held as part of the 2009 Anarchist Bookfair will bring together a representative of Waterford Crystal workers, an Executive member of the Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU) and a representative of the Free Education for Everyone (FEE) Campaign to discuss how workers – public and private – and students can unite against “government attempts to pin the blame for the financial crisis on the backs of ordinary workers”.

A public meeting to be held as part of the 2009 Anarchist Bookfair will bring together a representative of Waterford Crystal workers, an Executive member of the Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU) and a representative of the Free Education for Everyone (FEE) Campaign to discuss how workers – public and private – and students can unite against “government attempts to pin the blame for the financial crisis on the backs of ordinary workers”.

The meeting will take place on Saturday afternoon, 7th March, at 3:00p.m. in Liberty Hall and will also be addressed by a speaker from the anarchist organisation Workers Solidarity Movement.

“A political decision has clearly been made that ordinary workers will be made to pay for the financial mess,” said Gregor Kerr, a member of Workers Solidarity Movement. “Huge numbers of workers in the private sector – from construction to catering to I.T. - have been cast onto the dole queues. A 1% levy has been imposed on all our wages. And a further pay cut in the form of a ‘pension levy’ is now being stolen from the pay packets of public sector workers.”

“Members of the CPSU have shown the way by their day of industrial action last Thursday”, said Denis Keane, a member of the CPSU’s Executive Committee. “Now we need workers from all unions to stand together to resist government attempts to make us pay for the crisis. All trade unionists need to work together to ensure that the ICTU one-day strike on 30th March is a massive success and shows the government that we are serious.”

“We cannot accept the fact that we are being asked to pay for a crisis that the government created,” said Julian Brophy of FEE. “This crisis was spawned by a complete lack of monetary reality by the ultra rich, bankers and powerful corporations. Borrowing and lending money that effectually doesn’t exist, and in such large quantities, is bound to devastate the lives of those who occupy the lower socio-economic spectrum, as they are always made to pay.”

A representative of the workers in Waterford Crystal, who were left with no choice but to occupy the plant when the receivers attempted to dump them all on the scrapheap four weeks ago, will also address the meeting. “The actions of the Waterford workers serve as an example to groups of workers everywhere. If you don’t stand up for your rights, you’ll be trampled on,” said Gregor Kerr

Meeting Details:-
‘Organising The Fightback’
As part of the 4th annual Dublin Anarchist Bookfair, WSM hosts a discussion on how workers should respond to the government attacks on us. Speakers will include a Waterford Crystal worker, Denis Keane (Executive member Civil and Public Services Union), Julian Brophy (Free Education for Everyone) - all in personal capacity - and a speaker from Workers Solidarity Movement.
Liberty Hall, Dublin, 3p.m. Saturday 7th March
The Dublin Anarchist Bookfair is a day of bookstalls, workshops and discussions. For full details see http://www.wsm.ie/bookfair