CPSU Strike 26/2/09 (2 Viewers)

[Cormcolash]

if working people have an official dispute with their employers my personal judgement is that it's important that people show solidarity with them. Every action we take comes down to personal judgement.

There are a lot of criticisms about unions though that raise pertinent questions to how effective they are though, especially with regard to their own internal workings which could be seen in some cases as mimicking the things they are meant to be fighting against. This could directly affect an employee's willingness or unwillingness to cross a picket line.
I'm not going to go into details or anything though, just raising the point as a potential alternate way of looking at things.

 

[niallmc]

Im not sure what your point is with this
and just for the record I'm pretty sure the letter was from PSEU (a union that has voted for up to 4 days industrial action). It certainly is the one word for word they sent me as branch secretary

Here is the ICTU letter about it (ICTU is the umbrella union covering pretty much all unions), copied from politics.ie:

Dear Member,

The Executive Committee has met again to-day to review the Union’s role in the ICTU Campaign in Support of the Ten Point Plan – There is a Better Fairer Way”.

As you know, the Ballot on Industrial Action which is under way was conducted by the Executive Committee on the basis that “Any action to be taken will be co-ordinated by the Public Services Committee of ICTU across the Public Service as a whole in order to maximise impact”.

It has become clear that, for various logistical reasons, most Unions in the Public Service will not be in a position to take strike action in the next week or two.

In addition, the ICTU has taken the position that all possible action should be concentrated on making a success of this Saturday’s Demonstration in support of the ICTU Programme, which includes a demand for a fairer position on the Pension Levy. In that context, ICTU is, of course, anxious to resolve the existing problems on the basis of the ICTU Plan which has been published in the press and is not anxious that any other action be taken, pending a meeting of the ICTU Executive Council, so that any further action can be on a co-ordinated basis.

In this context, and bearing in mind that the CPSU was closing a ballot last night on a programme which envisaged a day of strike action by their members in the Public Service next Thursday, the Union had suggested to CPSU that they might defer taking action until there could be general co-ordinated action across the Public Service on the grounds that that would be more effective – unless, of course, the matter is resolved by substantive discussions between ICTU and the Government in the meantime. CPSU were not in a position to accede to this suggestion.

Taking account of the ICTU position mentioned above, the Executive Committee, while it respects the decision of the CPSU to take whatever action it considers necessary, has decided that this Union will not engage in strike action on Thursday next but will, instead, wait to participate in general action across a wide span of Trade Unions (assuming that the Union’s Ballot is in favour of the Programme of Industrial Action proposed by the Executive Committee) should it prove to be necessary

I should mention that, as you know, the Executive Committee has already decided that, if the members agree to strike action, members in Social Welfare Local Offices will be exempted. The Union understands that CPSU are not in a position to give a similar exemption.

The Executive Committee has considered a letter from CPSU requesting that members of this Union would observe the normal trade union practice during that Union’s dispute.

In accordance with normal ICTU Disputes and Picketing Policy, where a particular Trade Union has a dispute in an employment where members of other trade unions work and the dispute is not an “All-Out ICTU Strike”, the normal procedure is that the members of other Unions should attend for duty in the normal way but should not do the work of the people in dispute.

In the context of the projected CPSU Dispute next Thursday, therefore, the advice of the Executive Committee to members in locations where the CPSU are on strike is as follows:

(a) Members should attend for Duty in the Normal Way;

(b) Members should do their own work; and

(c) Members should not, under any circumstances, do the work of the CPSU Members who are on strike.

All Members are urged to participate in the Demonstration on Saturday.

The Executive Committee will be meeting again next week and a further communication will issue to members.

Please make sure that this circular is issued to all members.



Yours sincerely,

 

[niallmc]

There are a lot of criticisms about unions though that raise pertinent questions to how effective they are though, especially with regard to their own internal workings which could be seen in some cases as mimicking the things they are meant to be fighting against. This could directly affect an employee's willingness or unwillingness to cross a picket line.
I'm not going to go into details or anything though, just raising the point as a potential alternate way of looking at things.

i agree, unions come in for valid criticisms. if you're a member of one you have the potential to change it. also going on strike is very much a last resort for workers. you're not getting at a union by passing the picket you're getting at the people involved.

 

[IFF]

listening to people at work, one person thinks the 3 causes of the trouble we're in are civil servants, trade unions and immigrants. apparently this work colleague feels that all 3 eat young for a living and break in at night to eat other people's young.

it's apparently not the fault of the short termism of fianna fail and pd's. needless to say, this guy is a fianna fail supporter

 

[MDR]

Im not sure what your point is with this
and just for the record I'm pretty sure the letter was from PSEU (a union that has voted for up to 4 days industrial action). It certainly is the one word for word they sent me as branch secretary

It could be the PSEU one or maybe all the unions circulated the same letter from ICTU.

I'm not making a point, just giving people the union explanation of why people going to work is not the same as crossing the picket - people like me and everyone else who went to work were following union protocol, and any CPSU people I spoke to at the picket today were completely cool with that.

 

[Cormcolash]

listening to people at work, one person thinks the 3 causes of the trouble we're in are civil servants, trade unions and immigrants. apparently this work colleague feels that all 3 eat young for a living and break in at night to eat other people's young.

it's apparently not the fault of the short termism of fianna fail and pd's. needless to say, this guy is a fianna fail supporter

I reckon if you just arrested anyone in the country earning €60k+ per year you'd take care of the majority of fraudsters and criminals in Ireland in one fell swoop. Plus you'd reduce the wage bills that much it'd probably solve the economic crisis at the same time.
Two birds, one stick!

Did your workmate look like this?

 

[ann post]

i saw a few on the street today, could somone explain me in brief what roughly the story is?

 

[rettucs]

I went by a lot of the same places on my way home last evening that I saw the protests taking place in the morning. There was only a small fraction of the numbers demostrating in the morning still there (about 4:10pm).

So they obviously don't feel that strongly about it, or else I'm sure they'd at least have waited til 5 to go home. Thems the working hours for the civil service, right?

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

I reckon if you just arrested anyone in the country earning €60k+ per year you'd take care of the majority of fraudsters and criminals in Ireland in one fell swoop. Plus you'd reduce the wage bills that much it'd probably solve the economic crisis at the same time.
Two birds, one stick!

Did your workmate look like this?

60k? hah woah! that's the big time!!!

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I reckon if you just arrested anyone in the country earning €60k+ per year you'd take care of the majority of fraudsters and criminals in Ireland in one fell swoop. Plus you'd reduce the wage bills that much it'd probably solve the economic crisis at the same time.
Two birds, one stick!

Good idea, Pol Pot.