Employment in the Irish Construction Industry is expected to fall to under 120,000 workers by the end of 2010, from a high of more than 270,000 in 2007. The result of such rapid jobs losses has been huge downward pressure on pay and conditions, with many construction workers been paid well below the legal minimum wages rates within the sector.

Even based on the current economic situation and the massive rise in unemployment talk of 2,000 further job losses in Eircom is shattering for the Irish economy and the workers in the former state company.

Workers in Otis Lifts, members of the Technical Engineering Electrical Union, are now into the second week of their strike action. The strike was undertaken as a response to the companies’ refusal to accept a Labour Court recommendation with regard to redundancies within the company. Initially the company sought thirteen redundancies and eleven workers were prepared to volunteer.

The ESB staff pension fund has a €2 billion deficit. In putting forward new pension proposals management and the group of unions (GOU) argue that there are three main factors for the pension deficit. The stock market crash, wage inflation (i.e. pay rises) and because “We are all living much, much longer.”

The passing of the Croke Park Agreement represents an important setback for public sector workers and the working class as a whole. If this deal is implemented unhindered then 20,000 public sector jobs will be lost, working conditions will be decimated and the quality of public services from health to education etc will be driven further into the ground.

Dear Colleague,
The below-named members of the CPSU Executive Committee wish to place on record our objection to and distance ourselves from, the recent public and internal statements of our General Secretary, Blair Horan, regarding the Croke Park deal. In doing so we also wish to clarify what we believe to be the true position taken from the Executive Committee meeting of 24th June, 2010 regarding the new proposals.

In 2009, the trade union leaders, despite their desperate attempts, were unable to hold the formal “social partnership” process together. The economic crisis has shattered “social partnership” and opened up a period that will be marked by industrial action, strikes and class conflict.

Rank and file trade unionists in the public service will have to endure a ceaseless campaign from government and media as well as some trade union leaderships in support of this deal which, if passed, will in fact leave public sector workers in an even worse position than the status quo of pay cuts and penions levies which the trade union leadership was mandated to reverse by ballots taken last year.

A year ago, after three votes on a cost cutting plan, SIPTU and NBRU members, narrowly voted in favour of Dublin Bus management’s proposals.  The plan brought in work practice changes and the reduction of the fleet by 120 buses.

Here we post the Socialist Party's leaflet advocating a no vote to the public sector pay deal. This leaflet will be distributed to workplaces across the country as part of our campaign to defeat this sell out deal and build a left alternative in the Unions to campaign for democratic, fighting unions. If you can help us distribute the leaflets, please contact us using the details at the bottom of the website.