(en) Anarkismo.net: Ireland, Government legislation an attempt to bully trade unionists into voting for paycuts

The "Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013", published by the 
government on Thursday last (23rd May), is a clear attempt to bully public sector workers 
into voting for the re-hashed terms of the Croke Park II deal emphatically rejected by 
them just a couple of weeks ago. ---- Croke Park II, re-packaged and re-named as the 
"Haddington Road Deal", contains nothing more than minor tweaks to the original deal. Yet 
the leaderships of most unions are falling over themselves in their eagerness to sell it 
to members. The votes in SIPTU and the INTO were seen as crucial to the defeat of the 
original deal. The leaderships of these two unions are the most eager in their 
"recommendation" to members to accept the tweaked deal. Some other public sector unions, 
most notably ASTI and TUI have indeed decided that the "Haddington Road Deal" contains so 
little difference from the rejected deal that it is not even worth putting to ballot.

Because there is so little improvement on offer in the deal currently being put to ballot, 
however, the union leaders have very little to sell it with. Hence the government 
legislation is being held over people?s heads as the "alternative" - If you don?t roll 
over and meekly accept these paycuts, we?ll legislate for even worse ones.

Playground Bully

This is the act of the playground bully ? we want our way and if you don?t agree to our 
way, we?ll make you suffer! But, just as the playground bully quite often doesn?t really 
want to have to follow up on his/her threats of physical violence and hopes that the 
victim will slink away in the face of the threats, government TDs hope that public sector 
workers will vote for the paycuts included in the "Haddington Road Deal" so that they 
don?t have to implement the legislation.
It is quite possible that they will vote the legislation through the D?il while the union 
ballots are taking place in the coming weeks as part of their bullying. But it?s one thing 
to pass the legislation and another to implement it knowing full well that to do so will 
trigger massive industrial unrest.

Public sector workers ? by their rejection of the Croke Park II proposals and by their 
massive votes (those that were given an opportunity to do so) for industrial action ? have 
shown that they do not accept the government contention that ordinary workers have to 
suffer yet again as a result of a financial crisis not of our making. It is to the shame 
of the union leaderships that they have connived with the government to attempt to cajole 
people to accept these cuts.

But the power remains in our hands. Let?s not be bullied. Let?s vote against the revised 
terms of Croke Park II and let?s get ready to use our industrial muscle to defeat 
government attempts to legislate for paycuts.

by Gregor Kerr - Workers Solidarity Movement
(chair District 14 INTO - personal capacity)

Related Link: http://www.wsm.ie