THE COUNTRY’S largest trade union, Siptu, has told its branches in both the public and private sectors to prepare for a campaign of strikes and industrial action to resist pay cuts, job losses and the dismantling of existing terms and conditions.
In an internal bulletin sent to shop stewards and officials last night, Siptu’s governing national executive council said such a campaign should be focused on maximising the effect on the authorities while minimising inconvenience to the public and suffering for union members.
The Siptu memo to its branches comes as the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) is to meet on Wednesday to decide on the nature of a sustained campaign of opposition to cuts in pay and public services.
In its bulletin to shop stewards and officials, Siptu’s national executive council says that while the Ictu campaign would entail multifaceted activities, “it is now clear that there is no prospect of success unless we are prepared to engage in industrial action and strike action”.
The Siptu document says that earlier this year members voted in favour of industrial action to persuade the Government and employers to comply with existing agreements or to negotiate acceptable alternatives.
“It is now obvious, as far as the Government is concerned at least, that is has no interest in doing either.
“Therefore despite all our efforts, the gigantic confrontation which we have endeavoured so hard to avoid, seems inevitable,” the bulletin states.
The Siptu memo says the trade union movement suspended a proposed national day of strike action last March to facilitate negotiations with the Government and other social partners.
The main items sought by the unions in these talks on an economic recovery deal were a €1 billion employment subsidy scheme to sustain jobs, measures to protect pensions in the private sector and moves to help people with mortgage difficulties.
Siptu’s national executive council says the outcome of the talks with the Government last June fell far short of what could be considered fair or balanced.
“There have been no social partnership talks since June 24th and efforts to reconvene them have proved fruitless,” it says.
The Siptu bulletin says discussions have taken place in relation to public service reform.
However, it says there is no prospect of reaching agreement if, as has been indicated, the Government is contemplating securing all of the € 4 billion in savings it is seeking next year through public spending and pay cuts.
“The Government has decided that working people and those who depend most on public services will exclusively shoulder the burden of the mismanagement of the economy.
“Meanwhile, those at the top of society, including people who made fortunes selling property to developers during the boom, are to be insulated from the obligation to make a contribution commensurate with their capacity to do so,” it says.