Madam, - There has not been a dispute for many years so fundamental and defining for the trades union movement as the Irish Ferries dispute. It poses the most serious questions regarding where this nation stands on workers' rights.
For Irish Ferries, only one thing matters - to make as much profit as possible. If that means getting rid of all its Irish staff and bringing in foreign nationals to exploit, by getting them to work for 80 hours a week for €3.50 an hour, so be it. (And to add insult to injury, get the Irish taxpayer to fork out €7 million by way of a "redundancy" deal.)
But if we assume that the thinking behind this plan is confined to the management of this company, we are very much mistaken. There are many instances of employers in some industries taking advantage of foreign nationals and paying below the minimum wage.
Anyone who watched Questions and Answers on November 28th should surely be aware that the thinking behind what is happening in Irish Ferries is common in boardrooms around the country. Thankfully, many decent Irish people were shocked at the attitude and arrogance of both Dan McLaughlin, chief economist with the Bank of Ireland, and Eamon Delaney, editor of Magill, who backed Irish Ferries to the hilt. In their view the trade unions are finished and social partnership has little or nothing to do with our prosperity; we should accept that we live in the Ireland of the Celtic Tiger and to say it's wrong to displace a workforce is silly and outdated.
This is the natural outcome of the neo-liberal economic philosophy we have bought into. The main exponents of this are of course the PDs, ably assisted by Fianna Fáil. After all, what did Bertie the self-proclaimed socialist do but play Pontius Pilate by saying he couldn't do any more to force the company to change its mind. This prompts the question: what did he do in the first place?- Yours, etc,
Cllr DAVID HYNES, (Labour) Davitt Road South, Wexford.
Madam, - It is disturbing to see Dan McLaughlin being vilified because he gave his opinions on the Irish Ferries controversy on TV. Whatever happened to freedom of expression, not shooting the messenger, and other such fine principles we're supposed to espouse in this Republic?
It can hardly be disputed that Mr McLaughlin is eminently qualified to make such statements. He may well turn out to be wrong, but he does have a good record in his pronouncements on economic and business affairs. One way or the other, it seems to me that it's time, once again, to invoke the words of Voltaire: "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". - Yours, etc,
SEAMUS McKENNA, Sandyford, Dublin 18.
Madam, - If the Taoiseach is sincere in his condemnation of the behaviour of Irish Ferries' management, he will presumably wish to support the Ictu day of protest next Friday by urging all Government and Semi-State employees, including TDs and senators, to attend; by attending himself; and by urging all private-sector employers to show solidarity with their social partners by facilitating their employees' attendance.
As a socialist, can he possibly do any less? - Yours, etc,
PAT CONNEALLY, Silverlawns, Navan, Co Meath.