Luas drivers show the way-Strike for a real recovery

by T Sun May 15, 2016 21:51

Union leaders as a rule have often dragged their feet and not supported their members frequently over the years collaborating with the employers and state at times and this fact is a constant complaint of the more militant over the years. In the case of the Luas workers the strikes have been driven by the workers themselves and the level of commitment and solidarity has been impressive.

What has happened in the case of the Luas workers is that they have got very bad press from the get go particularly from right-wing outfits like the Irish Independent but also from RTE where you can be sure the right-wing pro neo-liberal forces in the government fear the success of the strike. And one would have to admit that they Luas workers have been very ineffective at getting their own message out. They don't even have their own website nor do they appear to have made any press releases.

The Luas workers have been completely misrepresentated to make out that they are greedy, but they actually looking for modest increase and not double pay as was reported. The double pay refers to the difference between someone newly joining and their final salary after something like 10 or 15 years. In most employments this would be the case anyhow.

What's more instead of being greedy they have been extremely considerate to all their own fellow workers because one of the key issues was that they wanted people newly employed to get the same condition as those who had just recently joined, but instead Transdev was insisting that any new workers would be lower paid than the same entrants today and would have longer hours. So where would you find workers so committed to go on strike so that their fellow workers get the same pay and conditions as when they joined.

The government and right-wing media and pundits have railed on and on about the fact they would be getting more pay than teachers or nurses newly employed but what they don't tell you is that it was this same right-wing neo-liberal government abetted by the same media that forced through lower pay for both new teachers and nurses. They didn't give a damn then about them and they certainly don't now even as they show this fake concern. Not only that the teacher unions unfortunately capitulated to allowing new teachers to receiving lower pay and conditions than new teachers at the time. This is the very thing the Luas workers have been making a stand against.

You stated that the unions should concentrate on getting into the hospitality industry and so forth. Indeed this should be the case but why should it be either or? Also most of the resistance will come from the employers and often they will find tooth and nail by threatening workers with dismissal if they should join. However if this is an burning issue for you then I suggest you contact the appropriate union. Apparently the Independent Workers Union -at http://www.union.ie/ are quite good because as it says on their about page:

About the IWU

When one mentions the Trade Union Movement in Ireland, the names of Jim Larkin and James Connolly are always mentioned in the same breath. Why? Because they were there at the beginning of the movement, which changed the lives of many workers and their families in Ireland for the better, when others in society cared little.Now is your opportunity to get involved in this new movement for change, and like Larkin and Connolly, form the very begining. Get involved to the degree that your ideas will actually shape this new Trade Union.

A group of Irish Trade Unionist were convinced that the Trade Union Movement in its present structure in Ireland has lost its way, and had become nothing more than an arm of the state and management. Its function has become more to control workers rather than advance their interests. People had worked for many years to attempt to reform the movement from within, and apart from some minor victories, their efforts have been continuously stifled by the powers that be within the present Trade Union hierarchy. It is now fair to conclude that the existing Trade Unions cannot be reformed for the advance of the Irish worker. Hence the formation of the I.W.U.

by Catherine monaghan - None Sun May 15, 2016 03:02

Unions are only willing to fight for higher profile cases, irrespective of the validity of the fight. Instead of supporting a bunch of money grabbing luas drivers, who are doing a job a chimp could do, why not concentrate on getting unions into the hospitality industry, where people, mainly young workers, are working their arses off for minimum wage, working unsocial hours; or is that too much like hard work?
Maybe its time to stop paying the Union fatcats their massive salaries for doing fuck all for the thousands of regular workers outside Dublin.

by Ordinary Worker - Not Luas Pie in the Sky Wed Apr 20, 2016 23:02

..go a long way towards explaining the stupidity of the Trots of various hue, and why they will never be capable of having any hand, act or part in actually governing anyone. Keep it up lads!

by T Mon Apr 11, 2016 20:23

For the record here is the press release from RBB on the LUAS workers. It's important that their side of the story gets out as they have been lambasted by the right wing media. This strike is important because they are putting down a marker for all workers.

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Media Release- Richard Boyd Barrett TD - 02/04/2016

In a statement, People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett has conveyed his party’s full support to the Luas drivers in their battle for proper pay and conditions.

Today People Before Profit will be holding stalls across the country and will visit pickets at the depots in Red Cow and Sandyford in support of the Luas workers.

Richard Boyd Barrett said-

“People Before Profit fully support the Luas drivers in their fight for fairness through strike action this weekend. These drivers are ordinary people who provide a vital public service for the people of Dublin and who have to work in situations, with pedestrians and cars in close proximity to the trams – protecting the safety of millions of passengers and pedestrians every year. Thankfully, due to the diligent work of the Luas drivers, accidents have been at a minimum since the creation of the Luas.

“The Luas drivers have families to raise, mortgages to pay and like other workers have had their real take-home pay slashed under the impact of austerity. What they are looking for, after five years of a pay freeze and crippling austerity taxes, is a 5% per year pay increase over five years- this is entirely reasonable.

“Currently, the Luas drivers’ pay ranges from €33,000 for a 39 hour week in year one and €42,247 after 9 years. I think that their pay claim is quite reasonable when you consider the increased cost of living, taxes and levies which are being imposed on ordinary workers like Luas drivers, nurses, bus drivers, Gardaí etc. The previous government and the current caretaker government have been talking about recovery for a long time now. If we truly are looking at recovery then we must have proper pay restoration for workers across the board. These workers are right to demand a share in the so-called recovery. I would also say well done to the drivers for standing up for new entrants who are being proposed to be paid a lower starting salary for doing the same work. People across the country have rightly expressed outrage when the same two tier pay structure was imposed on new entrant nurses and teachers – it is equally unjust to demand this of new entrant Luas drivers.

“We also must point out that Transdev is a very profitable multinational company. Their revenues are up due to increased passenger number and rising fares. According to the LUAS website, 2015 ‘has been the most successful year for Luas to date in terms of the number of passenger trips. In 2015 the number of Luas passenger trips reached an impressive 34.6 million. This means that an additional 1.99 million or 6.1% more trips were made in 2015 compared to 2014.’ If the company are having difficulties paying wages then I would suggest that their business model is questionable at best.

“The Luas was one of the good things to come out of the Celtic Tiger period. At the moment the company, Transdev and Veolia, are running it into the ground.

“What we need is solidarity from other workers across different sectors in Ireland. People Before Profit believe that a victory for the Luas workers is a victory for all workers because it would represent a huge win for working people who have seen their earnings savaged in recent years and would present an opportunity for other workers to make a stand for the increased pay which they deserve after years of austerity.”

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