Worker & Community Struggles and Protests Madrid Police "Dumbfounded" After Amazon Called The Cops On Striking Workers 22:31 Nov 27 0 comments George Soros’ Open Society Foundation unmasked in a major leak 22:31 Aug 24 1 comments Shell in court over major Corrib gas refinery flaring events. 23:32 Jul 28 0 comments Eddie Hobbs: Largest act of larceny against Irish people 23:22 Jun 02 0 comments CHASE Fundraising Events Calendar for June 23:10 Jun 01 0 comments more >>Blog Feeds
Anti-EmpireNorth Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi? Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi? Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi? ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi? US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty
Human Rights in IrelandPromoting Human Rights in Ireland
Lockdown Skeptics
News Round-Up Tue Dec 24, 2024 00:40 | Richard Eldred
Can Science Tell Us the Meaning of Life? Mon Dec 23, 2024 19:54 | Dr David Bell
Non-Crime Hate Incidents Surge in Half of Police Forces Despite Government Crackdown Mon Dec 23, 2024 17:46 | Will Jones
Reeves?s Simplistic Thinking Spawned This Budget from Hell Mon Dec 23, 2024 15:44 | David Craig
British Drivers Steering Away From New Cars In Their Droves Mon Dec 23, 2024 13:00 | Sallust
Voltaire NetworkVoltaire, international editionVoltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en How Washington and Ankara Changed the Regime in Damascus , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 17, 2024 06:58 | en Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Depar... Mon Dec 16, 2024 13:26 | en Voltaire, International Newsletter N?112 Fri Dec 13, 2024 15:34 | en |
Dispute enters second month... Support the BATU Striker
dublin |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report
Wednesday June 04, 2008 17:25 by BATU Striker
For the past four weeks BATU staff have been on strike and have been picketing the union's main office in Dublin. The strike is against the forced redundancy of two union officials, Tom Fitzgerald and Rob Kelly, and against the threat to impose wage cuts and detrimental changes to the conditions of administrative staff. It is a strike in defense of basic trade union principles.
Meanwhile, for the past four weeks, current BATU General Secretary, Paddy O'Shaughnessy, Assistant General Secretary Brendan O'Sullivan and organisers Andy Smith and Greg Macken, have crossed the picket lines daily. They have done what all scabs do during disputes; they have spent their days trying to do the work of the strikers. BATU Strikers Leafet 0.13 Mb Real Trade Unionists don't cross picket lines 0.03 Mb
by Old Bricklayer Wed Jun 04, 2008 21:38
As some one who worked for 40 years as a bricklayer, been on the committee and the executive ,come from a bricklaying family, I have to say sadly,ITS ALL AT AN END, the union can not pay all this money,16 workers,if the truth is known 4500 paid up menbers.Paddy on over 100,000 euro a year,some of the others 60,000 to 85,000 a year. All good things come to an end, some of those who are in support with the strickers are nothing but rats leaving a sinking ship,who have had a big hand in the makeing of the whole mess
by unite member Mon Jun 09, 2008 16:41
First port of call as you put it if you are sacked is not to go to a tribunal, its to try and organise industrial action to fight for your job. Thats what has been done with great success and great support from BATU members, except of course the scabs who are crossing the picket line and those who have posted above who obviously support the scabs!
by Big Nev Mon Jun 09, 2008 19:00
It saddens me to see members of the trade union movement attack each other like so, especially when I know from my many years in the construction industry and many years membership in A.G.B.S.U and B.A.T.U that the C.I.F are laughing their hearts off at this , but I can inform you now my unite friend the reality of the situation is that there is very little support from rank and file B.A.T.U members, now if it's surrport your looking for you'd be better of to be more informative and at least trying to answer some of the questions asked, your quick defence to call everyone a scab,who wants to ask a question , you don’t like, seem’s puzzling and leaves me to asked the question “Is there other elements at play here”?
by Stephen Boyd - Socialist Party Wed Jun 11, 2008 19:07
A reminder to the readers of Indymedia, to the majority of you who still understand the importance of showing solidarity and support to striking workers that there is a fund raising event for the BATU strikers this Friday night in the Teachers Club in Parnell Square at 8pm.
by Earnest - BATU Fri Jun 20, 2008 17:37
I am an ordinary member of BATU. I feel as I'm sure other members feel that this debacle is utterly embarrassing and disheartening. Also I am angered that these people have attacked our union and it's members in such a manner.
by Honest John Fri Jun 20, 2008 19:21
So there we go my comment was taken down again last night, I don't know if it was the part about you lot receiving one months wages in advance from BATU while you were on "strike" or the part about where you got my data from that upset you but down went my comments just like I predicted.
by old bricklayer Fri Jun 27, 2008 19:33
O'Shaughnessy has the trustees in court on Monday 30th June,more money gone from the Union.
by Jimmy Sat Jun 28, 2008 14:22
This is a great trade union suing our own members down the high court and treatening to bankrupt them and put their families out on the street, but wont go to the labour court.
by blacklisted member - paddy must go Sun Jun 29, 2008 15:56
Paddy has the trustees in the highcourt in the morning,another act of a laeder on his last legs.it reminds me of the last days in the bunker,no money,no support,the membership turning on him,and after his failed attempt to remove the president of the union from office he has turned to the old reliable "the high court".
by member - member Mon Jun 30, 2008 23:56
Why doesn't Unite refer their dispute to the labour court!! Batu said they would attend?? Very confused here. Look at the news there are redundancies and pay cuts everywhere why should our union be any different. whats with all the uproar??
by hatchet - batu member Tue Jul 01, 2008 01:21
in regard to the last member who left a post regarding a referal to the labour court,paddy attended an l.r.c hearing regarding the lay offs that he was instigating and the union officials were disputiing,at the hearing paddy was asked by the lrc was it not the case that batu members had a policy of seeking a last in first out for its members facing lay offs ie bickys chippys stone masons he agreed it was,he was then asked was he saying as an employer that he did not apply these same fair principles to other staff who worked for the union ie trade union officails ,he said that was his position as an employer,the lrc was then unable to resolve the dispute and recomened it be heard in the labour court,at this stage paddy refused to go to the labour court,that was the time to go,prior to any industrial action being balted for,these were two officials whd implemeented and fought to keep lay offs fair and i do't blame these officials what so ever for seeking fair treatment,paddys been telling lies in his letters to the members,it is true to say unite can refer the matter to the labour court,which they may have done at this stage im not sure,paddys says this 6 weeks into the dispute it never needed to go to industrial action had he not refused to attend from day 1.i feel the power he had or has went to his head,regarding seeking 10 percent reduction in pay for office staff this would usually be disscused in most other establishments or companys and probably negotiated by a third party.its paddy who made accusations of loss of financial records by unite members and refused auditors access to the building.id say lett the auditors in and see how the land lies, tommy fitz had 8 years service a carpenter by trade and very close to holding a degree in industrial relations, i find it hard to see the justification in the lay offs in the way that they were chosen,i think if the truth be known paddy had lost his teeth and was happy for a comfortable 110,00 a year plus expenses for old rope. these men and wmen are entitled to fair treatment the same as is sought for all batu members. industrial action has generally been the most effective and quickest way of resolving a dispute even with the most rougish employers i some how doubt the picketers were expexting their own collegues to pass them by on the picket line fair play to denis for practising what he preached. yours hatch
by mulder - batu Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:40
It's bad enough for strikers to see anyone crossing their picket line but when the scabs are full time trade union officials, including a general secretary, it makes for a particularly disgusting spectacle.
by John Doe - john's union Wed Aug 20, 2008 13:55
Why would the so called "strikers" still look for re-instatement?
by Matthew Hopkin - Trotfinder General Thu Aug 21, 2008 13:29
Whenever you see publicly embarrassing internecine abuse being stirred up,witch hunts orchestrated and hatred incited amongst unions and union members,it generally means one thing,ie Trots at work.Used to be Tories,but Trots are better at it.They're similar in a lot of ways but Trots are more anti-union.
by Jack London Fri Aug 22, 2008 15:14
Ignore the smokescreen been pushed by the scabs. This is a back & white case - on one side are the legitimate strikers and on the other are SCABS. People who have passed pickets have always been called scabs and always will be. It doesn’t matter if they are “so-called” union officials.
by johnny - batu Sat Aug 23, 2008 13:29
Does this sound familiar? Scabs using a police escort to cross an official picket - This was one of the anti-union practises Maggie Thatcher used during the miners strike. These are also the actions of "Trade Union Official" Paddy O'Shaughnessy.
by Jack London - The trade union movement Sat Aug 23, 2008 22:02
IBEC are wetting themselves laughing at all of this.I wouldn't claim to know all the facts about this but I do know that. Also,ordinary trade unionists are despairing at the laughing stock the trade union movement has become(that is, the minority that actually cares one way or the other).The word in Dublin is that the 'strikers' and saboteurs are definitely not acting off their own bat but are having their strings pulled by malevolent outside interests.If so,there will be a serious reckoning with those who are defiling the good name of the trade union movement for their own twisted 'political' ends.
by White Fang Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:55
Will the real Jack London please stand up?Some of these posts are confusing.I don't know who is on the level is this business but they had better all knock their heads together and sort it out.The employers are certainly having a laugh,why wouldn't they,it's a gift.
by Jack London - Scab-Free Trade Union Movement Wed Aug 27, 2008 13:23
The facts behind his dispute couldn’t be simpler. There is a legitimate strike and some members of management are passing the legitimate picket. These people are scabs. Because this strike is between a Trade Union and its employees doesn’t make a difference. It is unacceptable if an employer attempts to sack or make an employee redundant without consultation regardless of who the employer is. It is unacceptable if an employer attempts to cut the wages of employees without consultation regardless of who the employer is.
by tomeile Fri Aug 29, 2008 17:34
If an employer or management passes a picket line , they aren’t usually regarded as scabs . A scab is a member of the union who breaks rank with his or her fellow workers and sides with management . There is a distinction .
by Henry Joy McC - SIPTU member Sat Aug 30, 2008 13:50
Tomeile has made a fair point,these things often involve more than meets the eye and certainly the BATU members I know and socialise with are adamant that there are some nasty outside forces at work,intent on damaging the union and the movement.They are doing a good job of it,no doubt about that.
by Jolly Red Giant - SP/CWI Sat Aug 30, 2008 21:48
tomeile quote
by tomeile Sun Aug 31, 2008 18:03
I made a loose analogy in my last post ,but not a ridiculous one , Jolly Red Giant . I think you get the point ,but just in case you don’t ,try to imagine how S.P members would feel if Joe Higgins hadn’t effectively been a Socialist Party full-timer for many years ,but was nonetheless a leading member of the party . Socialist Party members would be entitled to feel at least some bewilderment if full-timers at the SP offices , who were not actually supporters of the party , went on strike and then called Joe a scab for passing their picket line.
by Jack London Mon Sep 01, 2008 18:22
Tomeile,
by tomeile Tue Sep 02, 2008 11:05
Jack
by Jack London Tue Sep 02, 2008 17:44
tomeile,
by tomeile Tue Sep 02, 2008 20:49
The strikers are employees of a trade union and it does matter that this is an inter-union dispute because trade unions should be model employers . If it isn’t a model employer its members are responsible .You say “ the membership are actually powerless to stop the scabs.” I don’t accept that .
by striker supporter Fri Sep 05, 2008 18:28
There is no contradiction nor should there be divided loyalty for BATU members in this dispute. The actions of the scabs are damaging to the reputation of the union and are damaging the conditions for BATU members in the industry. The refusal to apply the principle of 'last in first out' is extremely damaging to BATU members and sends a very clear message to construction employers that BATU members, who were formely and quite correctly feared by empoloyers, are now fair game. Paddy O'Shaughnessy did that, brendan O'Sullivan did that and the two side kicks Macken and Smtih did that. In order for BATU members to rebuild a strong fighting union, ,these people must be defeated and forced to go therfore the nterests of BATU members lay squarely alongside the strikers.
by Joe - BATU Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:00
- comments on editorial policy have been removed by an editor -
There are people raising red herrings here such as why I'm not a scab even though I've sacked 2 employees and locked 4 women out of work for months, and then the other great red herring about "outside forces". Readers should ignore these red herrings and look for answers as to why O'Shaughneesy wont allow an audit (if you've nothing to hide then what is the problem?), and why the scabs have not taken the 10% pay cut.
by tomeile Sat Sep 06, 2008 15:05
If a trade union employee was to actively support a right wing , anti union party and was sacked ,people probably wouldn't be rushing to join a picket line in support of his democratic rights. Many brickies think that Shocko should be given fifteen minutes to clear out his desk despite his many years as an employee of Batu. I think they should be allowed to campaign for such a policy. There are issues for workers control of trade unions and the fight against bureaucracy involved in this dispute, but not only for bureaucracy in unions. Political parties of the left like the SWP and Socialist Party also employ full time workers.
by Striker Supporter Sun Sep 07, 2008 13:52
You have not responded to any of the points i raised in my posting. I think your post betrays the weakness of your arguments. You are clearly here to air your political agenda, which is fine, but quite dishonest to use an important and ongoing strike to do so.
by Michael Mon Sep 08, 2008 00:13
It Gets Worse. Not Only Have The Building Industry Gone From The Swings To The Roundabouts And Is The Main Theme
by tomeile Mon Sep 08, 2008 15:30
by Jack London Mon Sep 08, 2008 17:08
Ah tomeile, your agenda becomes clear now. You don’t really care about the strikers or the dispute, you just want a chance to have a go at the SP. I’m not a SP member or supporter but I fully support the strikers. Fair play to any political party/organisation/group who supports the strikers (there are very few) because those in the trade union movement who should be supporting them are doing fuck all. I think that fact that BATU members (not UNITE/SP/ Trots or other reds under the bed) have occupied their head office is a clear sign that the strikers have support from BATU members. As I have already said, the big turnout at the public meetings in the Teachers Club showed the support the strikers have from BATU members. You must be a bitter little man to support scabs over strikers to attack the SP.
by Mr Alan Corcoran. - common sense Tue Sep 09, 2008 21:39
No body wants skabs ,especially in the current 'downtalking' of the ailing building industry.
by tomeile Wed Sep 10, 2008 17:10
My real agenda was to answer the point you put to me . You wondered why indymedia posters were not giving straightforward support to the strike and I said it may be because of the SP's role in it .The original article didn't mention the SP's role in the dispute which I think is somewhat dishonest .When the Socialist Party's fraternal organizations throughout the British Commonwealth are taking an interest in a small irish trade union , then BATU members have have a right to be curious or even suspicious . Members I have spoken to want to know why the Australian Socialist Party have featured a story criticizing their union on its website. Supporters of trade union rights outside of BATU would like to know what's going on as well. |
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (37 of 37)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37Support the BATU Strikers
Strike Fundraiser
Show your support & solidarity
Friday 13th June 8pm
Teachers Club
Parnell Square
Live music & craic!
adm. €10
More info contact: Tom Fitzgerald 087 2253755
Poster for Strike Fundraiser 0.02 Mb