A century of progress?

Yesterday we marked the end of the period commemorating the 1911 Wexford Lock Out. We hosted a seminar which put the events of a century ago in context. After Mayor Hynes officially got proceedings under way local historian Nicky Rossiter brought us back 100 years to a different and fascinating Wexford yet one which is still broadly recognisable today. Census 1911 listed a range of nationalities in Wexford including Poles, Germans and French. The Wexford Light Opera Society had their Gilbert & Sullivan offering while local papers carried adverts for distressed property sales. Almost 8,000 people lived in the town about half under the age of 24 and 10% in total worked in foundries.

Kieran Roche gave us an insight into Dick Corish, while Francis Devine put the lock out in its international context at the time. Ian Hearn is the grandson of the owner of Star Foundry who explained where the employers were coming from. SIPTU President Jack O’Connor and UNITE Secretary for Ireland jimmy Kelly are the lead officials in unions that evolved from these times and both spoke at the end.

Later on at Wexford Arts Centre we were treated to a performance that marked the key moments of the era by Wexford’s next generation of actors along with some of the present stalwarts. A hugely thought provoking week end in Wexford.

Often the comparison is made between a century ago and the present day. Often I believe such comparisons to be invalid. A century ago most workers had neither social welfare, bank accounts nor Health and safety legislation in the work place. Most works earned just small amounts and as a consequence were unlikely to pay the new income tax. Local authority houses were few and far between, women and those men under 21 couldn’t vote., while life expectancy was 50 for men and 54 for women. Infant mortality was significant and the poorer you were the more likely it was that you would die earlier. The quality of housing was much worse with rack renting landlords profiteering at the expense of large size families in tiny dwellings with neither running water nor toilets. That was the reality of life and expectations for many in the early 20^th century. Clear distinctions existed between the rights of skilled and unskilled workers.

The reality for anyone drawing lessons to apply today based on past experience is that it is easier to understand the social realities of yesterday and identify solutions to their problems. A century ago people could see their living standards improve when Mayor Corish built more and better local authority houses. It is more difficult to point to tangible social progress from a reduction in interest rates for Troika loans. with what can you compare the progress. Given the complex realities of how right wing economics has destroyed many assumptions since the time of Thatcher and McCreevy the question that needs to be asked is how do you re-construct a new society with lasting values that will ensure that the international shambles of the last 15 years will never be repeated?

Jack O’Connor quoted Lenin “you live through a decade waiting for a day and then you live a day with the events of a decade packed in.” As David Begg pointed out when he spoke at the re-launch of “Men of Iron” the laissez faire dream of globalisation was based on a new post cold war supply of cheap labour, low interest rates and a booming middle class in China. China is not immune from recession, the supply of cheap labour is itself being sub planted by cheaper labour in the far east while we still enjoy interest rates at historically low levels. Cheap money set against insecurity. As opposed to 100 years ago when there was a banker’s panic in the middle of a slump although with admittedly high interest rates. The key difference between then and now was the fatal Irish decision to nationalise the debt with the bank guarantee scheme which neutered the state’s ability to respond. Jimmy Kelly of UNITE also spoke of how global changes have impacted on the states ability to respond.

As a country we are constrained by the Troika deal but even beyond that the fiscal compact will reduce all government’s leeway for the foreseeable future. My worry about a constitutional referendum is that writing economic requirements into our constitution will mean that they can only be undone by referendum too with all the risks of time loss that may go with that and the impact of that on our society. As Mao used to say; “In waking a tiger, use a long stick”.

Never ask a question unless you know the answer first!

I would have loved to have gone to Arbour Hill today to mark the 95th anniversary of the execution of James Connolly but for family reasons I was otherwise detained. I wonder what Connolly would have made of Ireland (well this part of it!) almost a century after his death. Connolly believed strongly in strength and unity. I’m sure he’d weep if he knew that the successor to his ITGWU was being picketed in Wexford by the self-proclaimed successors to Pearse. Many of James Connolly’s family were there at Arbour Hill to see his direct successor as leader of the Irish Left Eamon Gilmore speak today. A century on a lot has changed but a lot remains the same.

Connolly was an able man who showed that it was always necessary to cut a deal so as to protect your interests. No better example than the Wexford lock Out, the centenary of which falls later this year. The object was that the workers would be represented by their own Irish Union in their case the ITGWU. Connolly visited here during the strike, I have a copy of a letter from him in Corporation St Belfast to Richard Corish in Wexford around that time. I showed Nessa Childers MEP the step from where he spoke almost a century ago. Connolly accepted compromise to end the lock out just as he did in Dublin in 1916 to prevent further suffering. He knew that eventually his objectives would be secured. The SF picketers posed the rhetoric question “What would Connolly say?”, Well here’s your likely answer

Wouldn’t it be great if some of those who organised the picket at SIPTU in Wexford actually joined a union and perhaps read up on Connolly’s life? In the re-conquest of Ireland Connolly said “If the old political parties must go so to should the divisions in Labour, we should work to for the obliteration of all divisions in the forces of Labour in the industrial field.” What may surprise some of those who proclaim Connolly as their inspiration is his belief in co-operation for the purpose of common regeneration! He talks about replacing suspicion and mistrust and difference in attitude between those who claim pity and those who are strong and self -reliant to enforce respect. Connolly was also critical of the gombeen men and their kind with their loud mouthed assertions of patriotism. The Re-conquest of Ireland was published over 100 years ago but is as relevant for the days we live in now as it was back then.

The logical follow on seems to me that perhaps its time to stop wallowing in misery and start uniting behind a policy? The backdrop to the lumpen detachment of Mayday are reports of children arriving hungry in school while parents cook by candle light in homes that are the subject of repossession cases at courts. Earlier this month the Master of the High Court criticised banks for pressurising some of their customers over repayments which in some cases were contributory factors in suicide.


Strikes me that James would have very little time for those in Wexford who used Mayday as a self seeking publicity stunt. Perhaps they would have been better off coming up with an alternative that would contribute to getting our country out of the mess it was left by the wealthy insiders, the sort of person who a century ago kept the country in penury. A century on a lot has changed but a lot stays the same.

Would you like a pay cut with that?

Never let a good crisis go to waste was the maxim of Rahm Emanuel, Barak Obama’s chief strategist. Well it seems that the Irish fast food industry are as much West Wing fans as chicken wings when it comes to increasing their profits! Today in the Supreme Court some key players in the fast food industry are challenging the Joint Labour Agreements and other legislative protection for workers in the industry.
I’m gobsmacked that this highly profitable industry is trying it on . Average wage in the business is about €350 per week while NERA reckons nearly 4 in every 5 operators already ignore minimum wage and other employee protection. Despite the high rent paid by many chains such as Supermacs, Burger King and Eddie Rocketts profits in the business have never been better as fast food replaces a meal out for many trying to make less money last longer on a night out.
I have sympathy for anyone trying to stay in business at the moment. As Mayor I am conscious of the difficulties. I know that rent and rates are often cited as difficulties and I can understand that someone can have problems implementing legislation when costs can be out of control however this is not such a case. In fact the plaintiffs are concerned that the present legislation damages their property rights! It seems that property is more important to some people in Ireland.
I believe that others who are in the retail or food business are being done no service by the fast food industry and that it would be better if these business were told preferably by IBEC or that wonderful man in ISME who always seems to want a level playing pitch for small business that they should stop taking advantage of a collapse in consumer confidence elsewhere in business so as to maximise their sectoral profits.
Or could it be that there may be some who would like to see the protection of minimum wage and conditions eroded and have a sneaking regard for the fast food industry pulling a fast one on its workforce?

FF & Greens threat on union subs is illegal

Those the gods destroy they first make mad. I’m reminded of this wisdom this week when I hear Minister Dempsey responding to the air traffic controllers dispute with a suggestion to ban strike action in essential services. The cabinet’s union bashing continues with suggestions that they will refuse to pass on union deductions from their employees in an attempt to break opposition to pay cuts. This threat should be ignored by public service workers. I say; Bring it on, Let me explain; It’s my view that any such attempt is illegal under data protection law.
It seems that they have learnt nothing in all their years in power other than bullying their workers. About 9 years ago my own union ASTI were locked in a bitter pay dispute with the government, a dispute that we lost and one that I believe our union has yet to fully recover from. Part of our action was to work to rule and not to supervise for absent colleagues. As a result school boards of management closed schools on health and safety grounds although staff were in situ and willing to work. The government moved quickly to withhold 5 days pay from teachers over the Christmas holidays. .

I was particularly annoyed by this move and was one of 42 teachers to take their case to the Data Protection Commissioner in January 2001. I pointed out that my membership of a union is a matter for me and the union concerned. The only reason I had notified the department of my ASTI membership was to facilitate me in paying my union dues, in exactly the same way that VHI, pension, AVC payments etc are processed. I pointed out that the salaries section had no other dealings with me and that if the department had an issue with me that they were obliged to write to me directly asking me if I had been party to a work to rule protest and then following a response taken the action they did


The commissioner investigated my case and found in my favour. The government was obliged to return the deducted pay, not just to me but to every teacher. This 2001 decision is highly relevant to the government’s latest plan.
The Data Commissioner satisfied himself that data relating to my ASTI membership “was obtained by the Department for the sole purpose of deducting ASTI subscription from salary and remitting such deductions to the ASTI and for no other purpose. Using the data for another purpose contravenes section 2 of the Data Protection Act 1988.” Following this decision the Department of Education was warned not to repeat this action as a heavy fine would be imposed.

There are many similarities in what happened to me and what the government is now proposing to do to IMPACT, SIPTU, CPSU members. If what is reported happens, Brian Lenihan will direct officials to assess each employee record, cancel their subscription to the union and presumably return it to their pay packet without written notification from the employee whose money it is in the first place. If they don’t do that they will have to hold on to their employees money against the employees instruction provoking a Fr Ted situation where the money will be resting in their account!
The facility to deduct union membership from salaries was offered to the employee from the state, not from the union. The state pays the union at the direction of the states employee. They cannot unilaterally decide to withdraw that facility without entering into a discussion with its employees. They cannot, to quote the judgement, take information for the purpose of facilitating payment and use it for a political purpose of discommoding a union. Am I the only one who sees this as being a breach of an employee’s confidential data and rights? If you can try this one on with an employee’s union subvention what’s to stop a similar move to thwart payment to a health insurance provider if the government doesn’t like the cut of them too?


Since I started teaching how we were paid has changed enormously. We were told that it was all about the cashless society. The ATM (beloved of those of us who cast a sceptical eye in bench marking) replaced the cheque. But what we’re getting now is the amoral society. One where the Greens and FF will do, as they put it euphemistically, what has to be done to put this country back on its feet. There’s many a public servant who’ll be on their feet soon enough but not in the way that Cowen and company imagine.