A concerted attempt is underway by the government, the media and the ICTU leaders to bully workers into reversing their vote on Croke Park 2.
We should stand firm and say NO. We should go further and get rid of union leaders whose primary loyalty is to the Labour Party. They are undermining the very basis of trade unionism.

In a statement today, the strikers at Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant, announced that 2 workers have passed their picket line to carry out work at the plant.

The workers who passed the picket line this morning are believed to have been flown in from Spain by the Spanish section of the Management.

The workers have also raised serious health and safety concerns that, as the laboratory workers are not passing the picket line, the water quality may not be being tested at the site for three days now.

SIPTU members at Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant, Co. Dublin, began strike action today (Tuesday, 21st May) at 6.30 a.m. in response to their employer’s failure to refer a dispute relating to pay and shift premium payments to the Labour Court.

The facility treats water for domestic and commercial purposes for 248,000 people living in Dublin and Wicklow.

UCD Sociologist, Kieran Allen, has called on TDs to hold a similar investigation into corporate tax dodging in Ireland as the one currently being held in the US through the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Sub-Committee of Investigations.

‘Irish politicians have proclaimed that a defence of the 12.5% profits tax regime is central to Ireland’s development strategy.

From Caesar to Napoleon the attempt to ‘divide and conquer’ has been a favoured tactic of elites everywhere. Imperialists from the British in India to the Belgians in Rwanda instinctively understood the need to set up spurious divisions amongst their opponents.

In response the maxim of the oppressed must surely be ‘united we stand, divided we fall’.

This is why the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is intuitively appealing. The idea of organising a multitude of unions into a collective structure should surely work to the advantage of workers.

Health Minister Edwin Poots should be removed from his position as Health Minister due to his callous approach to care homes for the elderly. Edwin Poots is the health minister and despite attempts to deflect responsibility onto chief executives of various trusts-the buck stops with him. It is he who decides whether care homes open or close in the North.

Over the past several weeks it has been announced that 18 National Health Service (NHS) care homes would close, affecting 307 residents. The reason given by Poots et al. is that they want to “Deliver care in the community”.

Bus Eireann management are about to ram in a draconian cost cutting plan, cutting drivers pay and benefits. If they succeed it will be a blueprint for ALL CIE companies; Dublin Bus will be next.

Martin Nolan Chief Executive Officer of Bus Eireann stated that the company is in a serious deteriorating financial situation, despite savage service cuts over the last 3 years.

Nolan claims there are losses of €16 million and extra fuel costs of €4 million , while the state subvention has been reduced by €6 Million.