Massive votes grow for action on March 30th

Workers have voted in large numbers for industrial action on March 30th but the corporate and state media is doing everything to break morale.

The primary teachers union, the INTO, voted by 79 percent for action.
The TUI voted by 69 percent while the ASTI voted by 61 percent.

The votes are all the more remarkable because sections of the union leaders deliberately repeated the line that ‘nothing could be done about the pension levy’.

One branch of SIPTU, however, challenged that view and insisted on conducting their own ballot for industrial action to withdraw the levy. The vote of the Education Branch of SIPTU was 88 percent in favour of such action.
In most countries when there is a major confrontation between workers and the wealthy, the media drops all pretence at independence and tries to break the movement from below.

This is precisely what is happening at the moment.

On Sunday night, RTE ran a special programme at the prime slot of 9.30 at night which featured George Lee telling the country it ‘had to get real’.
Getting real meant taking wage cuts, slimming down the public sector, and having a government that gave a lead. The programme was full of green flags, Irish pride and analogies with football teams. The message was: Share the Pain

On Monday, Joe Duffy devoted much of his show to attacking the strike and at one stage called it the ‘pre April Fools day strike’.

All though the day, RTE carried news that IMPACT had voted AGAINST the strike.
The accurate story was that the members of IMPACT voted by a 65 percent margin to strike but did not achieve the required two thirds majority. The main reason for this was the hesitancy and incompetence of a union leadership who had no stomach for a right.

The ICTU called a general ballot on the March 30th stoppage and workers have now voted for. The main thing now is to go ahead.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:

• Elect a strike committee in your workplace.
• The strike committee should organise picket rosters and ensure that all workplace entrances are covered.
• Mobilise for a massive demonstration on Monday March 30th.
• Start preparing now for a general strike to challenge the vicious right wing budget on April 7th.

Send reports on action to info@swp.ie