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 No to a paltry minimum wage - Demand €12 an hour now with no exemptions!
Cillian Gillespie, Dublin SY

The increase in the national minimum wage from €7.65 to €8.30 an hour this month (it is due to go up to €8.65 an hour in July) will make little difference to the living standards of young workers in Ireland.

This is particularly true given the fact that the discriminatory exemptions in the terms of the minimum wage legislation will remain in place (see Did you know? box). As well as this, the cost of living continues to skyrocket. In a recent report it was revealed that Dublin was the 18th most expensive city out of 144 countries surveyed worldwide.

Not surprisingly however, the increase in the minimum wage has been met with a howl of opposition from the bosses’ organisations IBEC and the Small Firms’ Association. They argue that the increase will mean a rise in "labour costs" and make Irish companies "less competitive". This is simply veiled language for them seeking to protect the record profits that they are making.

The leadership of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has uncritically welcomed the increase in the minimum wage and argue its vindication of their participation in the "social partnership" process. Yet the restraining of wages over the years of the boom has seen a massive transfer of wealth away from workers to the bosses.

Socialist Youth demands the immediate implementation of a tax free minimum wage of €12 an hour with no exemptions. Instead of cosying up to the bosses in IBEC and their representatives in the government, we believe that the leadership of ICTU should wage a real fighting campaign to make this demand a reality.

This should involve a campaign of unionising many young workers who work in the private sector. The fight against low pay should also be linked in with fighting the worsening conditions that many young workers are faced with in their workplace. For example, many young people are increasingly forced to seek employment via employment agencies where they are often given ultra-flexible jobs where they can be sacked at any time.

Young people however should not wait for the union leadership to act. They should look at getting organised in their own workplace and seek to fight against the "race to the bottom" that is eroding their conditions and wages.

Did you know?

How the minimum wage legislation discriminates against young workers:

- A worker under the age of 18 is only entitled to 70% of the minimum wage - €5.81 an hour

- A worker in their first year of employment over the age of 18 is only entitled to 80% of the minimum wage - €6.64 an hour

- A worker in their second year of employment over the age 18 is only entitled to 90% of the minimum wage - €7.47 an hour

- Apprentices are not entitled to the minimum wage at all!

STOP PRESS - JJB Sports sack young shop steward

Last month, JJB Sports, which has a number of stores in Ireland, has sacked Chris Riley a shop steward in one of its warehouses in Wigan in England. The young workers in this workplace had won a victory on pay and conditions through industrial action a few weeks before the sacking. Socialist Youth will be holding protests in solidarity with these young workers in the coming weeks. Click here to read more about this.

Organise!

Last year Socialist Youth initiated Organise! The young workers’ rights campaign. If you want to fight your boss in your workplace, please contact us on 087 1274315.

Socialist Youth News
 Primark, Pennys, Tesco, Asda - Profit from slavery!
Hazel Kersey, Cork SY

The organisation ‘War on Want’ has released a report highlighting the grotesque super-exploitation of garment workers in Bangladesh. The factories investigated all produce clothing for Tesco, Asda and Primark, which trades under the name Penneys in the South.

Workers were found to be working 80 hours a week and earning as little as £7.54 per month. Better-paid sewing machine operators earn £16 per month, which equates to 5p (7c) per hour. The average wage in Bangladesh is estimated to be £22 pounds per month making it one of the most exploited workforces in the world. Working in unsafe conditions, seven days a week, workers are forced to work overtime or lose their job. Women who are the majority of the workforce are paid less than men and also face sexual harassment and abuse.

Primark/Pennys, Tesco and Asda and are as much responsible for the abuse of these workers as the factory owners. Immense pressure is put on factories to produce garments as cheaply as possible and yet no questions are asked as to how they do this. All three companies have signed up to the Ethical Trading Initiative, It seems this is used as an endorsement to attract customers rather than a genuine move towards what they call "ethical business practices’’.

These companies point to social audits of factories as proof of their innocence, but these are nothing more than superficial assessments. The factory owners are given 20 days notice enabling them to prepare for inspections. Workers interviewed are intimidated and coached by management to say the right things.

Last summer a wave of demonstrations took place. The workers demands included payment of a living wage and the right to organise. This demonstrates the potential for radical change if the workers were to organise into a trade union.

In solidarity with the Bangladeshi workers Socialist Youth are starting a campaign to highlight that the profits of Primark/Pennys, Tesco, and Asda are based on a modern day slavery.
Socialist Youth News
 Poverty in abundance
Cian Prendiville, Limerick SY

"A rising tide lifts all boats" ... and drowns those of us who can't afford one! That seems to be the finding of a number of recent reports on poverty and inequality, as the world becomes more unequal than ever.

With a billion people earning less than $1 dollar a day, it's no surprise that the total wealth of 50% of the world's adult population amounts to only 1.1% of the world's wealth. At the same time the richest 500 bosses own 1.7% of it!

So whilst one billion people go without clean water, the super rich buy Cartier designer deodorants at $30,000 a pop. Apparently even they can't stand the stench of their greed!

What makes these statistics more amazing is that they come from reports controlled by the super rich themselves – none other than Forbes magazine and the UN. Inequality is at such a level that the super rich can no longer close their eyes to it. Instead now they peddle the idea that we are "going in the right direction" - just too slowly.

In fact, capitalism (even at time of economic growth) is causing increased inequality and poverty. For example, wages in Bangladesh have halved (in real terms) in the last 10 years.

But don't be fooled – this is neither natural nor inevitable. The resources and technology are there to meet the needs of everyone, but in the hands of the super rich these will only be used to maximise profits at our expense. Only by wiping out capitalism can we wipe out poverty!
Socialist Youth News
 Scrooge of the Year Award 2006
Socialist Youth

During the month of December, Socialist Youth in Dublin and Cork held the annual “Scrooge of the Year Award.”

This year there were many contestants such as Xerox who are planning to sack 1,300 workers and Bank of Ireland who slashed workers’ pensions. In the end, it was Shell who romped home scooping first prize in Dublin.

In Cork, Mary Harney claimed first spot for the sham of a health service she presides over. Congratulations to both!