CIE, Aer Rianta: for a co-ordinated campaign of strike action

Seamus Brennan showed his true colours when he went out of his way to appeal to the EU not to fine Ryanair for receiving an underhand state subsidy from Charleloi airport.

That's because Brennan and the rest of this pro-big business Government are hell bent on selling off our public services to spivs like O'Leary.

Workers in the public sector are facing into a major battle against privatisation. Aer Rianta, CIE and Aer Lingus are all being prepared for the auctioneer's hammer. And if the Government gets away with it, our public transport services will be destroyed.

Brennan is trying to force through the privatisation of 25% of Dublin's bus services, but that will only be the start. The Government's aim is to fully privatise the country's bus services. For the general public it will mean higher fares - the service will deteriorate - if you doubt this then look at what has happened to Britain's privatised bus service.

The future for transport workers is clearly shown by Aircoach. Bus drivers for the private bus company Aircoach have to work 12 hour shifts, they can only take a toilet break if they are ahead of schedule and they must pay for all damages to the bus they drive!

Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta workers can look forward to having anti-union and low paying employers like Michael O'Leary of Ryanair for their boss if they are privatised.

Jack O'Connor, SIPTU President, bent over backwards to stop Aer Rianta workers from striking on the day of the visit of the EU ministers. In Dublin Bus and CIE once again SIPTU and the leaders of the NBRU decided to go into meaningless talks rather that back their members call for strike action.

Our public transport services can be saved from the profiteers. Workers in CIE and Aer Rianta have voted for strike action. Last July's no fares day showed how much support there was amongst the general public for the CIE workers.

Now is the time for a co-ordinated campaign of industrial action including strike action to shut down the country's whole public transport system. Workers in Dublin Bus, CIE and Aer Rianta must demand mass union meetings at which they can force their spineless union leaders to stop the talking and take action.

This is an extremely weak and unpopular government. A campaign by public transport workers could mobilise the support of the majority of working class people and bring an end to Fianna Fail and the PD's public services sell-off!

The Fianna Fail privatisation juggernaut is rolling through the semi-states in general, and the transport sector in particular.

Determined to crush everything in its wake, oblivious to all rational argument and hell-bent on attacking jobs, working conditions and public services in the name of "competition" - a code name for handing over state assets to big business backers at the expense of the workforce and the taxpayer.

Faced with this juggernaut Aer Rianta workers prepared for a two-hour stoppage designed to coincide with the arrival of EU Ministers, as part of a campaign to stop this sabotage and protect their jobs. They were met with a vitriolic outpouring from all sections of the media and political and business establishment. In response, SIPTU backed down, with a promise from Seamus Brennan that the jobs would be protected. But as any former TEAM Aer Lingus employee knows, a letter of guarantee from Seamus is not worth the paper it is written on.

SIPTU president Jack O'Connor went out of his way to assure the establishment that the union had not a problem with the break-up, they merely wanted to be assured that jobs would be protected. But the only way jobs can be protected is to stop the break-up.

Aer Rianta is a consistently profitable state company, which has paid 100s millions euro in dividends to the exchequer, provided relatively decent secure pensionable employment, assisted in regional development and despite what Micahel O'Leary says, has been proven to have the third lowest landing charges in Europe. So why break it up?

There is no economic justification for the decision. There is no competition. Dublin, being the capital, with one third of the population will always be dominant. The break-up marks the death knell of Cork and Shannon, and will leave Dublin saddled with a debt and competition from the new terminal. It is a pre-privatisation measure. The only winners will be the vultures waiting in the wings to get their hands on the profits.

Similar pre-privatisation moves are afoot in Dublin Bus and Aer Lingus. There are only two choices for workers in these companies: bow down and be annihilated or take on the Government, the media and vested interests that dominate Irish society. Workers in Dublin Bus and Aer Rianta have already balloted for industrial action. Now is the time to act on those decisions.

Co-ordinated strike action by workers in CIE and Aer Rianta over the break up of their companies could be the start of a campaign to halt the Government in its tracks. SIPTU and the other main transport unions have the ability to win over the majority of the population behind a campaign to keep our public transport system state owned. Most working class people have no desire to see CIE, Aer Rianta and Aer Lingus handed over to the likes of Michael O'Leary.

The unions instead of cosying up to the Government, should immediately launch a campaign of industrial action linked to mobilising the general public in a campaign that would be capable of defeating this hated Government and stopping privatisation.

At a meeting of 500 Dublin Bus workers on 22 January an angry mood was reflected in the unanimous support given to the idea of strike action to defeat Brennan's plans.

But not suprisingly the leaderships of the NBRU and SIPTU agreed to accept assurances from Seamus Brennan on job security and re-entered talks.

SIPTU has set 18 March as a date for industrial action. However Michael Halpenny, SIPTU national industrial secretary has said the type of action has not yet been decided.

The Government are on a full scale drive to privatise this country's public transport service. Workers in CIE, Aer Rianta and Aer Lingus are all immediately threatened. Our union leaders need to be forced into taking real action to defend our jobs, wages, working conditions and the quality of service we provide to the general public.

"No fares day" last year showed the level of support that's out there for our cause. But instead of building on this support and going on an offensive against the government the union leaders have entered a process of meaningless talks which have got us no where.

A mood exists in Dublin Bus for industrial action to force the government to back off. The idea of co-ordinated industrial action by workers in CIE and Aer Rianta should be pursued and a date named.

Dublin Bus workers must demand that mass meetings of all workers are called to discuss tactics for winning this dispute. These meetings should not just be consultative but must take decisions which instruct our union officials to organise a campaign of effective industrial action. SIPTU and the NBRU have entered the talks without even threatening the Government with strike action if they don't drop their plans. We can no longer allow our officials to prevaricate.

The "talks" should not be used as an excuse to delay strike action. If the ordinary members don't take control of this dispute then the leaders of SIPTU and the NBRU will do a rotten deal with the Government which will result in the break up of CIE and the introduction of privatisation - its time for action.