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Workplace News - South
An Post: 3% - No Strings Attached
By Susan Fitzgerald

Faced with threatened non payment of the 3% and up to 1,350 job losses An Post staff are being asked to pay the price for the mismanagementâ of our postal service resulting in the loss of 77 million euro in the last two years.

John Hynes who presided over the massive losses last year received a 27,000 euro performance-relatedâ bonus, some performance! This was on top of his 343,000 euro salary. Compare that to the average wage of a post person who receives 354.12 euro per week or 338.12 euro for a clerk.

A union protest was held at the Dail in January and while this was a positive first step, it achieved little, with only around 70 workers in attendance. The vast majority of workers remained at their desks or carried out their delivery, as directed to do so by the union. Many of those who did attend were angry at the limited nature of the protest.

The main point raised on the day was the payment of the 15% ESOP, one postman told the Socialist Voice "who would fight for 15% shares of nothing, the company is losing money, the real issues here are the 3% and our jobs".

The Union now needs to take decisive action now which involves all postal workers. The Government investment that was promised but never delivered in 1984 now needs to be fought for along with the immediate payment of 3% - no strings attached. There should be no job losses, rather an extension and adequate funding of this essential public service is necessary.

This same Government putting on the poor mouth when it comes to our public services and pay have reduced taxes by hundreds of millions of euro for big business. If they go ahead with their plans it would represent an outrageous attack not just on jobs and conditions but on an essential service.

This is a Government hell bent on keeping wages in the public sector as low as they can get away with. This fight is for decent pay and conditions but also for adequately funded public services and against privatisation.

Prison Officers Ballot for Strike
by Denis Keane

The excutive of the Prison Officers Association (POA) have decided to ballot its members for industrial action after the breakdown of its talks with the Government at the LRC.

Reducing the size of the overtime bill has been the government's main focus at the LRC. Other issues being discussed include what if any notice prison officers will be given to attend work and the raft of changes to working conditions that will be needed to implement the proposed annual hours scheme.

During the course of these discussions the POA were accused of breaking confidentiality by issuing a members' bulletin in the middle of the talks. This type of nonsense was reflective of management's intransigence, and the "hard ball" being played by Michael McDowell. His closure of two prisons and the de facto privatisation of two other prison facilities are proof that this Government want to break the prison officers, introduce massive cuts in wages and at begin the process of privatisation of the prison system.

The POA Executive at its meeting on 3 February decided to ballot its members for industrial action. The Executive will be asking prison officers to an overtime ban, the blacking of certain duties and if necessary an all-out strike.

The position taken by Minister McDowell in relation to the prison officers is linked to the Government's ideological drive to privatise the civil and public service. Prison officers should refuse to accept McDowell's dictats and begin an immediate campaign of industrial action to put manners on this rottweiler and his privatisation mad colleagues.

SIPTU Vice President Election
Vote Des Derwin - For a Democratic Fighting SIPTU
By Stephen Boyd

Des Derwin launched an attack on a business leader's claims that the minimum wage of 7 euro an hour is too high.

He said: "Is Pat Delaney serious? So this is what IBEC means by social partnership. The day after the national minimum wage was raised from €6.35 an hour to 7 euro, he says on radio that the rate is too high. Let him live on €273. He couldn't pay his mortgage for a start!"

Des Derwin SIPTU Vice President candidate is a low paid factory worker and member of the union for over 30 years. He is standing to oppose the social partnership agenda of the SIPTU leadership and to give a voice to the ordinary members. Des is committed to using the position of Vice President to begin the process of turning SIPTU into a democratic fighting trade union.

Des is calling for the minimum wage to be raised to 8 euro an hour, and thinks that union leaders should be paid workers' wages not executives salaries. He says, "The present salary of SIPTU General Officers is over 100,000 euro. If elected I will accept only the average industrial wage."

Balloting in the election for Vice President of SIPTU continues until 20 February. Derwin is running against the right wing candidate, Dublin Regional Secretary, Brendan Hayes.

Des Derwin wants to see combined and determined action in CIE and Aer Rianta until the Minister's plans to split them up are dropped. "A forceful stand against privatisation is needed, not just 'guarantees' in privatised companies".

The Socialist Party urges all SIPTU members who want a representative who will fight for their interests and not the interests of the bosses to vote for Des Derwin.