Time for public sector workers to withdraw from ICTU

national | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis

Thursday December 10, 2009 15:47

by Brendan Guilfoyle - IT Tralee TUI

That ICTU has singularly failed public sector workers is absolutely indisputable – the events of the last few weeks have only served to show in the most gruesome manner the appalling state of the current “leadership”. Every time our Union negotiators open their mouths they further discredit the public service, conceding ground, kicking to touch on industrial action and giving the government yet more ammunition to attack us with.

Isn't it time that the public service unions pulled out of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and formed a National Congress of Public Service Workers' to defend their members?

That ICTU has singularly failed public sector workers is absolutely indisputable – the events of the last few weeks have only served to show in the most gruesome manner the appalling state of the current “leadership”. Every time our Union negotiators open their mouths they further discredit the public service, conceding ground, kicking to touch on industrial action and giving the government yet more ammunition to attack us with.

They must be stopped immediately. Calling for their heads is a start but we have to move on and dismantle the anti-democratic structures that pervade the top of the trade unions in Ireland, starting with ICTU.

We need the grassroots empowerment of public sector workers. In Kerry, we are starting with a meeting this evening to mobilise workers. Details and developments will be posted to:

http://kpswa.wordpress.com

Others need to take this crisis and use it to undertake similar coordinated actions nationwide. It is time to build a truly representative movement of Irish workers, starting with the public sector.