ICTU biennial conference 2009.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions Biennial conference 2009 was held in Tra lee, County Kerry this year. Seán Brady – delegate for UNISON Community and Voluntary Branch reports on the conference:

Five days in Tralee, in picturesque county Kerry, in the company of 500 Irish trade unionists! For a first time delegate it was an experience to remember. Of course there was much networking and meeting with old and new friends. There was also much socialising and overdoing it! And thanks to my good friends at the RVH Branch, there was much assisted recovery with excellent medical advice.

However, the conference was about business, and serious business given the current political and economic climate in Ireland. I had the pleasure of hearing representatives of the Waterford crystal employees who recently took action against their employers and captured the imagination of Trade Unionists everywhere. And of course their comrades in Visteon were to follow suit, occupying the Ford/Visteon factory in Belfast to force employers to honour their contracts.

Similar examples of the mistreatment and abuse of workers across the country were repeated every day at the conference. In every work place represented there was a particular story of ruthlessness on the part of employers, but also ingenuity and strength on the part of employees. Furthermore the undercurrent of anger at the gross economic failure of political leaders north and south was palpable throughout.

It was apparent that in every work place in Ireland workers and services are under attack. It was clear that the problem is not with workers or the services they provide, but with the corrupt system under which we all live and work in this country. This was reflected in the scores of motions discussed and debated over the four days.

There was, it is fair to say, a fairly gloomy outlook for the future of the Irish workforce, but not a sense of defeat for the Irish Trade Union movement.

There were stark warnings for the Fianna Fáil government that the Irish trade union movement would seek to work in partnership with politicians when feasible, but not at the expense of the labour force we represent.

It was made clear that the Irish trade union movement will take action when it is necessary to ensure that the economic crisis created by global capitalism and domestic greed would not be borne by its working class victims.

My experience of the ICTU conference was of seeing again a determined trade union movement; similar to the British trade unionists I had the pleasure of sharing company with at UNISON’s national delegate conference in Brighton recently.

I saw an organised cross section of activists with influence in every sphere of society, an understanding of political and economic realities, and a resolute determination to continue to build a labour force capable of fighting for the rights of all.

It was an emotional time for UNISON delegates and members as Patricia Mc Keown stepped down as President this year with the gratitude of every union in attendance for the sterling work during her time as president.  A firm commitment was given that the work she had done, and in some cases pioneered, in recent years, would continue in the years to come.

It was abundantly clear that the years that face us all will offer challenges and hard times. However, there will be little room for losing morale, becoming discouraged or surrendering hard won rights in the envisaged onslaught on jobs and services.

It is an undeniable reality that governmental policy in Leinster house and Stormont is at odds with the needs of Irish workers and the Trade union movement as a whole – to put it mildly.

As Brian Cowen was afforded the courtesy of speaking to the conference on Friday it was also clear that his office and the policies emanating from it will not be tolerated by the 850,000 workers represented at the conference.

His speech was characteristic of his tenure and of the rhetoric we hear every day from his class of politician: ‘we all must tighten our belts’, ‘hard times are ahead and trade unionists need to be responsible’, ‘the economic crisis is not our fault but rather a global accident’, ‘the cure is to be found in the disease’; his address fell on the ears of 500 real working people who knew much better.

Where belts must be tightened he meant cuts in public services, benefits, health, education and the entire infrastructure of a stable and sustainable society – unacceptable.

Trade unionists need to be responsible was code for; please don’t use your strength as we guillotine your rights in the workplace and your jobs – unacceptable.

The ‘crisis not of our making’ was cool Orwellian language for it’s our fault but you will have to pay as we bail out wealthy bankers and big business – unacceptable.

And as for the proposed cure – cut backs, wage cuts, employment rights eroded, financial salvation for the rich minority and a further squeezing of the majority – unacceptable, unacceptable, unacceptable!

So, as Brian Cowan took his seat after addressing an audience who seemed more educated in economic and labour matters than he, the emperor’s clothes were stripped from him on stage in the eloquent counter speech delivered by ICTU general secretary David Begg.  The blame was laid fairly where it belonged, and to rapturous applause Begg tore Mr Cowan’s analysis to shreds whilst simultaneously proposing real social solutions to the many and varied problems we collectively face.

As I sat and watched I could not help but think that if representatives of the trade union movement, committed to the protection of workers’ rights and the delivery of first class services, were in charge in this country we would face a much brighter future.

The gulf between the Trade Union analysis and the Cowan, Free Market analysis was enormous and it was hard to see how the two could be reconciled, however, Taoisigh come and go, politicians come and go, workers are infinite and are the life blood of the Irish economy.

The trade union movement is here to stay, and if the proposals contained in the motions agreed at the ICTU biennial conference 2009 are turned into reality – together we can, not only face down the crisis which burdens us all, but emerge stronger and better placed to mould the future our children will inherit.