Dublin: Floating picket of residents blocks shipping lanes

[*Red*Alert]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/tile/2009/0828/1224253403759_1.jpg
East Wall and Ringsend residents in a small boat slow the progress of a Stena Line (anti-union as well) ferry in Dublin Port yesterday.



TALKS AIMED at ending an eight-week long industrial dispute involving workers at a Dublin Port company are to take place at the Labour Relations Commission next Monday morning.


Siptu is to meet Marine Terminals Limited (MTL) to try to resolve the dispute, which has resulted in a series of protests and a two-month strike by workers at the cargo-handling company.


The union claims the company wants to introduce compulsory redundancies and cut the pay and disimprove conditions of the remaining workers.
About 40 MTL staff and supporters continued their protests yesterday when, using five 5.2m (17ft) boats, they attempted to block ships entering and leaving the port. Siptu said no ships entered the MTL berth, which can accommodate up to five vessels, during the protest, and a Stena Line vessel was delayed for a time in the main channel because of the protest. “The floating picket was a declaration of intent by the community,” said one of the protesters, “that the community backs the strikers.”


Earlier this week, the company said “unions must recognise that, for the port of Dublin to remain competitive in a deteriorating market, changes must be made”.

[BOZG]

Port firm gets injunction over harassment of workers

AODHÁN Ó FAOLÁIN and MARTIN WALLA COMPANY at the centre of a lengthy strike at Dublin port has been granted an interim injunction against Siptu, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and a number of officials and workers from seeking to harass staff who are continuing to work.


The High Court yesterday was told that last week a group of protesters had travelled to Athy in Co Kildare, where some of the personnel who are continuing to work at Marine Terminals live, and put up posters and distributed fliers identifying the workers concerned.


Continued... (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0901/1224253589111.html)


Particularly worrying is the fact that the court has given the go ahead to management to begin proceeding against any workers who refer to the scabs as "scabs".


It's good though that the workers are beginning to take action outside of the restraints of the union leadership and officials. Listening to those parasites speaking at one of the protests last week would almost reduce you to encouraging left-wing terrorism against the union leadership!

[OneNamedNameLess]

Resistance in Ireland has been very impressive over the course of the economic slump. I know the Republic is not teetering on the brink of the revolution or anything, but it's great to see many struggles emerging and those who are suffering most taking a stand.

[BOZG]

Resistance in Ireland has been very impressive over the course of the economic slump. I know the Republic is not teetering on the brink of the revolution or anything, but it's great to see many struggles emerging and those who are suffering most taking a stand.

Decades of Social Partnership has taken its toll and it will take a period of time for the ideas and methods of struggle to emerge on a generalised basis but things have certainly started off very positively.

Thomas Cook though is of particularly importance. Many of the struggles that have taken place so far have been in traditional, unionised industries - public sector, docks (the birthplace of trade unionism in Ireland), Coca-Cola, construction etc. But who would have foreseen that a bunch of travel agents would be one of the first to take the step of occupying their workplace. That is a real sign of how consciousness is changing.