Workers Solidarity Movement

Our solidarity to Cadburys workers who today begin an indefinite strike at the Coolock plant against the outsourcing of jobs.  The company is trying to destroy 17 properly paid and pensionable jobs to replace them with minimum wage ones.

"The UNITE trade union has formally pledged its support to the Campaign against the Household Charge. It will urge its members not to register and support national and local protest movements where it has a density of members around the country. - "The following comes from the UNITE circular today 24/2/12

Students assembled just before 12pm today in Maynooth to join lecturers and other staff at the National University of Ireland NUI Maynooth on the picket lines for a number of hours.. Solidarity pickets were placed on both North and South campuses of NUI Maynooth.

Former Airport worker Gordon McNeill has resumed hunger/thirst strike on Thursday to lift a gagging order clause preventing him speaking out against the role of trade union officials during the dispute.
Gordon commented: “Tony Woodley and Jimmy Kelly are offering me a bribe to keep me silent about the role of officials of my union. I will never accept these terms.

About 20-30 people today turned out for the lunchtime rally in support of the 3 sacked airport workers who have renewed their hunger and thirst strike. Gordon McNeill is on his 5 day of hunger and thirst strike and breaking news is that he has just been rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Message of support and solidarity were read out on behalf of the Northern Ireland Fire Brigades Union and teachers union INTO including prominant playright Jimmy McGovern who stated,

"Remember the way the TGWU betrayed the Liverpool dockers? I bet you thought no union could ever sink so low again. I did too. We were wrong. The way in Unite has treated the Belfast Airport workers is a disgrace. Unite's leaders should hang their heads in shame."

Former airport workers, Gordon McNeill, Madan Gupta and Chris Bowyer suspend their hunger strike after the Unite guarantees that their demands will be met. Despite refusing to speak to the strikers face to face and embarking on a deliberate scaremongering campaign of disinformation to undermine the strike (see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87081), trade union officials from Unite at HQ at Transport House in Belfast have finally caved into the demands of the striking Airport workers.

ICTU general secretary David Begg condemned the anti-bin tax campaign. He did this at the same time that the state was jailing protesters and refusing to collect rubbish from thousands of households in Dublin.