The depth and the scale of the damage that
the Tories and Liberal Democrats intend to impose on the public sector
will
become more apparent on the 20th October when the results of
the
Comprehensive Spending Review will be announced. Already the summer
budget has highlighted
the threat of between 25% and 40% cuts across government departments.
The
last few days have seen a flurry of activity, the AIB bill has been
presented, the polls show Labour miles ahead of both Fianna Fáil and
Fine Gael. The economy is faltering and there is a four year budget
plan on the way, although it is unlikely to be delivered to Leinster
House via a cement lorry. But what are the prospects for the main
parties and how do the trade union struggles over the last two years
fit into the equation?
IRELAND: It
was announced last week that the cost of bailing out AIB has reached
€29.5 billion, which might in fact be €34 billion; and that the total
cost of the bailout could be €46 billion, some 32% of Gross Domestic Product . The implications of this are a recipe for class struggle and massive turbulence within the state.
Last week, for several days running, the government in Romania faced stiff
opposition on the streets to its package of austerity measures. So much
so that the interior minister was forced to resign, while the prime
minister was also called on to resign. So tense was the situation that
the police held emergency talks with the president.
Very rarely does one venture into the “personal finance” section of
the business papers. Maybe it is because advice on how to invest your
million pounds fortune doesn’t seem that relevant to your life
situation. Sometimes, however, it pays off.
Dramatic events unfolded in Ecuador last week when a sizeable group
of the country’s police forces tried to overthrow the left-wing
government of Rafael Correa. The official reason for the rebellion of
the police forces was a law passed by Congress on Wednesday that would
end the practice of giving members of Ecuador’s military and police
medals and bonuses with each promotion.
On Sunday October 3rd the – at times – torrential
rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of around 7,000 marchers as they wound
their way through Birmingham city centre in protest against Tory/Lib Dem
government’s planned cuts. As Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary,
said speaking from the rally platform, ”If thousands could be mobilised against
the cuts in the pouring rain, just think what could be achieved if the TUC were
to organise such a demonstration. We could bring hundreds of thousands onto the
streets.”
Steve Kelly reports on a meeting against the cuts organised in the heart of Essex.
Sacked Polish workers gathered yesterday at the gates at Siemens new power
station at
Uskmouth near Newport to meet with representative of the GMB union. The
workers
were sacked by management of Durmar Ltd, the lowest link in a chain of
contractors and sub contractors. It is rumoured that the workers have
been replaced with other workers by Isocore, an Austrian contractor
that sub-contracted the
work to Durmar, who employed workers to lag pipe work on this project.
The result of the elections to Venezuela’s National Assembly
elections on Sunday was greeted by jubilation in the bourgeois media
internationally. It is too early to make a definitive judgment about
the results, and it has not been confirmed the right wing has overtaken
the PSUV in votes. However, the deafening chorus of triumph in the
international media is premature.
The
mood at the Miraflores presidential palace on Sunday night was one of
cautious waiting and one could even feel a slight nervousness in the
air as thousands of Bolivarians had gathered to hear the first results
of the country’s parliamentary elections
As part of his campaign for General Secretary of UNITE Jerry Hicks
will be addressing a series of public meetings and visiting a number of
workplaces across Ireland in the coming week (beginning the 27th
September).