PRESS RELEASE: Jerry
Hicks, the candidate standing on a platform of greater democracy in the
‘UNITE’ union and for a more militant policy in defense of jobs and
conditions, spoke at the Amicus section of ‘UNITE The Union’ in
Northampton on Saturday.
The "red mud" surge in Hungary several days ago, which destroyed houses, ruined land, cost a number of lives and has poluted the Danube – with a second surge being threatened – has shocked people not only in Hungary but throughout Europe and beyond. How did it happen – and who is to blame? The bosses media outlets are being in the main somewhat vague on this – our reporter in Hungary goes behind the scenes.
The Sunday Independent carried several articles in its October 10th
edition leaving absolutely no room for doubt that the knives are being
sharpened and the target is the Croke Park Agreement. Such is the venom
for the trade unions and the working class that even James Connolly was
dragged into the argument – on the side of the bosses!
The magnificent movement of the French
workers is an inspiration to the workers of all Europe. It shows the
real face of the French working class. Yesterday (Wednesday) strikers were
continuing their action for a second day running, following an
impressive day of action on Tuesday.
PRESS RELEASE: Jerry Hicks,
grassroots candidate for the position of Unite General Secretary, says Unite
must reject the Con Dem Government’s plans to slash Civil Servant
redundancy payments.
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.”