Workers Solidarity Movement

Articles on 1916, the War of Independence and related issues published by the WSM as well as material by other anarchists and documents from the period.

Image: Money issued by the 1919 Limerick Soviet

WSM member and UNITE activist Dermot Sreenan gives his initial opinion on the (Draft) Public Sector Agreement. "We must reject this deal and when we vote for rejecting this deal – we are going back to what we voted for back in October, Strike. If the leadership cannot allow, contemplate or enable us to do that – then we replace them. Our Unions are still ours. It is time to clean house – it is time to get back to injury to one is the concern of all."

40 members of the new Anti-Water Tax Campaign from Waterford, Cork and Dublin protested outside the Green Party conference last weekend.  John Gormley and his fellow Green TDs have been leading the charge to impose this additional charge on households, pretending a regressive tax is somehow an environmental measure.

The second program of Dublin WSM's community radio show, Radio Solidarity - focusing on the Economy - was broadcast on Near FM on the 23rd of March. The Program focuses on the Irish Economy - or how we went from dancing on rivers to drowning in one. We cover a range of stories, from the Economy, NAMA, explaining it, looking at specific properties, and finally looking at a campaign that may provide a solution to this mess.

It was announced today that the NAMA board members received a huge pay hike with the board's chair receiving a 70% pay increase. This is in stark contract to the two successive wage cuts of between 14% - 18% of income for all public sector workers.We've consistently heard the idea that we "all need to pull together" to get out of this recession, and that painful cuts are necessary. This however has shown itself to be little more than a slogan.

March - April 2010 Edition of the Workers Solidarity freesheet.

PDF of Workers Solidarity 114 Southern Web Edition 2.8 Mb

Public Service Work-To-Rule
Haiti: Intervention and Imperialism
Transformation Agenda
Solidarity Books opens its doors in Cork
That's Capitalism
European anarchists meet in Paris
Keep Water Free
Review of An Anarchist FAQ
Thinking About Anarchism

The ruling class strategy of making working people pay for the crisis has seen public and private sector pay cuts, job losses, welfare reductions and slashing of important services like special needs assistants for children with physical and mental problems. Coming soon, if Cowan and Gormley have their way, is the return of a domestic water tax.

Since the middle of January civil and public servants have engaged in a work-to-rule in an attempt to force a reversal of the pay cuts announced by the government in the December budget. Across the country workers in government offices, colleges, schools, hospitals etc. are taking action, which they hope will result in a change of government policy.

This is a plan to secure “efficiencies” by getting people to work harder and for longer, meaning that some existing jobs can be scrapped. Of course there are some sensible suggestions for improving services, but they mask an agenda for getting rid of jobs.