Solidarity Bulletin produced by the ASF

SOLIDARITY BULLETIN
Issue 8 December 2001

NEW YEAR - SAME OLD PATH

The war in Afghanistan appears to be reaching its conclusion with the collapse of the Taliban regime, the ‘War on Terror’ is far from over.

This is a war which has brought us new, draconian legislation and curbs on our civil liberties. Already, people arrested at demonstrations in Prague, Gothenburg and Genoa have seen their freedom of movement within the European Union curtailed.

All of this on the back of literally tens of thousands of dead people, most of them from the working class, in the USA and Afghanistan. All of this in the name of profit for, literally, a handful of people who are already obscenely wealthy. Still the myth persists that the war in Afghanistan is the US state giving Osama bin Laden and his Taliban hosts their ‘just desserts’ for the atrocities of the World Trade Centre attacks. While the US state is the leader in this war, it is doing so in the service of its real master; the interests of international Capital. It seems likely that whatever new regime emerges in post-war Afghanistan will be somewhat more accommodating to the needs of Unocal, and provide a pipeline across Afghanistan to carry oil through to the Arabian sea.

No small partner is this business has been the Irish Government, which has allowed US military aircraft to stop over for refuelling at Shannon airport.

As the ‘War on Terror’ looks set to spread to other countries (Iraq, Syria etc being principally in the frame), these ‘stop-overs’ will probably continue, without the people of Ireland being consulted. Resistance is being built across Ireland against the actions of all States involved in this terrorist war. Ultimately, though, we will not stop wars until capitalism is a thing of the past. Wars between states are a logical outcome of capitalism; the war it wages against the standard of living of the working class is the reality of our daily lives as workers. The power of capital to do anything, including wage international wars, flows from the wealth that we as workers create for it in our workplaces and communities. Only in these places have we any power to stop it.

"Without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn" (from ‘Solidarity Forever’, by Ralph Chaplin, IWW songwriter, first appeared in 1916)

CAPITALISM KILLS

Poverty is killing around 2,000 people each year in Northern Ireland.

The recently published 'In Poor Health' report by the General Consumer Council has revealed that up to 2,000 people would live longer every year if district council areas with the highest death rates had the same health status as those areas with the lowest death rates. The research also revealed children born in poorer working class families are smaller and have a higher death rate. Life expectancy among poorer families in Northern Ireland is similar to that in Eastern European countries.

TRIBUNAL RULES FOR PLASTICS WORKERS

Recently an industrial tribunal ruled that four workers at MKF in Newry were unfairly dismissed and entitled to compensation.

The former workers of MKF plastics in Newry were dismissed last June for "wilful damage of company property". They were dismissed after they cut bags to remove a mixture used to make rolls of sheet plastic; a procedure which was standard practice.
The German-owned factory later shut down its Newry operation citing trade and economic difficulties as the principle factors in the plants downfall.

An unofficial strike involving 40 workers was held in June, followed by an official strike by 45 SIPTU members from September 2000 until the factory closed one month later. Workers stood solidly by their sacked colleagues despite knowing that the MKF had threatened to pull out of Northern Ireland if strike action went ahead. Former MKF workers were balloted in full knowledge of this threat and knew that MKF were pulling out whether or not they supported their fellow workers. More than 60 workers at the Carnbane plant lost their jobs.

Northern Ireland was sold to MKF as a site for investment, low wages and poor union organisation. The lack of compliance may have been a factor in their pulling out. They were such a bad employer that workers decided to put their dignity above the threat of redundancy and fight on. Next time we should hold onto the factories and send the bosses packing.

NO TO PPP/PFI

Trade Unions called on the public to fight privatisation of public services at a rally in Belfast on Tuesday 4th December.

A total of 22 projects valued at £134 million have already been signed using the private finance initiative, the most common form of PPP. Another nine projects to a value of £160 million are going through procurement stages in education, health, transport and culture, and a further 16 are under 'active consideration' .The executive has defended the policy on the grounds that public funds alone cannot meet Northern Ireland's estimated £5 billion infrastructural deficit. Under PPP, private sector interests agree to design, build, finance or maintain public facilities in return for an annual payment. The first PPP school was opened this year in Dungannon, and building is also underway at three other schools in Belfast. In health, the private sector is involved in equipment leases, car parking at the Royal, energy at Holywell and Craigavon, renal units at Belfast City and Antrim, clinical waste, and lab IT at the Royal and Belfast City. The Water Service is also using private finance for sewage treatment works at Kinnegar, Co Down.

All the Parties at Stormont are fully behind the Public Finance Initiative and Public Private Partnership methods of securing funding for our ailing Public Services. Politicians are attempting to blackmail us into accepting funding from any source for our public services.

Our political ‘representatives’ support the increased encroachment of private enterprise into the provision of our services. We already have a two tier health care system. Those who can pay get seen immediately those who can’t wait - often until it is too late.

We have all witnessed the horrific catalogue of rail disasters, injuries and deaths which resulted from the privatisation and break up of British Rail. Under-funded as a nationalised industry it became a death trap with the introduction of the profit motive.
The labour movement must build rank and file resistance to this privatisation by the back door and demand, in solidarity with working class communities, proper funding for our services. Private interest our the public services will put profit before people. Allowing investors to make a profit out of our public transport, housing, and health care will mean more cut backs and job losses, reduced safety standards, longer waiting lists, and ultimately it will cost more lives.

For too long we have allowed the New Labour government and local sectarian politicians to get away with talking about our health care, public transport, housing, refuse collection and other public services as things to be addressed in terms of "what can be afforded" instead of "what is needed". The fact that one of the first things ‘our’ MLA’s did was award themselves a 33% pay rise for enacting New Labour attacks on working people begs the question "can we afford to keep them?".

To ensure that the government does not get away with this latest attack on working people the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation is urging the creation of a strong rank and file resistance in our workplaces. We need to take on this threat with direct action against the bosses and politicians and build the maximum of solidarity among those working in our public services across the barriers of trades sectionalism. This solidarity must go right into the heart of the working class communities which will be worst effected.

Control of our own struggles, direct action and the building of rank and file solidarity are crucial, to this struggle. This is too important a battle to be left in the hands of full time officials -with their poor track record of taking on the bosses. We can only rely on ourselves - and any gains or victories we may achieve will only be secure when we replace the current system , which puts profits before people, with one based on libertarian socialism and workers control of production and distribution for need.