SIPTU vice president election

Vote Des Derwin

Des Derwin is standing for vice-president of SIPTU. Des is standing against the official candidate of the bureaucracy Brendan Hayes, a SIPTU official who supports social partnership, strict compliance with the Industrial Relations Act and the ending of the membership electing the SIPTU NEC.

By Stephen Boyd

Des Derwin is standing for the creation of a fighting democratic SIPTU committed to defending its members rights.

In an interview for the Voice Des said: "Cuts in social welfare, social economy jobs and community services slashed, not a sod turned for affordable houses, jailing of protestors against the bin tax, wholesale privatisation, a massive transfer of capital overseas... and the SIPTU leadership still considers the employers and the government to be its partners!"

Des Derwin has been a union activist in the ITGWU and SIPTU since 1973, and has pledged that if elected he will only accept the average industrial wage. For the SIPTU leadership partnership must be defended at all costs, even if it results in wholesale privatisation of our public services. Des stated:" The leadership supports and accepts social partnership, and 1990 Industrial Relations Act, binding arbitration and so on. The weakening of shop floor trade unionism and solidarity, has lead to defeats at Cityjet, Ryanair, Pat the Baker and Nolans Transport. In each case the essential ingredient, the mobilisation of blacking action among the wider trade union movement, was avoided by the union like an infectious disease. In both CIE and Aer Rianta the Union suspended action for a Summer of fruitless talks. SIPTU needs to adopt a strategy that will win: combined and simultaneous transport standstills in CIE and Aer Rianta." The Socialist Party calls on all SIPTU members to vote for Des Derwin as the only candidate who is capable and willing to fight for SIPTU to break from its unholy coalition with big business and the Government, and to put the members interests first.