Irish Transport Unions will Destroy Public Transport in Ireland with their 1970's Fai

sligoliner

In 1984, a fanatic at the head of the British Miners Union by the name of Arthur Scargill, during the height of the British Coal Miners Strikes was offered a deal by the British Government/McGregor. They were given a promise that collieries in the UK would be kept opened if they fulfilled a social purpose within a community and not a just an economic one as long as the miners returned to work. Scargill and other hardcore elements within the miners union rejected this compromise, which would have given the British Coal Miners victory and a chance to return to work.

In the wake of this rejection, the British’s government’s attitude hardened, the strikers lost public sympathy, the miners lost the strike and gained nothing and the pits were closed anyway. It could have all been avoided, if Arthur Scargill would have looked at the offer and considered it carefully. Former UK Labour Party Leader Neil Kinnock said it was that moment of Scargill’s rejection of the compromise that coal mining in British as an industry was destroyed forever.

Move on to Ireland in 2004 and the CIE unions are indulging in much the same Scargill mindset. “No” to compromise on the break-up of CIE, “No” to flexibly working hours and “Yes” to life long jobs and the Irish taxpayer is expected to pay for all this without question. By the same token, the Rail and Bus unions act as if the Irish taxpayer and passenger is not even involved in this dynamic.

The leadership of the Irish Rail and Bus unions are so self-absorbed and entrenched in their fight against public transport privatisation (which is not even on the cards for the vast majority of them), that they will eventually anger everybody in Ireland to the point where the Irish Government will just throw in the towel and full UK-style privatisation of Ireland’s bus and rail network will be foisted upon the Irish public transport user. Nobody wants this. But it will be the end result if sanity and reason does not prevail. This will be all because of a union who learned nothing from the British Miners Strike of 1984.

The NBRU is so totally out of touch with Irish society as a whole, that they sincerely and honestly believe that the Irish public has some deep-rooted affection for CIE. The reality is that Irish people realise that CIE for the most part has failed miserably to provide integrated transport in Ireland in the last 60 years and is an archaic dinosaur, which should be consigned to the rubbish bin of history. We need compromises and middle ground. Thus far, only the rail passengers, bus passengers and Irish government have been flexible (and not by their choice either). The Bus and Rail unions are still stomping their feet like children. Don’t let them destroy public transport Ireland with their selfishness and inflexibility.

The Irish travelling public and taxpayers are the paymasters and the most important element in all this.

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Tommy Vercetti

The miners' strike and CIE are two completely different things

The reality is that Irish people realise that CIE for the most part has failed miserably to provide integrated transport in Ireland in the last 60 years and is an archaic dinosaur, which should be consigned to the rubbish bin of history.

CIE is a dinosaur because of lack of investment by successive governments.

Your anti-union propaganda is rubbish.

sligoliner

Really? I have to remember that the next time DART drivers are trying to shake-down the public for comfort money (protections rackets really) for driving to Greystones or switching on the display boards on the new railcars, or Westport drivers are staying at home watching Richard and Judy is all because they are poor wee opressed victims who cannot do their jobs because of YAWN "lack of investment..."

This CIE stike has nothing to do with anything other than a bunch of hysterical babies stomping their feet and holding back developments in public transport because it does not suit "them" personally and screw the rest of the country and especially the passengers and taxpayers paying for all this. This is the only dynamic at work here. The behaviour of CIE Union in recent times over Brennan's proposed CIE break-up is sickening, alarmist and childish in the extreme.

Current strikes are not about prevention of exploitation, they are essentially blackmail. Everyone would be up in arms if the free flow of goods or capital would be impeded in the same manner. Labour should be no different from goods or capital, it should be allowed to flow freely. The only measure used to determine salary levels and working conditions is whether or not an employer can attract personnel (with a bottom level in the form of a minimum wage, unemployment benefits and government
rules regarding working conditions). This is essential to a dynamic society where goods and services are available at good quality for a good price.

The whole concept of employee unions is a relic from the times when employers held most of the power and employees had virtually none. The risk of exploitation is huge when the balance of power is so one sided. But this is no longer the case, there is currently by large a balance of power if unions are not involved. It is even more perverse in the semi-state sector where life-long jobs and "letters of comfort" are considered normal employment terms.

CIE workers like train and bus drivers have a low skill level and they can be replaced fairly easily. Instead of accepting this reality and upgrade their skill levels to better their position they winge and moan in an attempt to hang on to their present position. This thwarts necessary development.

Someone needs to tell these self-absorbed babymen in the CIE unions who actually pays their wages to shut up and then get back to work. This is how the rest of us in non-union/semi-state fantasy and have to live. It's called "reality" in case Tony Tobin has lost his dictionary.

Also, for decades if you applied for a job at CIE it asked on the form "DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO WORKS FOR CIE?" - This gave you a vastly better chance of getting a job there - in fact even the dogs in the street knew this was the only way to get a job with CIE. The CIE unions had their gig sown up and virtually barred outsiders for decades.

Jobs in CIE were traditionally never advertised, they were all based on family connections and shocking nepotism, like the mafia or something. This is why you have a situation were you can practically trace every train driver in the country to a half dozen familes. employment in CIE at time when there was massive unemployment in Ireland. CIE union meetings are like hillbilly barndances such is the level of consangunity. Buba and Cletus from Alabama would fit in very well with the NBRU....and now these same jokers want us to support them now that for the first time in their history they may actually have to abide by the same rules as the rest of us.

Get real FFS. Ireland owes you nothing except your daily wage for a days work. No more and no less.

BuffyBot

Also, for decades if you applied for a job at CIE it asked on the form "DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO WORKS FOR CIE?" - This gave you a vastly better chance of getting a job there - in fact even the dogs in the street knew this was the only way to get a job with CIE. The CIE unions had their gig sown up and virtually barred outsiders for decades.

In the past. Not relevant now.

Sligoliner, your little piece of editorial is so biased if it were a flat surface things would slide off.

I'm no fan of CIE or the unions, but when it comes to "balanced" reporting of the situation, I think the biscuit has most certainly been taken.

Bee

Sligoliner your analysis of the British Miners strike is simply incorrect. You have been informed by the British Tory Press e.g. the Sun and its ilk…

Maggie was out for vengeance due to the summary defeat of the Conservative party due to the power of the working class being utilised successfully in ’74.

Lets briefly mention Wales…By 4 February 1974 the miners' situation had deteriorated and a national miners strike was called. This strike lasted four weeks. A state of emergency and a three-day working week was declared. The Prime Minister, Edward Heath, called a General Election hoping that the electorate would support the Government's attempts to deal with the deteriorating industrial situation, but the Conservative Party was defeated.

The new Labour government reached a deal with the miners shortly afterwards. By 1984 the coal industry was in decline and the National Coal Board wished to close 20 pits, a situation that would have led to 20,000 men losing their jobs. The National Coal Board claimed that the contract made with the unions in 1974 was no longer valid because of the changes that had occurred in the British economy.

The Conservative Government, under Maggie Thatcher, was determined to diminish the power and influence of the Unions and reduce the power of the average man and woman in the street. The masterplan was to sell off all national industries so her fat cat backers could cream off the profits.The Unions themselves argued that the Government's policies were having a damaging effect on the coal communities.

Arthur Scargill, President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), called on the miners to strike, and on 12 March a strike started which was to last for nearly a year. Miners from 28 south Wales pits played an influential role during the strike through their picketing and protesting. The full power of the British state was abused and used in crushing the strike e.g. m15,m16,the police,the army etc.

Eventually the miners acknowledged defeat and returned to work on 5 March 1985 after calling the strike off two days earlier at a special NUM Conference. The coal industry continued to decline in south Wales with 12 pits closing within a year of the strike coming to an end. The rest is history

Look at Eircom or should that be Eircon? Joe public was presented the auction of Eircom as a good thing, the mis-handling by FF & Mary O’Rourke and its ilk in the sell of (many would argue that it was designed to reward rich backers of FF!) led to to what we have today. Rich shareholders getting richer, their noses in the trough whilst the public is totally screwed by a private monopoly.

Presumably you are looking forward to Seamus Brennan repeating the process with a lower standard of transport for all.

Bee.