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Once
again the self appointed defenders of the working
class “trade union bureaucrats” have let
their people down. On May 23rd 2002, 22 security workers
at Belfast International Airport were sacked by ICTS.
The workers in a last desperate attempt to win a living
wage and decent working conditions legally withdrew
their labour. Although they had the full support of
their union, “ATGWU”, at their hour of need
they were let down, not by the union but by bureaucrats
and careerists who undermined their struggle.
Not
only were the workers abandoned by the bureaucrats
and careerists, they were delivered to the bosses
like lambs to the slaughter, they have had their good
names slandered, they were called ''storm troopers”.
These storm troopers are Madden, 66 and a diabetic,
Chris, 43, and recovering from open heart surgery,
and Gordon, a 43 year old disabled person. In an attempt
to hide their incompetence, these same bureaucrats
and careerists are no better than fascists. These
wannabe Dictators/Stalinists even called on the police
riot squad to threaten these three workers out of
there own building - the first time in trade union
history a union called the police against its own
members.
On
Saturday 24th May 03 the sacked workers held a protest
march in Belfast to mark the 1st anniversary of their
sacking. They were joined by 80 trade unionists including
members of the FBU, UNISON, NIPSA and socialists from
the SP and SWP who proudly marched in solidarity with
the sacked airport workers. The peaceful and dignified
march made its way through the main streets of Belfast
to Transport House. Symbolically the sacked workers
went in and the meeting was addressed by speakers
from three unions and two socialist parties. All have
pledged continued support.
The
sacked workers voiced disappointment that their General
Secretary/Dictator Bill Morris and his three officials
directly involved in the case Elsby, Condit and McCusker,
failed to attend. Shamefully neither did Peter Bunting
or any members of the Northern Ireland Committee "ICTU”
or the Belfast Trades Council. This was a deliberate
insult to the 22 sacked workers. Four week earlier
Morris marched with the Friction Dynamic workers in
Wales. By failing to attend the solidarity demo, Bill
Morris is no better than a absentee Landlord, who
is trying to wash his hands of these workers. At the
May Day rally in London Morris promised to meet the
workers' representatives. They have telephoned his
office five times a day to arrange the meeting with
no success.
Bill
Morris can hide and refuse to meet them, but when
the time for justice comes, and it will in the courts
of Belfast, that day you and your collaborators will
face the truth.
100
years ago trade unionists such as Larkin and Connolly
organised the working class to fight capitalism and
bad employers, for workers rights such as sick pay
and wages above that of poverty.
Today
workers throughout the world are still facing these
employers, who are encouraged by the Anti-Trade Union
Laws and often supported by the state and military
who push the neo-conservative agenda of the new world
order's desire to rule the world, Rulers who can find
100s of millions of Dollars to fight illegal wars
but not one penny to stop 19,000 children from starving
to death every day, who want to privatise our public
services in their need for greed.
The
workers from Belfast International Airport are calling
for an executive enquiry; only an executive enquiry
will restore the member’s confidence in the ATGWU.
But
the time has come for us as a union and the greater
trade union family to stand shoulder to shoulder and
unite in struggle against employers like ICTS and
the Anti-Trade Union Laws. It is time to reject the
self appointed bureaucrats in the ICTU, TUC, and Trade
Councils.
Time
has come to end the link with New Labour and to end
social partnership with Fianna Fail.
There
has been much debate lately on whether the British
Labour Party should organise and recruit in Northern
Ireland; they have also being accused of discrimination
against people living in N.I, as you cannot join their
party if you live here.
What
surprises me is why anyone would want to join a party
which has done nothing for the working class - it
refuses to abolish Thatcher’s Anti-Trade Union
Laws, it attacked and now illegally occupies Iraq,
it stopped the right of the citizens of N.I. to elect
a democratic government of our choosing.
This
summer the Labour Government is hosting a meeting
of European Union members. The meeting has been arranged
to encourage the European Nations to supply military
aid to President Uribe of Colombia, despite the fact
that Colombia has one of the worse human rights records
in the world. In the last ten years over 4000 trade
unionists have been murdered by right wing paramilitaries
who operated with impunity. And the fact is Colombia
has already received over one billion dollars worth
military aid from the USA. They say it is to fight
terrorism, but what they are really doing is turning
President Uribe into the next dictator and turning
Colombia in to the USA’s watch dog in Latin America
to protect the interest of both the USA and British
multinational corporations who are raping and plundering
the natural resources in Colombia.
On
May 31st the ATGWU will know the result of the General
Secretary electio. That day we take back our union
from the incompetent idiots who have collaborated
with Tony Blair’s New Labour and Bertie Ahern’s
Fianna Fail Government and the Bosses to undermine
the working class.
It’s
time the bureaucrats and careerists realised that
their time is up. The ATGWU is a lay members union.
As a lay member I will support my union so long as
they represent the interests of the working class.
The moment they stop representing the working class
I will act against them.
To
the true trade unionists who marched in solidarity
with the airport workers I salute you. To the rest
of you so-called trade unionists and socialists I
say SHAME; SHAME ON YOU, you’re a disgrace to
the trade union movement and socialism.
Victory
to the Airport workers
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