Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

When the Taoiseach raised the white flag of surrender last week, it was, of course, the starting flag for Irish Ferries management to implement its union busting, bullying tactics that are reminiscent of the employers of 1913 when they set out to strangle the trade union movement in its infancy. Irish Ferries workers and employees in general in this country can expect from this Government just as much as it has done to date with regard to Irish Ferries — absolutely nothing effective. Workers will find a resolution in their own power, however, and will demonstrate it to Irish Ferries and all those employers who are silently cheering on Irish Ferries because they want to engage in super-profiteering at the expense of migrant labour.

The national day of action on Friday, 9 December, called by the trade union movement should, with the exception of the provision of essential services, be elevated to a one-day national work stoppage. Massive demonstrations should accompany that one-day national strike. That is how the great men and women who founded the labour movement — including great working class fighters such as Connolly and Larkin — to deal with employers of this nature would have met this challenge. That is how they would have met the greed-driven employers who are intent on driving workers' wages and living conditions back to the dark ages. A national work stoppage would be a shot across the bows of Irish Ferries and employers. It would also be a warning to the Government that it should stop Irish Ferries in its tracks and a signal that any employer that takes a similar road of exploiting labour will be met with an equally robust challenge.

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