Bin Tax. Dublin Council of Trade Unions march and motion.

by Far and Away (Kidman not Cruise) Wed Oct 08, 2003 22:58

KEVIN MACLOUGHLIN of the Socialist Party in Ireland spoke to "the socialist" on the escalating anti-bin tax struggle and the campaign to free Socialist Party representatives Joe Higgins TD (MP) and councillor Clare Daly, jailed for their part in the movement.

A decisive stage in the struggle
"THE PROTESTS against the bin tax are now moving in a more decisive way in all the four local authority areas in Dublin. At present Fingal is where the battle is centred. This is because of a coordinated attempt by the government, we believe, - part of a waste management plan hatched in 1999. They thought that by attacking the Fingal campaign first and breaking resistance to the tax there it would enable the tax to be introduced throughout Dublin.

At the same time the authorities are trying to implement non-collection of untagged rubbish in the other areas but only in a very limited form, mainly in the more affluent areas where non-payment is very low. Obviously they are scared of implementing non-collection in working class communities. It's a policy of divide and rule.

Fingal council were hoping that the protest would fizzle out but that hasn't happened. Bin trucks are blockaded when they go out to collect rubbish. And now people are forcing their rubbish into the trucks.

The first county council meeting of Fingal will convene in a week. There will be a huge lobby for that meeting. Our tactics are to put the blame for uncollected rubbish squarely on the council and also to massively increase the pressure on the politicians at that meeting (see Motion calls on Fingal County Council to end its policy of non collection).

Using the courts
THE OTHER approach of the councils is to overcome direct action protest by using the courts as a way of intimidating people. That's why in all the council areas they've got injunctions against any protests. And that's why Joe and Clare were jailed.

Either the campaign stands firm or they will intimidate people and succeed in imposing this unfair tax. So the example of Clare and Joe has inspired people to make a stand too.

The use of the courts and the injunctions against this type of campaign has not been seen for many years. It's a direct attack on the right to protest. But these measures haven't stopped the protests.

Significantly there are 25 residents from Finglas in the Dublin City council area who are due in court for committal proceedings - meaning that they will be fined or sent to prison or possibly have the cases against them dropped. But a number of them will not purge their contempt of court injunctions and will stand firm. This is an important trial of strength between the campaign and the authorities.

Also in South Dublin county council this week there will be a blockade of the bin trucks depot to halt the entire collection service, again in defiance of a High Court injunction. This action follows the near unanimous vote last Sunday evening at a campaign meeting of 250 people in South Dublin.

To resist the authorities' divide and rule tactic we're trying to organise co-ordinated action amongst all the four areas, even if in some of those areas the councils aren't organising generalised non-collection. If these blockades are widespread then it makes it far harder for the police and authorities to intervene.

Trade union support
IMPORTANTLY, FOR the first time, official action is being organised in the trade unions. A demo is planned for next Saturday (11 October) in Dublin city centre marching to Mountjoy prison where Joe and Clare are being held. This shows the growing pressure for action within the unions' ranks (see Fingal Anti Bin Tax Campaign press release).

If more people are committed to prison then we have to demand industrial action to counter this intimidation by the state.

The longer this campaign goes on then politicians will be reflecting on the prospects of next years' elections. Also the government are introducing cuts, possibly axing 5,000 civil service jobs in December's budget, and increasing charges for various services.

This is a defining struggle in Ireland coming as it does on the cusp of going into a period of recession and crisis. Our struggle has captured people's imagination of what is possible to bring about social change."

by Degenerate Thu Oct 09, 2003 10:56

Who were the two abstainees?

by pat c Thu Oct 09, 2003 12:34

let them know of your disgust:

Dan Murphy General Secretary PSEU
Tel: 6767271
email: dmurphy@pseu.ie

by Des Derwin Thu Oct 09, 2003 13:44

No one voted against the Motion. A PSEU delegate spoke against it. He abstained in the vote. I don't know which Union the second abstainer represented.