Unity is Strength

Thoughts on watching a large number of working people gather together and walk through my city during working hours.

I stood at the Gresham and watched todays March, beside my daughter who was photographing the banners. It was impossible not to compare it with February 15th 2003, as was done by those standing around me. But today was different, today was stronger.

F15 was a Saturday, participation was a lifestyle choice as people consumed activism rather than clothes or gadgets. Today, bus drivers drove their bus into town, got off and joined the march. Teachers walked out of their classrooms, offices and sites shut early. From Britain branches and chapels sent their banners, carried by members of a movement who know that unity must be international. They may not have occupied anything and the puppetry and fire-eating was absent but as a show of strength, a claiming of power this march will not be pushed aside as was Feb 15.

The Trade Union movement is probably the biggest membership movement in the country and today this movement showed what it can do, what organising around work meant, who builds and operates and services this society (should I give up and just say economy). By stopping work, people showed the power of solidarity. Solidarity in support of the men locked into the engine room on what is, laughingly, still referred to as 'Irish' Ferries. Solidarity, in support of fellow workers who have travelled hundreds of miles to be kept seperate and aginst those they have most in common with. When hundreds of thousands of people pay dues every month, attend their workplace meetings and talk about the issues working people have, they show the power of solidarity.

This movement which has showed its strength must now enter into talks. Thats the way we do things, deals are cut and society moves forward. I don't think today was the revolutionary moment and that all after this will be other. As Jack O'Connor and the other SIPTU leaders, as David Begg and the leaders of the unions that make up the movement look back at today, they know that facing them are the boardrooms of Dublin 2 & 4 where government and IBEC will seek to cut a deal, will seek to buy off their movement. Whatever about a wage deal, some things must be non-negotiable. The labour movement has to change the legislation in this country where working people get arrested for showing solidarity, for saying this is not right and I won't be a part of it. Whether its Shannon or bin collection workers, whether its the Irish Rail employees who won't handle the ICG ships, or the airport workers in heathrow – sometimes you just won't be a party to things, sometimes the deal is not worth it and you walk out. Whatever talks the labour movement has and whether it stays in or walks out it cannot accept that solidarity is illegal.

But if we are united industrially, while divided politically we can still be beaten. On the march in Dublin today, the leadership of labour and republicansim marched seperately. For both Gerry Adams and Pat Rabbitte they had to be there – these are their people, their activists and voters, their base. Yet when the deals are cut, when the working people who marched off their jobs and onto the streets look to their leaders to represent them, currently republicanism and labour do talk, will they negotiate from unity? Ah well, another march, another generation.

Today showed there is strength in the union.

It's OK to have differences, OK to present analyses which focus on different things. But the representatives of Irish working people should remember – march seperately but strike together. When it matters, unity is strength. And we'll keep trying this leadership thing till we get it.

“I've a message for Eamonn Rothwell. You may want to change your flag, but we are nailing our colours to the mast. This movement is not sinking”

Patricia King, Dublin Regional Sec., Today in Merrion Sq., saw on telly so sorry if I got it wrong.