National - Event Notice
Thursday January 01 1970

Organise to stop attacks on the unemployed

national | worker & community struggles and protests | event notice

Friday August 21, 2009 17:05

by social welfare defence - none yet

swdefence at gmail dot com

A Proposal for the establishment of a campaign for the defence of Unemployed Workers

Hundreds of thousands have found themselves made redundant due to the current economic crisis. However the state with its deflationary policies and cost cutting measures have already begun attacks on unemployed workers. An bord snip nua has proposed numerous attacks on welfare, and the media has begun the softening up process to prepare for the attacks. Unemployed workers need to prepare a defence to the proposed attacks.

Defend Unemployed Workers

Since the beginning of the recession unemployment has reached offical levels of over 400,000;(not including the trades people who are denied access to welfare and students leaving their courses).
The government while finding the money to bail out developers and the capitalist banks is claiming it cannot afford payments for social welfare. Already the state has lessened statutory redundency payments and attacked the christmas bonus.

The government WILL attack unemployed workers in the December budget. The media are being used to soften up the populace. If unemployed workers do not take political action we will be attacked. We cannot depend on mainstream political parties or the trade unions to defend us.

Only political action by unemployed workers themselves have any real chance of defeating the proposed cuts.

Therefore this is a proposal for workers and/or activists currently unemloyed to organise a defence campaign. We suggest a primary small meeting (on the 15th of September at eight o'clock in the teachers club parnell street), to prepare for this. This will hopefully be followed by canvassing of welfare offices to hold public meetings, and to hold demonstrations by november. Only by organising ourselves can we possibly hope to push back government cuts. At the meeting we would hope people can make proposals to the nature and strategy of the campaign.

We would ask all unemployed workers to consider becoming involved, as this will effect you and your families. We understand activists are busy with Lisbon and other campaigns, but believe we need to start preparing the ground for a mass campaign to defeat the cuts. Therefore we are calling on any unemployed activists who can spare a little time to prepare for this.

Anyone interested can contact us at swdefence@gmail.com

members of all parties and none are welcome

With some organisation we believe we can defeat this governement