Breaking news SIPTU leadership call for yes vote

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Tuesday April 13, 2010 18:44 by James - wsm personal capacity

SIPTU public sector executive call for vote in favour of the "Croke Park" deal

The first substantial blow to the prospects of a rejection of the Croke Park agreement came today as SIPTU's public sector executive came out in favour of the deal. Earlier the INMO had urged rejection. The agreement will now be the subject of meetings and debate throughout the state before all the members of the public sector unions vote.

Should the unions vote for acceptance it will represent a resounding victory for the government and a humiliating climb down by the unions. The extremely poorly run campaign by ICTU to reverse the pension levy, followed by the abortive attempt to mollify the governments budget resulting in severe wage cuts, has exposed the Trade Union movement to attack as never before. After 20 years of coasting along on partnership marking time until their pensions the first big struggle with the governement has seen the leaders of the unions battered and bruised whilst their membership have seen their wages shrink steadily.

It now comes down to the workers in the public sector to decide on an agreement that even should they accept it, will not guarantee that further wage cuts are out. It certainly will not see their earlier wages cuts reversed. It appears that the SIPTU leadership was hugely dishonest in mounting a campaign against cuts they never expected to see reversed.