At least 50,000 people participated in a massive march in Dublin on Saturday to protest against education cutbacks announced in October’s budget. After years of insufficient investment to repair the cutbacks of the 1980’s, the government is now using the economic downturn to attack education and other essential public services writes Darren Cogavin reporting from the demonstration.
Four teacher unions, ASTI, INTO, TUI and IFUT joined forces for the event to highlight 2200 job losses in Primary and Secondary Education, demanding the government reverse all cuts in education and increase support for pupils with special needs. The march was one of the largest seen on the streets of the capital for years, evoking memories of the 100,000 strong march against the imperialist invasion of Iraq on February 15 2003. Already we have had protests in Galway with 8,000, Donegal 7,000, Tullamore 4,000 and Cork where a massive 30,000 marched.
The draconian cuts in education are just one facet of a series of cutbacks targeting the most vulnerable in our society. The government imposed a 1% levy on the lowest paid workers, cancelled the introduction of vaccines for cervical cancer and removed automatic qualification of the over 70’s for medical cards. The explosion of anger from pensioners against the withdrawal of the medical card, which in turn lead to a significant retreat from the government on the issue, stood in stark contrast to the placid idleness of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.The intransigence of the Education Minister, Batt O’Keefe, was clearly illustrated in comments he made to the media before the march: “We are having to make courageous political decisions to deal with the current economic situation”. He then blethered, “The cost-saving measures the government outlined in the Budget are necessary to safeguard the future of our country and of our children”.
Yet the government can find 400 billion euros for the banks who helped create the current crisis! The government are forcing workers, pensioners and children to pay for the recession while the bosses, bankers and property developers continue to receive bail-outs and billions in tax allowances. Under the capitalist credo, profits will always come before human lives.
Teachers, students and parents must remain united but a stepping up of action is absolutely necessary. However the INTO General Secretary John Carr ruled out industrial action after the announcement of the Budget: “Government decisions will keep children out of school, not teachers.” Despite the outcry over the attacks and support for the Fianna Fail-Green Party government spear dropping in the polls, the trade union bureaucracy are unwilling to strike against their ‘partners’ because they remain committed to the formal class collaborationist process of social partnership.
The Government is deadly serious about its assault on workers and is even considering not respecting its wage freeze deal (6% over 21 months) it made with the unions recently. All the more reason why unions should break off its ‘partnership’ with the government and start shaping up for a serious struggle. Teacher unions should take strike action till victory and call on all other workers for support. These attacks affect all working class communities.
The SWP/People before Profit Alliance leaflet at the march said little to point a way forward. A Day of Action was proposed which could keep up the momentum of protest. However we need to go further than protest now, we need sustained strike action by teachers. One day action would be insufficient to roll back the cuts as a whole.The Socialist Party leaflet did call for a ‘national work stoppage of all workers and unions to defeat the cuts’ and the need ‘to force the unions and the ICTU to act’. The crucial point though is that the stoppage needs be indefinite until victory is secured. Also the bureaucrats don’t just need to be pressured, the rank and file need to control any action taken with strike committees. No less than a new fighting leadership of the unions accountable to a rank and file movement will need to be forged. The PbPA leaflet also failed on this count and predictably mentioned nothing of the working class, social partnership or socialism.
Rank and file teachers should immediately organise against the spinelessness of their leaders and demand strike action now until victory! A militant rank and file movement within and across the unions must develop to fight sell outs and democratise the unions.
Action Councils drawing in trade unionists, students, pensioners and unemployed should be built across the country to co ordinate resistance against the government. Socialists need to fight for this strategy as the most effective way of defending workers and taking the struggle forward against capitalism.
The Irish government has given serious notice that it will make workers pay for this recession. If that is the price we have to pay for salvaging capitalism then its time capitalism was abolished. Every battle won now will hasten that day.