1913-2006 The Workers' Struggle continues

Donal O'Driscoll

It is 93 years since two of Ireland's greatest republican socialists, James Connolly and James Larkin, led what became known as the Dublin lockout. The bosses 'locked out' thousands of workers for the heinous crime of defending their rights as workers and seeking union protection. While this may seem like a very long time ago, the struggle for workers rights on this island has not disappeared nor should it. What the lockout represented was an organised attempt to undermine the systematic exploitation of Irish workers. In 2006 that reality is still amongst us. Workers are effectively seen as a necessary evil to help the capitalist classes to achieve maximum profits. One key difference exists between now and 1913. While in 1913 the bosses were shielded by the existence of a British imperialist administration, they are now aided by an industrial relations tool which has actually been endorsed by many unions. That tool is social partnership.

The climate that Social Partnership has created is one of acceptance of capitalist exploitation as somehow necessary to socio-economic development. This attitude has to be counteracted, and the only way to do this is through a strong and rejuvenated Trade Union movement standing up for and with the workers as it did in 1913. Unfortunately however, for most workers, in particular young workers, there is a basic lack of knowledge as to what their rights are. The defence of the ordinary working man (and woman) has always been an integral part of the Irish Republican project. We need to stay true to that objective by empowering young workers and encouraging them to assert their rights by joining a Union. For our purposes as republican socialists, what Union they join is not the primary issue (although there is of course great importance in that decision), what is of the utmost importance is countering the cavalier attitude to workers rights that exists in this country.

In 2006, we have an added challenge. Our workforce is no longer heterogenous, rather, we have over one hundred and seventy nationalities living and working in Ireland today. Many of these are working for wages that are, quite frankly, illegal. While this has caused some to reject 'the new Irish' on the grounds of job displacement, this is the wrong approach to take. What is happening is that now we have people from outside being exploited to make corporate profit as well as Irish workers. While some would make workers from abroad out to be the enemy, in reality they are our ally in the fight against capitalist exploitation. If we are to achieve an Irish Socialist Republic, the workers born in Warsaw are as important as the workers born in Wicklow. The biggest tribute we can give to Larkin and Connolly is to empower indigenous Irish workers along with those born elsewhere but working in Ireland, to finally break the capitalist chains which hold them. We must begin that task by ensuring workers know their rights and are protected.