D’eisigh Cónaidhm Idirnáisiúnta na gCeardchumann [ITUC] a Suirbhé Bliantúil ar Chearta na gCeardchumann do 2009 Dé Céadaoin [9ú Meitheamh] agus is cúis chorraithe iad cuid mhaith de na torthaí.
D’aimsigh an tuairisc gur maraíodh 101 ceardchumannach in 2009, méadú 30 faoin chéad ón bhliain roimhe. Tharla 48 de na dúnmharuithe sa Cholóim, áit a bhfuil fórsaí na heite deise ábalta feidhmiú le saoirse in éadan ceardchumannach agus gníomhaíoch chearta eile. Taifeadadh breis agus 400 ionsaí ar cheardchumannaigh sa Cholóim in 2009, cúpla iarracht feallmharaithe agus trí chás de dhaoine ag imeacht as radharc.
Maraíodh ar a laghad 12 ceardchumannach i Hondúras i bhforéigean i ndiaidh an coup d’état in éadan uachtarán cléach na tíre Manuel Zelaya i mí Meithimh. Bhí seo mar chuid de thuile ionsaithe ar eagraíochtaí sóisialta a chuireann in éadan an coup d’état.
Thug an tuairisc faoi deara chomh maith go bhfuil ionsaithe ar chearta oibrithe ar fud na cruinne ina dtoradh ar an ghéarchéim eacnamúil idirnáisiúnta. Tá áirithe ag an tuairisc go bhfuil an cur faoi chois ag méadú fiú i dtíortha le gluaiseachtaí ceardchumainn atá láidir go traidisiúnta, mar shample an Fhrainc agus an Ghearmáin.
Sa Roinn ar an Bhreatain agus ar Éirinn fhorghafa, chuir an tuairisc chun suntas an cás inar chuir 14 comhlacht tógála bunachar sonraí le chéile ar breis agus 3,000 oibrí, a úsáideadh chun ceardchumannaigh agus oibrithe míleatacha eile a chur ar an liosta dubh.
D’ardaigh an tuairisc freisin fadhb leanúnach na reachtaíochta a cheadaíonn do fhostóirí aitheantas do cheardchumainn neamhspléacha a chosc i bhfabhar a ‘gcearchumainn chomhlachta’ féin.
Tá an gá le ceardchumainn neamhspleácha ag troid thar ceann an lucht oibre chomh tábhachtach anois agus a bhí riamh. Ciallaíonn an aeráid eacnamaíochta idirnáisiúnta go bhfuil eagraíochtaí ag teastáil ó oibrithe a throidfidh dá leas in éadan na ndaoine atá ciontach as an aeráid sin – lucht an rachmais.
Tugadh an gá seo chun cruinne in Éirinn le seachtain anuas, nuair a d’ainmnigh an iris Business & Finance uachtarán ginearálta SIPTU Jack O’Connor mar ‘Duine gnó na míosa’ mar gheall ar a thacaíocht do bheart Pháirc an Chrócaigh.
Le tuilleadh ciorrú ar an bhealach thuaidh agus theas, ní mór go dtuigeann gluaiseacht an lucht oibre eagraithe nach bhfuil leas na n-oibrithe agus na gcaipitlithe comhlántach, ach naimhdeach. Ansin seans go dtosóidh an lucht oibre an troid cheart, mar i mbriathra an Chonghailigh:
“When the worker has so far advanced as to realise that his master's interests are antagonistic to his own, that the master class use every weapon from Parliament to prison to maintain their position against what they consider the encroachment of their serfs, then we have no doubt that the next step in the intellectual development of the worker will be to consider whether it is wise to tolerate longer a class in society which requires to be watched so constantly and guarded against so vigilantly; whether there is indeed any useful function performed by the capitalist and landlord class which the organised workers cannot perform without them. Whether the ownership of property cannot be vested in the organised community, and the conduct of industry entrusted to our trade unions, who could surely furnish men who would organise production and distribution in the interests of all much better than it is at present done by a class animated solely by considerations of profit. When the logic of events forces this question on the Dublin workers as it surely will, we believe that they will not fail to answer it aright, and that the answer will be well for our hopes of a socialist republic.”
Is féidir Suirbhé Bliantúil ar Chearta na gCeardchumann de chuid ITUC a léamh ag http://survey.ituc-csi.org/
Repression Against Trade Unionists on the Rise Internationally
The International Trade Union Confederation [ITUC] released its Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights for 2009 last Wednesday [June 9] and many of the findings make for disturbing reading.
The report found that 101 trade unionists had been killed in 2009, an increase of 30 per cent on the previous year. 48 of these murders took place in Colombia, where right-wing forces can act with impunity against trade unionists and other rights activists. There were over 400 attacks on trade unionists recorded in Colombia in 2009, including several assassination attempts and three disappearances.
At least 12 trade unionists were killed in Honduras in violence following the coup d’etat against left-wing president Manuel Zelaya in June. This formed part of a spate of attacks on social organisations that oppose the coup.
The report also noted how the international economic crisis has led to attacks on workers’ rights around the world. The report notes that repression has been increasing even in countries with traditionally strong union movements, such as France and Germany.
In the section on Britain and occupied Ireland, the report highlighted the case of a database of over 3,000 workers compiled by 14 construction companies used to blacklist trade unionists and other militant workers.
The report also brought up the ongoing problem of legislation that allows employers to prevent recognition of independent unions in favour of their own ‘company unions’.
The need for independent trade unions fighting on behalf of the working class is as important now as it ever has been. The international economic climate means that workers need organisations that will fight for their interests against those responsible for that climate – the capitalist class.
This need has been brought into focus in Ireland in the past week, with SIPTU general president Jack O’Connor being named ‘Business person of the month’ by the Business & Finance magazine, for his support for the Croke Park deal.
With a programme of further cutbacks on the way both north and south, it is imperative that the organised labour movement realise that the interests of workers and capitalists are not complementary but antagonistic. Then the working class may begin the real fight, as in the words of James Connolly:
“When the worker has so far advanced as to realise that his master's interests are antagonistic to his own, that the master class use every weapon from Parliament to prison to maintain their position against what they consider the encroachment of their serfs, then we have no doubt that the next step in the intellectual development of the worker will be to consider whether it is wise to tolerate longer a class in society which requires to be watched so constantly and guarded against so vigilantly; whether there is indeed any useful function performed by the capitalist and landlord class which the organised workers cannot perform without them. Whether the ownership of property cannot be vested in the organised community, and the conduct of industry entrusted to our trade unions, who could surely furnish men who would organise production and distribution in the interests of all much better than it is at present done by a class animated solely by considerations of profit. When the logic of events forces this question on the Dublin workers as it surely will, we believe that they will not fail to answer it aright, and that the answer will be well for our hopes of a socialist republic.”
ITUC’s Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights can be read at http://survey.ituc-csi.org/
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