New trade union launched

Independent Workers Union 1st annual conference

by Tommy McKearney

Delegates from all over Ireland travelled to Cork last Saturday 3rd April to attend the launch of the Independent Workers Union (IWU), and its first annual conference. The event was held in the Victoria Hotel in Cork and drew daylong interest from local media outlets.

The union’s president opened proceedings with a spirited address to the delegates and shortly afterwards national secretary, Noel Murphy introduced the list of motions to be discussed. One of the obvious features of the day was the willingness of delegates to speak their mind on almost every topicThe IWU conference made its position very clear stating that it will not seek affiliation to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions believing that the so-called Partnership is detrimental to the interests of Irish Workers and that meaningful partnership with this Government, IBEC and the ISME is a delusion and no beneficial results have emerged or will emerge for working people.

This government, the IWU says is:
* Pressing ahead with privatisation
* Not implementing a fair and equitable tax system
* Jailing workers for opposing service charges
* Refusing to introduce pro worker legislation
* Tolerating and/or encouraging dismally low wages in many sectors

And while the current government does this:

* Workers are being policed by their own trade unions and the ICTU
* Democratic decisions of trade union members are overturned by the union leadership
* Worker are prevented from leaving one Congress Union to join another

During the afternoon session a very warm welcome was extended to two fraternal delegates. Margaret McAdam from Liverpool brought greetings from some of the sacked Dockers in her home town and Laereseo Perieria from Brazil extended his good wishes and spoke about the drift from radicalism that is now occurring within a section of the leadership of the workers’ movement in South America, a situation only too readily recognised by all present at the conference.

The conference ended with a firm pledge to build a campaigning trade union that will not just battle for economic rights for workers but to address all aspects of working peoples’ lives.

To access the IWU wesite, click on:

http://www.union.ie

5 April 2004