24 Nov

Articles and interviews from the November 24 2009 Public Sector strike in Ireland against government cuts

Trade Unionists betrayed by leadership

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On Tuesday 24th November 2009, 250,000 public sector workers took strike action in opposition to the government policy of public service pay cuts. This was a potentially massive show of defiance and the first time in more than 20 years that the trade union movement had flexed its collective muscle.

WSM reports from the pickets lines of the Nov 24th national strike

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On 24 November 2009 250,000 public sector workers in Ireland took part in a national strike against planned pay cuts.
Many WSM members who work in the public sector played a direct part in the organisation of the strike and student members helped organise solidarity actions at the universities where strikes were happening. They also toured other picket lines to send in reports and photos. Here we present these reports and the reports sent in by members on strike who had access to smart phones with which they sent live news on the day to the WSM twitter feed

Interviews from the 24th November picket lines

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This audio consists of 10 brief interviews with public sector strikers made during the national strike on 24th November 2009. Picketers at various locations across Dublin talk of what the strike is about, the effects of the cuts and how their unions organised for the strike.

Reflections on the 24th of November

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On the 24th of November something extraordinary happened. Some 250,000 workers acted together in a day-long strike against the public sector wage cuts planned by the government. The vast majority of these workers had never gone on strike before, yet across almost all workplaces the strike involved 90% or more of those working.

Thursday's Public Sector Strike March and Rally

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Strike Day
Thursday 3rd December
Protest Rally
Assemble at Department of Education & Science, Marlborough St. at 10:30a.m.
March to Dáil Éireann, leaving Marlborough St. at 11:30a.m.

Maynooth Students come out in support of NUIM staff

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Students assembled just before 12pm today in Maynooth to join lecturers and other staff at the National University of Ireland NUI Maynooth on the picket lines for a number of hours.. Solidarity pickets were placed on both North and South campuses of NUI Maynooth.

Report from the mass picket of the Dept. Education

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From before 8a.m. this morning, members of the Irish National Teachers Organisation were on the picket line outside the Department of Education and Science in Dublin’s Marlborough Street, alongside Special Needs Assistant colleagues, members of IMPACT, and workers based in the DES building itself, members of SIPTU, CPSU and PSEU.

Reports from Cork from the General Strike

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Strikes took off across Cork city and county this morning as workers took direct action to stop the Government's attack on wages and conditions.

"This Is A Statement ..." Kinsale Strike Report

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In Kinsale the Further Education College (FEC) and the secondary school were picketed for several hours this morning. I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that the social welfare office is privatised and so was running as normal today.

Anarchist organisation welcomes public sector strike and calls for further action

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Anarchist organisation Workers Solidarity Movement has congratulated public sector workers who took part in today’s 24-hour work stoppage and called for further stoppages “in order to force a change of direction from the government”.

“Today’s stoppage was a brave step by public sector workers,” said Gregor Kerr, WSM PRO. “At last, after months and months of being scapegoated for a financial crisis we didn’t have any part in creating, workers have found a bit of dignity and begun to stand up for ourselves.”

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