Trade Union Solidarity

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Monday September 24, 2007 12:29 by Solidarity seeker

No wonder workers are allways on the back foot fighting battles> Struggling up hill to defend themselves their jobs and their futures. Employers/Management have a vested interest in keeping workers on their knees. But when (So called) brother and sister unions, in a vain attempt to save face try to "Pull the rug" from under the feet of workers about to embark on industrial action, then the trade union movement is in a sorry state.

After 12 years of doing very little on this issue, and having been aware for 12 weeks the timetable that NIPSA was working to. UNISON, a full month AFTER consulting with their members and recieving overwhelming support for strike action, have finally decided at the 11th hour to ballot their own members, while at the same time expecting NIPSA to call off their own democratically arrived at action. This has seriously undermined the action giving management extra leverage and encouragement that the dispute can be broken due to the lack of union solidarity.
UNISON's action is reprehensible if not suprising, as anyone witha modicom of knowledge in union matters knows the score on such matters. UNISON love the publicity, love to be centre stage grabbing the headlines while actually doing as little as possible. If UNISON had any real intention in fighting this dispute they should of come out whole heartedly behind NIPSA instead of trying to hijack the dispute and derail NIPSA's efforts. As always the tough talking looks good on TV or in news print creating the illusion that they actually give a damn about their members when in reality they ahd already accepted management's offer in June, and this is simply a face saving exercise.
It is now up to NIPSA to show their "Brothers and sisters" what it means to be a proper Union, representing, working and fighting with their members to secure a just settlement.