Some of the Mr Binman Strikers

On March 25th workers at Mr. Binman’s Carrick-on-Suir depot in Tipperary were called into a general meeting. The privatized bin company wanted pay cuts of 10% across the board from the workers. The following day workers were called one by one into management offices and told that for them, 10% would not be enough. Wage cuts of 20, 30, 40 or even 49% were demanded.

In response, the workers organized a meeting of their own. They quickly learned that, not only were there different pay cuts for different workers – there was also different pay rates, different work hours and different conditions. They decided to fight these pay cuts, and get unionized, joining SIPTU. The company refused to recognize the union, or negotiate with them, and strike notice was served.

Niall with Garda Hugh Egan MY101

Shell to Sea campaigners Maura Harrington and Niall Harnett were sentenced to four and eight months in jail respectively at Bellmulet district court today. Both protesters have been convicted for taking action as part of a campaign of peaceful civil disobedience against the ill-fated Corrib Gas Project. Maura was given her four month sentence under Section 8 of the Public Order Act; 'failing to comply with the directions of a Garda'. The sentence was handed down in relation to an incident that occurred duing a protest at Shell's 'landfall' compound gate on 30th August 2008. Niall was sentenced to eight months in relation to two separate incidents. He was given a four month sentence under Section 8 of the Public order act, and another four months under Section 2, for the supposed assault of a Garda.

Related Links from Indymedia.ie:
A weekend in Erris at the national Shell to Sea meeting | Shell's Lackey's in the Media Out in Force Again | Message to an Bord Snip Nua. Resolve the Recession. Tax Shell! | Reports that Pat the Chief's boat was sunk last night | Massacre of Indigineous Amazonians in Peru - 25 dead and counting | The Pirates of Broadhaven Defeat Shell’s Armada | Prison van carrying Maura into Montjoy blockaded for 20 minutes by Dublin S2S | Shell security attack Willie Corduff after illegal Glengad compound dismantled | Scuffles At Mountjoy As Maura Harrington Is Jailed |

Related Links outside of Indymedia.ie
The website of Shell-to-Sea - CorribSOS.com
Keep the pressure up: Contact ALL TDs, Senators, and MEPs in Ireland and let them know how you feel about Shell in Rossport - Contact.ie

Element Six - Get ready for more of the same

Element Six/De Beers’ plan to shut their Shannon plant, sacking 370 workers, and move production elsewhere is a disgusting stab in the back of the workers whose hard work has made them billions in profits over the years.

After huge sacrifices, including working part time on the promise that this would save jobs, the company now want to pack up and jump ship, with only a pittance of a redundancy. The entire cost of the redundancy scheme to the company is only €6.6m, about one week’s turnover for the factory, according to the Irish Independent!

Note: This article was written before managment started discussing an "alternative" proposal saving "some" jobs, probably only a stay of execution, and demaningd much reduced wages, terms and conditions. Therefore, the need for a fight still very much stands

Related Links:
Socialist Party of Ireland | Element Six's Contact Details | Element Six Job Massacre a Disgusting Stab in the Back of Workers | Cian Prenderville's Indymedia.ie Articles | Workers' Issues on Indymedia.ie

Image Caption Goes Here

The abject disregard of the Irish political elite for Ireland's neutrality has been demonstrated by the routine transit of US military planes and troops through Shannon Airport for most of this decade. With the re-run of the Lisbon Treaty referendum we are now being asked to accept EU promises that it will not affect or prejudice Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality. But the ongoing support of the Irish government for US-led NATO exercises around the world clearly shows that we cannot trust our leaders to uphold Irish neutrality, with or without the non-binding decisions that have been tagged onto the Treaty in an attempt to have it accepted by the people of Ireland.

Related Links:
Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon put their case to the public in Dublin's Grafton Street | Green Party U-Turn on a Democratic EU | The Lisbon Treaty and the Triumph of Technocracy | Debut of Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon outside Dublin EU Parliament Offices | 13 Things the Lisbon Treaty Would Do | The Legal guarantees on Lisbon Treaty will not change treaty - a propaganda stunt to mislead voters | Dáil shouldn't have inferior Lisbon Treaty powers to German Parliament, controlling ministers | The Lisbon Treaty, Alan Shatter and the guys in hoods! | Lisbon Treaty News: German Constitutional Court delays Germany’s ratification of the Lisbon Treaty | The Gurantees: Comment by Jens-Peter Bonde | Spoofing the Irish media and public with Lisbon “guarantees” that guarantee nothing | Supposed ‘hard fight’ to secure guarantees on Lisbon Treaty: a clever tactic to mislead says McKenna | Lisbon: Round Two - A bosses charter, with or without 'guarantees' | The Lisbon Assurances - A Closer Look

Shannon Watch's Website - www.shannonwatch.org

Cowen, Lenihan, and Coughlan
Axis of Eejits

The Fianna Fail government, by frantically rushing criminal legislation through the Oireachtas, is hoping to exploit "the law and order" issue ...

Related Links:

Paddy Hackett's Blog | Paddy Hackett's Indymedia.ie Articles | President signs Criminal Justice and Blasphemy bills into law - Politics.ie | Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009 - From Dail.ie

... as a desperate means of stemming any further loss in popular support while using this strategy as a platform to rebuild and expand popular support. It seeks to take over the Fine Gael mantle as "the law and order party". It hopes that by introducing such measures it can succeed in crushing crime. It hopes too that "law and order" will form part of the grand diversion from the economic disaster besetting Ireland. By wiping out crime and "making the trains run on time" Fianna Fáil hope that the resulting increasing authoritarianism of the state will transform it into a keener weapon for constricting the working class.