communications, the English are beginning to get a clearer grasp of what Irish politics are all about. The Trades Union Bill now before the Dail in Dublin, and currently in committee stage represents development towards Church-and- Monopoly important to examine the Bill (and Eire's recent Trades Union history) in the context of the Wilson government's proposed legislation, and to consider the relations which European capitalist arena The Electricity (Special Provisions) 1966, was introduced about the time of the seamens' strike in Britain. It is a law which car be put into effect by a Government Order laid before Dail, considers that power disrupted by a strike in the Electricity Supply Board. The Act outlaws strikes and picketing within the ESB disruption. The effect of a Government Order would be to freeze rates of pay and conditions of employment for obtaining before the Compulsory Arbitration would determine the workers' claims. If the ESB wanted, for reasons of industrial peace, to pay a higher rate than that determined by the Labour Court or an Arbitrator, it would be forbidden to do so by the Act.
ESB would be illegal. Workers would have no right to picket. Trade Unions would be legall prevented individual who contravenes the Act may be ABOVE: LITTLEWOOD'S CORNER, DERRY.
offence. The fines would be paid by the Trade Union, but only when the officials are acting on BELOW: PLAIN-CLOTHES POLICEMAN IN ACTION.
behalf of the Union.
This vicious abrogates the protection extended to Irish workers, unions, and pickets under the terms of the Trade Disputes Act 1906Trade Unionism'. There was good reason, in deliberately provoked a situation which would Bill press campaign similar to the current cavortings England control of the docks and transport.
reactionary Dublin summer, the government saw the opportunity autumn proposals for reforming - that is, shackling Relations law governing the Eire are set out below Unions nominated the workers the Labour Court appointment of all members Minister's direct responsibility.
recommendations Officers.' Para 28: The Court will sit in camera.
proposed Trade Many respect will be subject to heavy fines.
actually voting, whichever is the greater'.
Paragraph decide not to issue a strike notice.
Paragraphs 41, 42: determine what new unions may be formed or what unions continue the International Labour Organisation.)
of £1000.
APOLOGY It is more The Ad. for the record "A Laugh, A Song and a Hand Grenade" by through Westminster. the Adrian Mitchell and Leon Rossel- of whose bureaucrats have actually son, which appeared in Black Dwarf no. 14 contained several errors. Our effective mass campaign of opposition to apologies to those concerned. need key phase in Eire's totalitarian -Capital-State. It is implications for industrial Eire carries for the entire Act, when the Government supplies could be might cause such a ESB workers to those Order was made Once the Order is in force, any strike within from paying strike money. - Any Section 9 of the Act anti-strike law effectively *the charter of 1966, to believe that the Irish Government had allow for the introduction of the ESP Bill. The which was encouraged by an inspired set the pattern for more anti-working class legislation directed at state Maintained and supported by the hideously press throughout the 1966, to reveal its long awaited the Trade Unions. A number of amendments both to Trade Union law and to Industrial Labour Court) were proposed. Their principal features Paragraph 5 of the Minister's proposals for a new Industrial Relations Law stipulates that the system whereby the Irish Congress of Trades negotiators in would be abolished, the becoming the Paragraphs 6-14 contained proposals which would introduce Compulsory Arbitration in all cases where Unions rejected the findings and "Industrial Relations Under Paragraph 36 of the governments Union Law, Union sanctioning a strike which breaks existing law in Paragraph 37: In ballots for strike action *the decisive percentage must be at least 5% of those entitled to vote or at least of those *Notwithstanding a ballot decision, an Executive of a trade union may The Minister will to exist. (This proposal is contrary to Conventions 87 & 98 of Paragraph 47: A negotiation licence (the sine qua non for any union) will cost £3000 instead than likely that these new repressive measures will be passed in tote by Dail if Barbara Castle's legislation goes The Irish Unions (some welcomed the new laws) are barely capable of raising an English revolutionary socialists to support their comrades throughout Ireland grows at an astonishing rate. The fight
----- pull-quotes -----
fined up to £25, with a further fine of £5 a day. On conviction, the fine may be as high as £5000 and up to £100 per day for a continuing
imposes criminal liability on the individual workers whereby they could be fined and/or imprisoned for failure to pay fines.