Ireland: growing discontent in the Celtic Tiger
The Programme for Competitiveness and Fairness, just coming into operation now, gives a yearly increase of five and a half per cent in wages. When the bureaucrats negotiated it official inflation was round 2%.
It has now leaped up to close on 6% and is predicted to keep rising. And as well as that it is a lying bosses index which effectively excludes house prices - which have escalated so much in price as to be beyond the reach of any but the best paid workers.
Small wonder then that the programme of wage restraint is already in crisis and that a revolt against both it and low pay in general is threatening.
The first big battle in this revolt began last week when Aer Lingus cabin crew went on a 24 hour all out strike which closed down Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports. Repeats up to and and including indefinite strike are in the pipeline from cabin crew and baggage handlers and clerical staff are primed for similar action.
Meanwhile secondary teachers have balloted fr strike action for a 30% pay rise.The turn out for the strike ballot was 70% and 90% voted for strikes.
The strike action will begin with a days strike on Nov 14 and on Dec 5th - which will close all secondary schools for the first time in 20 years.
These day strikes are to be supplemented by various forms of work to rule.
In addition the Executive of the other second level teachers union- the TUI- has been forced to ballot for strike action for better pay- with every likelihood that the vote will be heavily for industrial action.
Its likely that the above industrial action will embolden other batallions of the public sector - making this a winter of discontent for the "booming" Celtic Tiger.
