Workers striking for better conditions deserve our support

SIR, ‘Industrial unrest and a winter of discontent’ are phrases being bandied about at the moment in the media. Would it not be fairer to say: ‘eight years of pain and discontent to be rectified in the industrial relations front’.

When is enough, enough? When does one’s patience reach its limit? When is justice delayed, justice denied? The workers who are now looking for wage rises were greatly wronged in having cuts and freezes on their wages in order to get us out of the mess created by others.

The government constantly pat us on the head and compliment us on the sacrifices we have made to rectify the economy. Now we will see if these were only platitudes to quell a rising storm of discontent .

Our health, education and social services have been decimated and we have been very patient with our masters in Europe. We are a low wage economy and maybe it’s time to stop this race to the bottom. We are one of the most expensive countries in the E.U. in which to live. Insurance, groceries, health, education, rent and property costs are way out of bounds and the living wage for many is only something one dreams about.

Gardai, nurses, teachers, bus and rail workers and others are all putting their hands up and saying, ‘please , sir , can we have some more?’ A caring government – an oxymoron surely – would want to show compassion after years of imposed hardship. We were a meek and compliant society and reward is slow in coming for many. Apparently, we can phase out €5 billion of USC income and give relief to all workers, even those on very high incomes who never felt the effects of austerity. We still have an abundance of tax loopholes for the rich. We even give children’s allowance to the wealthy and cut back on the unemployed aged under 26, single parents and many others.

Social justice was absent in all budgets over the austerity period; maybe the current government will discover a conscience when dealing with workers’ claims for a little relief. One would hope that the question to striking workers, ‘do you have the general public on your side’, would actually become irrelevant, because fellow workers would understand their plight.

Those on low and average income have taken the pain. Unfortunately, those who decide what workers ‘deserve’ have not felt the brunt of the eight year recession.

Recession still remains for many, in spite of the ‘keep the recovery going’ slogan used by Fine Gael and Labour in the general election.

So, understand for your fellow workers, when they try to redress the imbalance in their hitherto static incomes and show some compassion and solidarity. ‘Money is made to go around’ and it helps the economy. When a few have most of the wealth it works less for us all. Spread the largesse around and we will ‘keep the recovery going’, Minister Noonan.

Sincerely, Gerry Cournane, Tralee.