'Massive strike shuts down France'

Time we did this here. The Social Partnership is selling us all down the river.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1874757,00.html

French teachers obviously have more spirit than ours. John Carr of the INTO, who recently mobilised more than 100K to strike about education cuts had already ruled out strike action.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/29/strike-france-teachers

"But now there's real anger. Banks have announced positive results for 2008 after the state extended over $26 billion in aid to them — even as some bankers resist government demands for something in return by trying to hang on to their bonuses. That feeds a feeling of profound injustice in public opinion that could give rise to a revolt."

Says it all really. Everyone no matter what their political hue should be raising hell over this fraud. It is repugnant.

What exactly would crippling the country with strikes achieve?

You don't have to go on strike to raise hell, you can easily make your TDs feel like an endangered species or outcasts without losing 1 hours production.

Squire wrote:

You don't have to go on strike to raise hell, you can easily make your TDs feel like an endangered species or outcasts without losing 1 hours production.

Totally agree with that. Irish constituents have access and they should now be using it. Sorry, I took you up wrong.

Any suggestion that we should be copying what the French are at on a national level is, in my opinion, seriously deluded.

The French love strikes and protests, it is part of their culture. A bit of street theatre and retire to the Café for discussions on political philosophy!

When I heard this today I thought, thank goodness we have Social Partnership.

Squire wrote:

A bit of street theatre and retire to the Café for discussions on political philosophy!

I was on holidays in Nice once and took part in a student march contre Jean Marie Le Pen. I loved it, but I don't think my traveling companion was too impressed.

Squire wrote:

You don't have to go on strike to raise hell, you can easily make your TDs feel like an endangered species or outcasts without losing 1 hours production.

Why should our TD's be bothered over how much profit the French banks have made?

Aragon wrote:

Time we did this here. The Social Partnership is selling us all down the river.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1874757,00.html

Daft notions, both of them.

Euugh. The French. Any excuse...

Ha! Ha! - Bet you'll all be out on the streets before 6 months are out.

(Not you tonys )

Demonstrations are great for burning energy as well as pent up hatred and bile. If you want to burn the fire out competely, throw the right amount of petrol on it.

Why is it that strikes disgust so many in Ireland these days?

Is it because Irish unions have long since been castrated and are supposed to be fawning lap dogs?

I dunno... I'd like to see everyone in this country exercise their right to withold their labour and I'd like to see it done on a regular basis, until our government and their masters realise who it is that keeps them in luxury.

Auditor #9 wrote:

If you want to burn the fire out completely, throw the right amount of petrol on it.

I take it that that is straight from the arsonists handbook?

Hermes wrote:

Why is it that strikes disgust so many in Ireland these days?

Is it because Irish unions have long since been castrated and are supposed to be fawning lap dogs?

I dunno... I'd like to see everyone in this country exercise their right to withold their labour and I'd like to see it done on a regular basis, until our government and their masters realise who it is that keeps them in luxury.

Strikes don't disgust me at all, I've supported many. The French, on the other hand...

toxic avenger wrote:

Hermes wrote:

Why is it that strikes disgust so many in Ireland these days?

Is it because Irish unions have long since been castrated and are supposed to be fawning lap dogs?

I dunno... I'd like to see everyone in this country exercise their right to withold their labour and I'd like to see it done on a regular basis, until our government and their masters realise who it is that keeps them in luxury.

Strikes don't disgust me at all, I've supported many. The French, on the other hand...

My apologies TA, I should have said that present company was excluded from my vitriol. I meant it in a very general sense.

Yup the French will march for the minutest of reasons. We're the opposite though. Of the two, I respect the French idea more.

Hermes wrote:

Why is it that strikes disgust so many in Ireland these days?

Is it because Irish unions have long since been castrated and are supposed to be fawning lap dogs?

I
dunno... I'd like to see everyone in this country exercise their right
to withold their labour and I'd like to see it done on a regular basis,
until our government and their masters realise who it is that keeps
them in luxury.

It could be because some/a lot of Irish union leaders come across as smarmy self serving gits.

Personally, I think they do, while at the same time I support every
workers right to decent pay and conditions, and to pull the plug on
labour if employers are taking the piss. I've done it myself once or
twice without union support.

So it's a head wrecking question for me. When I hear the union guy on
the radio I get annoyed. When I hear the individual worker at the front
line on the radio, getting 25K for 60 hours work in an overfilled 100
year hospital I also get annoyed.

Dunno either ...

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Hermes wrote:

Why is it that strikes disgust so many in Ireland these days?

Is it because Irish unions have long since been castrated and are supposed to be fawning lap dogs?

I
dunno... I'd like to see everyone in this country exercise their right
to withold their labour and I'd like to see it done on a regular basis,
until our government and their masters realise who it is that keeps
them in luxury.

It could be because some/a lot of Irish union leaders come across as smarmy self serving gits.

Personally, I think they do, while at the same time I support every
workers right to decent pay and conditions, and to pull the plug on
labour if employers are taking the piss. I've done it myself once or
twice without union support.

So it's a head wrecking question for me. When I hear the union guy on
the radio I get annoyed. When I hear the individual worker at the front
line on the radio, getting 25K for 60 hours work in an overfilled 100
year hospital I also get annoyed.

Dunno either ...

That's it, nail on the head. Union bosses do tend to be a bunch of self-serving, smarmy and slimy gits.

How in Christ's name has it ever come to this...

Both private and public sector workers joined in the strike:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0130/1232923375623.html

Le Monde are reporting more than 2.5 million took part - governments worldwide must be shivering in their boots. As ever national mainstream media here and eslewhere are playing the governmetns line (nto such a big deal etc):

Link

Photographs:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=242362&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=47522423983&aid=-1&id=1324772951&oid=47522423983#/photo_search.php?oid=47522423983&view=all

Hermes, I support the right of people to strike and to join unions.
I have done neither though.

My father was a member of one of those small transport unions for decades, and that union rarely striked, even when the other CIE unions did. And he was happy with that because he felt that the train drivers, etc, were well paid and too quick to strike.

The train driver's unions do turn people like myself off unions. Similarly, the teacher's unions who have hinted recently they will strike over a cut in their pay.. but not over a cut in class sizes.

Look at benchmarking to; a complete farce. I felt public servants, who were earning more than their counterparts in the private sector, were paranoid and bitter.. they foolishly wanted parity with the private sector. So benchmarking was born and the taxpayer was conned. People were given pay rises without any increase in responsibility or productivity and now in a recession what of benchmarking? Parity goes out the window!!! If we had parity then hundreds of public servants would be getting let go every month, to mirror what is happening in Dell and the construction industry, etc. But it turns out the calls for "parity" was just a con job.

When I find a union who I can respect, like one right now that calls for large wage cuts, I'll join, and yes, I'll take the cuts.

eoinmn wrote:

. Look at benchmarking to; a complete farce. I felt public servants, who were earning more than their counterparts in the private sector, were paranoid and bitter.. they foolishly wanted parity with the private sector. So benchmarking was born and the taxpayer was conned. People were given pay rises without any increase in responsibility or productivity and now in a recession what of benchmarking? Parity goes out the window!!! If we had parity then hundreds of public servants would be getting let go every month, to mirror what is happening in Dell and the construction industry, etc. But it turns out the calls for "parity" was just a con job.

When I find a union who I can respect, like one right now that calls for large wage cuts, I'll join, and yes, I'll take the cuts.

When did benchmarking happen?? Was I out of the country or bursting myself in the private sector at the time, too busy to hear about it?

It seems like a big con though, you're right. Was there even flexibility built into it like indexing/pegging to inflation or the public sector payment being a fraction of GNP/GDP or as a fraction of the tax take or something? It's not a well-functioning mechanism anyway and seemed to put Cowen under unnecessary pressure as we saw. The idea of "Partnerships" shouldn't normally include such a headache but it seems to in this case. It was with a major sigh of relief for Cowen that Turlough and Begg took the Vice Grip off his nether parts fairly lively last week when they were told of the impending economic Cliffts of Moher that awaited the country.

I have some acquaintances and family members residing there. Phoned some who are students in Paris. They took part in the demonstration. According to them it was an utterly peaceful demonstration and they did not themselves witness any violence. I suppose with over 2 million if they were intent on civil unrest then a few thousand police would be hard pressed. So I think we need to keep the reporting of violence in perspective.

Their motivation for getting involved was due to what they see as a threat to the French values and way of life. (don't try to quantify it, I have tried on many occasions!) An anger at the obvious discrepancy on how the likes of Bankers are treated compared to everyone else. Worries about rising unemployment etc. I don't think there was any deep understanding of the actuality of the economics but more a deep feeling of betrayal of outrage. So as is traditional in that country they took to the streets.