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report from the picket lines in belfast national |
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news report
 Friday November 22, 2002 12:36 by Dan Buckley - Socialist Workers Party dan_buckley_1917 at hotmail dot com
 A brief report from an FBU picket line in belfast. At nine o’clock sharp this morning fire fighters and control room staff walked out of fire stations across Britain and Northern Ireland. The mood at central station (the largest fire station in Belfast) was one of somber and general anger at the government. Many fire fighters didn’t want to be on the pickets at all but felt they were forced into strike action by the dismal offer put forward by them by the Bain review and then by the Blair governments stance on pay early this morning. On the pickets it was obvious that fire fighters had broad support. Nearly all the cars that went past the picket line hooted in support. A member of the SWP addressed the picket line and handed over £270 that was raised on stalls around the city in the run up to the strike. One thing is becoming clear to the fire fighters on the pickets, solidarity is the key. Already delegations from different workplaces visited picket lines last week, and in the coming days fire fighters are expected to address meetings of postal workers and other low paid workers. Already in London tube workers are turning sympathy into solidarity. In the last strike tube workers successfully closed down most of the underground system. This sort of action is starting to spread as the FBU strike continues. VICTORY TO THE FIREFIGHTERS!!! |
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Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1the above comment is ridiculous - many workplaces in n.ireland are sectarian - this shows just how ignorant some in this society are. it is well known that the fire service in n.ireland is overwhelmingly sectarian. If they were serious about workers rights they would condemn such discriminatory practices - there don't get my support - try working as a care assistant for the minimum minimum wage- they are scumy aggressive WASP's
I think that it's correct to say that the FBU is not sectarian. The workplaces and trade unions of NI are largely non-sectarian places (obviously there will be exceptions)
That is why it's up to the Trade Unions to campaign against sectarianism. The TUs are well placed to do this, and they have the power of the organised working class. Just look at the sucessful demo on January 18th.
But the workers are not divorced from the communities they live in. Some Firefighters will use phrases like "No Surrender" and "Tiocfaidh Ár Lá". Afterall they live in areas where these slogans are commonplace.
I was talking to a firefighter in Belfast night and one of the points that he made was that the service was NOT sectarian, that there were healthy numbers from both community in the service. They might not be all lovey-dovey towards each other but they do a job which requires mutual trust in difficult situations.
In an ironic twist, some of the catchphrases being used by all the firefighters are "No Surrender" and "Tiocfaidh Ár Lá"!
This week Jim Quinn, the Regional Chair of the FBU, spoke at a Socialist Party public meeting in Dublin. The other main speaker was Joe Higgins TD.
The meeting was organised to show solidarity with the UK's firefighters against the Thatcherite policies of Blair's Labour Party.
Jim spoke about the conditions that Firefighters face and their determination to improve and modernise the fireservice. In this dispute firefighters are on the offensive in terms of pay, and on the defensive when it comes to their conditions.
This dispute is a key one, it may well be "Blair's Miners". The struggle of the UKs firefighters are an example to other workers, not just in Britain and Ireland but throughout Europe.
Those contributing to the discussion included Ian Beard (member of the Regional Executive of the FBU and Socialist Party member) Peter Hadden (northern secretary of the Socialist Party), and firefighters from Dublin.
the action of the firefighters is criminally irresponsible at this time. They are putting lives at risk- let's not forget many people working in the public sector deserve a pay rise nurses, care -workers- 40% on the part of the firefighters is simply not on. This is a macho and agressive culture manifesting itself here. The fire service employs very few people from minority ethnic communities and in N.Ireland there are few catholics employed in this service. It is very much a pro-protestant and loyalist workforce. They need to wise up -they won't get 40%
you know America through her movies, propaganda, historiography, logos, emails, websites, her aircraft that first landed with Lindburg in Mayo, her Presidents seven only one of whom invoked New Ross, her flag and her architecture on the Merrion Road some vicious slight to Joycean Lore.
Her propaganda and her hollywood is a poor imitation of any Hazel wand, any seanachaoi, as open to the wind as any naked emperor´s clothing.
hello!
we´re are assembling