SIPTU President nominated Business Person of the Month by Business and Finance Magazine

by Animal Farm - Disgusted Mon Sep 27, 2010 18:16

Trade Unionism in this country is a joke. Union leaders sat on the boards of companies and either didn't see what was happening - or didn't want to see what was happening. Either way, with leaders like this, it was the workers who reaped the consequences.

Why should Jack O'Connor not be praised by the employers, he did a brilliant job for them and then topped it off with croke park? Croaked - for all the workers who will lose their jobs. Why should the employers stop at Jack O'Connor, many more Trade Unionist Leadershave done them a similar service?

Actually, a poll should be taken outside Dole offices, where the unemployed could vote for the union leaders they think should be similarly honoured.

The union leaders are preaching now about "getting back to basics." At least they are recognising that it was the stampede away from trade union basics that has been the ruination of the country.

by Sceptic - None whatsoever Fri Sep 24, 2010 22:12

If any reader of Indymedia Irl would believe a written word from 'Business & Finance ' then i am afraid its Beano Time for
all ,or try The Dandy instead ..... B & F ,as they like to be known, is possibly the greatest rag- of- a- mag ever to hit the
newstands , and i mean ever . To even contemplate Jack The Lad as motor mouth of the day is bad enough but to come
from ' B & F ' is certainly scraping the barrell indeed . The old Top Exc once upon a time actually 'resided' in The Gresham
Hotel , courtesy of direct debits from business's themselves , and dont get me going about ' Their Journalist's ' , i would
be here all night .Yo Ho Ho & a Bottle of Rum . Pukie Lukie would attest to that !!!!

by Ronan Fri Sep 24, 2010 17:20

It is quoted at the following links-

http://www.businessandfinance.ie/index.jsp?p=793&n=708

Guess who the "Business & Finance" Business Person of the Month for May 2010 is.... You couldn't make this up!
Date: Thu, 2010-06-10 10:26
http://www.wsm.ie/c/jack-oconnor-business-finance-perso...month

Deal is best port in raging storm, says union
By Anne-Marie Walsh and Patricia McDonagh
Thursday May 20 2010
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/deal-is-best-po....html

From Unity, 19 June 2010
Heads on the chopping block
http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie/unity/216.html

by Sickened - unemployed Thu Sep 23, 2010 20:56

ANIMAL FARM

by Des Derwin Wed Jun 16, 2010 17:22

Sorry to come back to this again, but I have not been able to track down any speech or article by Jack O'Connor which contains the following extract quoted in 'Business and Finance'.

"If you have a long industrial campaign...the interpretation of it externally would be that the Government wasn't able to honour its commitments and consequently, the credibility of Government bonds would be very much in question."

It's not in the Athy speech. True, that is remarkable enough, and may say substantially the same thing indirectly. But the 'Business and Finance' quote, especially as it is edited in B & F, is so bluntly similar to any conservative commentator (go on strike and 'the markets' will react) that it's authenticity and original construction needs confirmation before it can be referred to by union activists.

If noone on Indymedia can identify it perhaps a sub editor made it up. Maybe it's a transcrpt from a radio or television appearance. Anyone out there got the source before I request the reference from 'Business & Finance'? Or SIPTU Head Office.

by Eyes Open - unemployed Mon Jun 14, 2010 14:42

Instead of making pro employer speechs O'Connor would be better getting his union to strike against NAMA and the bailout of the banks. Now we know where he's going when he retires on full pension from siptu.

by worker - none Sun Jun 13, 2010 23:21

the ownership of a company has little or nothing to do with the creation of wealth. The 'private sector' or private ownership simply means, owned by private individuals, public sector means owned by the state. The ownership has nothing to do with whether a company produces profits or a surplus. ESB for example is a public company.

Generally in capitalism profitable industries are given over to private monopolies while the so called 'public sector' look after unprofitable industries. if these industries are deemed to be profitable they will be privatised, while at the same time previously profitable industries and their debts will be nationalised. Witness the banks!

The general line is 'don't mess with our profits but help us out with our losses'. The division of workers into public and private sectors was a very clever ideological device used to distract unemployed workers (such as ourselves) and have us 'blame' workers who still have jobs rather than the people and system responsible for our unemployment.

by On The Dole. Sun Jun 13, 2010 18:58

"An astonishing statement after the bank collapse reports."

Banks don't create wealth.
They lend to the private sector in the hope that they might make a profit.

I'm not knocking the Public Sector at all.

The American Public Sector launched the Space Shuttle after all.

The Space Shuttle has spawened a zillion new inventions.

Just like James Watt .
When Watt invented the Steam Engine he invented the Industrial Revolution.

But!

The money ultimately comes from the hard work of the Private Sector Working Class.

Modernity is built on inventions such as your iPhone.

(A think like an iPhone is in the nose cone of those notoriously accurate American Drone aircraft.)

Mere banks do not invent wealth.

Inventors do.
.

by D_D Sun Jun 13, 2010 16:57

"The private sector creates the wealth which pays the public sector."

An astonishing statement after the bank collapse reports.

by On The Dole. Fri Jun 11, 2010 19:42

Of course he is a good businessman.

He saved almost all the jobs in the public sector.
While 400,000+ private sector workers are on the dole..

A temporary Good Businessman of course.

The private sector creates the wealth which pays the public sector.
(Borrowing money from Germany to pay our public sector is a temporary game for fools.)

The private sector is still imploding.
Ask the IMF.

by non-voter Fri Jun 11, 2010 17:47

I have no doubt that Jack O’Connor did say words to that effect , Des .He made a speech in Athy on Mayday where he said that Irish economic sovereignty is at risk because of the present crisis. I can’t provide the misssing words for the Business and Finance dots ,but try this:

""If you have a long industrial campaign
……….,and if the unions do force the government into paying wage demands , what would be the outcome ? It must be borne in mind that , because of the huge bailout of the banks , Ireland is well on the road to bankruptcy ,as experts such as UCD’s Professor Morgan Kelly have recently noted . If Ireland still had its own currency , there would be an immediate run on the punt . The result of yielding to pay increases under the present circumstances would probably be the expulsion of Ireland from the eurozone , because ………………
...the interpretation of it externally would be that the Government wasn't able to honour its commitments and consequently, the credibility of Government bonds would be very much in question."

by Des Derwin Fri Jun 11, 2010 15:03

From 'Business and Finance' (see the link above):

""If you have a long industrial campaign...the interpretation of it externally would be that the Government wasn't able to honour its commitments and consequently, the credibility of Government bonds would be very much in question."

Did Jack O'Connor really say this?! Has anyone got the missing bit of the quote represenented by the dotted lines?

by MickNed Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:35

With friends like this who needs enemies!

Have to say I agree with Business and Finance, Mr O Conner is an excellent businessma