(en) Ireland, WSM Workers Solidarity #129 - Cover story - Only mass action can defeat Austerity

Five years into an austerity program that is only working to make the rich richer, most of 
us are very unhappy about the lack of resistance from the unions. During the Croke Park 
campaign the SIPTU National Executive Council released a statement that included: "There 
is, of course, a wider issue of fairness in the Country as a whole because the wealthy are 
not contributing to the degree that they can or should. This is a consequence of the 
political choices made by the voters at election time.? ---- Here, boldly stated, is the 
problem at the heart of modern trade unionism in Europe. Deeply built into its ideology 
is the acceptance that we have to accept the policies of whichever parties happen to win 
each consecutive round of the Xfactor-like electoral circus. This is why the so-called 
general strikes in Spain, Greece & Italy have not changed policy there.

Those 'general strikes' are not aimed at bringing down the government but rather just on 
making it very visible that the workers are unhappy.

As long as workers across Europe accept this limitation we will have austerity imposed on 
us. Tokenistic one or two-day actions, no matter how militant or noisy, cannot force the 
reversal of austerity. If that's what we want to see, it's not token action we need, it?s 
striking to win.

We need to give up on pleading with the wealthy 1% to treat us fairly. Their strength is 
in their enormous wealth though which they literally buy politicians and the media. Our 
strength is in the fact they are 1% and we outnumber them 99 to 1. Our strength is in the 
fact that unless we work they make no money. And our strength is in their fear that if we 
act together, if we organise together, if we strike together we will realise that we have 
no need for the 1% at all.