Workers Solidarity Movement

Two prominent Shell to Sea campaigners, Maura Harrington and Niall Harnett have been sentenced to 4 months in prison.

Against a backdrop of recent resignations from the Provisional movement, election stagnation in the Republic reflected in growing disillusionment amongst the rank and file. In the words of Toiréasa Ferris "Sinn Féin simply means nothing to the bulk of people in the South....Forget the notion of trying to be a catch-all party that appeals to everyone. That way we’ll end up attracting the loyalty of no one". Scathing criticism, but perhaps a smokescreen to give the appearance of a leadership which tolerates dissent while maintaining firm control.

What do anarchists want? To put it briefly, we want to get rid of capitalism and replace it with a society organised to serve the needs of the many, we want to make real the old call of “from each according to ability, to each according to need”. This will be a socialism where everyone affected by a decision can take part in making that decision, and where the liberties of the individual are respected.

Analysis from Workers Solidarity 1 (1984) of the National Plan that was put forward to get Ireland out of the 1980's recession.

Article from Workers Solidarity 1, 1984 about the recession and the companies & individuals who were making millions

The introduction to the Workers Solidarity Movement as published in the very first issue of Workers Solidarity, back in 1984.

In 1984 the first Workers Solidarity hit the streets. Costing 20p, its print run of 1,000 was mainly sold around the pubs of Cork and Dublin on Friday nights, outside the GPO and the Cork women's labour exchange.

On RTE news on 18/5/09, Mary Hanafin stated, in her usual Orwellian fashion, that the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) had now provided a financial incentive to encourage those under 20 to go into training or education. This ’financial incentive’ involved cutting the dole to €100 per week for new claimants under the age of 20.

July - August 2009 Edition of the Workers Solidarity freesheet.

PDF of Workers Solidarity 110 Southern Web Edition 1.6 Mb
PDF of Workers Solidarity 110 Northern Web Edition 2.7 Mb

The Workers Solidarity Movement is calling on our fellow workers to support the national TEEU strike. This is an important battle for all of us, the first big blow against the employers’ wage-cutting agenda.

The strike is about an overdue 11% pay rise. The 10,500 TEEU members employed by electrical contractors at about 240 sites and factories have not been paid their agreed increases for more than three years. And now their employers want a 10% wage cut as well.