The idea that Sinn Fein represents some kind of progressive political force becomes ever more ridiculous with each passing day of devolution and power sharing. Even by its own low standards the party’s call for classroom assistants to abandon their strike plumbs new depths.Classroom assistants have resumed industrial action after weeks of fruitless talks with the employers at the Labour Relations. These talks had come on the back of an all about strike by classroom assistants belonging to the Nipsa union in response to a proposal from the Education Boards to reduce their pay and conditions. This supposedly represented a settlement of a twelve-year dispute over job evaluation.
Throughout this current phase dispute the Sinn Fein education minister Caitriona Rune has consistently backed the Boards and done everything in her power to put down the strikers. This started almost immediately from when she took office and endorsed a financial package from the Boards to settle the long running dispute. This “settlement” was based on funding any pay arrears due to classroom assistants by reducing their current and future pay and conditions. The essentials of this offer remain on the table toady despite claims by the minister that it has been “vastly improved”. Despite it being overwhelmingly rejected Ruane wants to press ahead and impose it. The negotiations that have taken place have really been a facade as there is nothing more on offer. Their purpose is to demobilise the strikers and give the impression that the minister is doing something to resolve the despite.
However, with the resumption of strike action, these populist gestures have given way to outright hostility. The minister and the Boards have went on the offensive, misleading the public about what’s on offer and making scurrilous claims that the strikers are exploiting disabled children. Ruane has even gone so far has to write to every Nipsa classroom assistants urging them to abandon their strike. This is unashamed attempt at strike breaking.
A defence offered for such behaviour is that the Sinn Fein minister is bound into the Executive. Such arguments implicitly recognises the reactionary nature of the Executive. But the anti-strike posture of Sinn Fein is not confined to those with ministerial responsibility. The west Belfast MLA Paul Butler has also been vocal in his denunciations of the strike, claiming that “industrial action by classroom assistants will achieve anything accept to create more hardship for children.” This is particularly ironic, as he had joined a picket line only a few weeks earlier during the previous strike. He didn’t explain the reason for his U-turn.
However, independent thinking is not something Sinn Finn MLAs are noted for. Ruane and Butler are just ciphers for the leadership. They are part of a government that has already laid out its plans for an assault on public services and the working class; and are determined to stay in that government no matter what. By putting down strikers Sinn Fein can demonstrate its credentials as a party of government and its fitness for the battles to come.
When classroom assistants held a demonstration outside Sinn Fein offices west Belfast, Paul Butler was indignant that they held placards comparing Catriona Ruane with Margaret Thatcher. But given Sinn Fein’s current right wing trajectory it is one that is apt.
5 comments:
Don't forget Barry McIlduff. Barry was playuing the same role as Paul - being on the side of the classroom assistants while Ruane tried to smash them. The fact theat Sinn Fein have had to drop their policy of being government and oppositoin is telling
Paul Butler's mock anger at the NIPSA placards comparing the Sinners with Thatcher reeked of arrogance - claiming that the whole 'community' was offended. His claim that comparing Ruane to Thatcher, when the latter was responsible for the deaths of the hunger strikers, was out of order was the latest blatent attempt to use them as cover for right wing policies. No one would have been in any doubt that the comparison with Thatcher is precisely about the convergence of Sinn Fein's economic and social policies with that of the Iron Lady. The froth about their glorious history will fool no one especialy since they are no longer even capable of defending that history when challenged by unionists or the media.
Strike has made gains
Don't forget that there is a lot of public support for the strikers. At the start of the strike the teachers unions, INTO and UTU, issued a scab statement advising members to cooperate with management attempts to recruit a scab army.
Following masive rank and file protests the did a U-turn within a week and the scab offensive was beaten back
Paul Butler indignation with NIPSA members who were holding placards comparing Catriona Ruane with Margaret Thatcher is typical of Sinn Fein’s selective view of Irish and British history. Admittedly, Thatcher was responsible for the deaths of the Hunger Strikers in 1981, but she will also be remembered for the Falklands war and the defeat of the miners 1984-85. However, her biggest success was that Thatcherism has served as a role model for New Labour.
The other thing that Thatcher did was bring the Irish capitalist class into a formal alliance to strengthen partition, through the Anglo-Irish Agreement. At the time Sinn Fein claimed to oppose it but also claimed that what was good in it was due to them. An early indication of their capitulation. So Sinn Fein has a lot more to thank Thatcher for than it would care to admit.
Of course the obvious point about the NIPSA placard is that she is the inspiration behind Sinn Fein's current economic and social policies. The classroom assistants are living proof of that.
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