This entertaining little flyer is posted on notice boards at Dublin Airport. Apparently the staff are all turning socialist!
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Monday June 18th, 8pm
Hawthorn HoteI, Main Street, Swords
STOP this Criminal Robbery
The government has finally come clean on its plans to ditch Aer Lingus.
Many residents in north Dublin work for Aer Lingus. Privatisation will inevitably mean job losses., with figures as high as 2000 job losses already being mentioned. These were secure, pensionable jobs. To lose them wouId be a big blow to many families in the area The idea of big compensation or redundancy offers is ruled out.
The only real solution for the government, as the major stakeholder, to invest in the airline. There is nothing to prevent them doing this except lack of political will. They must be stopped from committing this crime against the taxpayer and the workforce.
No Sell-Off of Aer Lingus
For secure jobs & conditions
This represents a very serious threat to the jobs and conditions of workers in the airline. It is nothing short of daylight robbery of one of the state’s prime assets. Aer Lingus workers, many of who were and still are disgracefully low paid, built this company in good and bad times. These efforts have ensured that Aer Lingus has an impeccable safety record and an international reputation second to none. Now they want to give it away.
Unfortunately there has been no real opposition to this announcement. SIPTU, IMPACT and the labour Party have all condemned the proposed trade sell-off but they have all argued instead for flotation. What’s the difference? Privatisation in any form always means an erosion of jobs and conditions. The disastrous flotation of Eircom is the best example of how a flotation will result in the fat cats getting their hands on a valuable asset that belongs to the country
No Flotation - no privatisation
The ESAT mobile phone license was sold to entrepreneur Dennis O'Brien for a knockdown price of £15 million. Three years later he sold the company and made a personal killing of £230 million. The same will happen with Aer Lingus, that’s what privatisation means. Robbing state assets to enrich private individuals the same individuals who fund the big political parties
Aer Lingus workers and the Irish taxpayer have invested too much work and money for this company to be off loaded to a greedy fat cat waiting in the wings to make a killing.
A massive propaganda campaign has been waged against the workforce by the media and the establishment political parties. They paint a picture of the workforce as unmanageable due to the industrial action taken against low pay. This is nonsense. Aer Lingus has a great name as a safe, quality service airline. It has the potential to be a great place to work, as it was in the past. This potential has been stifled by mismanagement. The Board of Management is made up of political appointees, with no expertise in how to run an airline. They should be removed.
The sell-off of Aer Lingus joins the long list of state assets that are being pilfered by the establishment political parties. Enough is enough, These people must be exposed and taken on. Come to the meeting. The ties and the propaganda will be
exposed and a clear outline given for how and why the airline must remain in state hands. Act now or this asset will be lost forever.
Meeting hosted by the Socialist Party public representatives Councillor Clare Daly (Aer Lingus shop steward) and Joe Higgins TD.
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Mind you, some good points about political corruption in Ireland. Almost feel sorry for 'em.
Not!