A-Infos (en) Ireland Anarchist journal, Workers Solidarity #96 - Fianna Fail to Perform Miracle of Full Employment

Seamus Brennan is a little man in many ways, but one thing he dislikes is not 
being in the limelight. So in this election year, the Social Affairs minister 
has decided to drive the last 150,000 people from the live register of the 
unemployed. Like some figure from the old testament Seamie will perform the 
miracle of full employment to prove his worth, He will drive the unemployed 
into the arms of the awaiting super exploitative bosses. --- The plan is to 
force people to train with FAS after three months. The reason for this, as put 
forth by Pipsqueak, is simple: 'The bigger picture is that for every 1,000 
people who go to FAS, something like 40% volunteer to go off the register." So, 
what happens to these people when they go off the register? That's not his 
problem, it's theirs. They get driven into low paid work, most likely work 
that's minimum wage.

Does this matter to the egotistical minister in his pinstripe suit? Hell no, 
just look at the bottom line. People are driven off the live register. That's 
less people to pay social welfare to. Social Welfare was won by a strong Trade 
Union movement and now it's under attack by this gobshite. These measures will 
only have the effect of creating a pool of desperate labour which is prepared 
to work for very low wages. Great for firms like Dunnes Stores, Burger King and 
Champion Sports. Not so good for the rest of us.

Brennan goes on to explain "if 150,000 Polish migrants can get employment, then 
we have to assume that with additional support and training ...our own 150,000 
long-term unemployed can do the same." We see the devastating logic of the 
Minister's grey matter at work here. Perhaps you can drive them into the 
construction industry Seamie, where some bosses are getting away with illegally 
paying Polish & Lithuanian builders as little as €4.31 an hour.

The Social Affairs Minster would do better to concentrate on the Organisation 
for Economic Co-operation & Development report which has Ireland 17th out of 18 
OECD states for rates of poverty. The government want to save some shillings by 
robbing from the poor, and at the same time they want people to be scared into 
working for crap wages. When that type of bullyboy job is to be done, Pipsqueak 
Brennan is top of his class.

This article is from Workers Solidarity No96, you can read the rest of this 
issue at http://www.wsm.ie/story/2290

Download the PDF file of WS96 from http://www.struggle.ws/pdfs/ws/ws96.pdf
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