A-Infos (en) Irish building workers wild cat strike - Day 3

[Andrew Flood <andrewflood@geocities.com>]

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Irish building workers wild cat strike - Day 3
              Written for A-Infos
              by Andrew Flood - Dublin - 23/10/98

Wildcat strikes and road blockades are spreading in
Ireland as a result of the jailing of two building
workers.
see http://www.ainfos.ca/ainfos00358.html
for previous report and background info

Last evening building workers blocked off the main
city centre cross city route by holding a sit down
on O'Connell bridge at 16:00.  There were scuffles
with the police outside Mountjoy prison and the
media reported several arrests had been made.  By
the time I arrived at 19:00 it had quietened down by
well over one hundred workers continued to block the
North Circular Road, in solidarity with their two
fellow workers inside the prison for their second
night.

This morning two major roads in the city centre were
blocked off as many workers led walk outs from their
sites and headed to the high court.  It's reported
that most major sites in Dublin are now shut down.
Meanwhile outside Dublin building workers downed
tools in Kilkenny and Limerick with 1,000 workers
reported to have walked off their sites in Limerick.
In Wexford the main route through the town was
blocked by workers this morning.

Meanwhile comrades in Cork report that "The Cork
Council Of Trade Unions and Workers Against the
Black Economy have called for a work stoppage by
building industry workers in the Cork City and
county region for noon today (Friday, October 23).
Workers and all those who support the jailed
workers, David McMahon and William Rogers, are asked
to make their way to the Courthouse, Washington
Street, Cork, where a protest and rally will be held
from noon to 2 pm."

According to state media when the two men returned
to Court this afternoon and they were asked to
apologise about 50 of their fellow workers at the
back of the court started shouting "never say sorry"
and clapping.  The judge then ordered the court
cleared.

It seems likely that the men will continue to be
jailed over the bank holiday weekend.  The 19:00
pickets outside Mountjoy jail are also likely to
continue so its important to get along and show your
solidarity with Dave and Billy if at all possible.

I've received an international request for Fax
numbers that protest letters can be sent to.  If you
wish to show your solidarity in this way I suggest
that you send protests to the Minister for Justice.
Details for contacting him are as below

Minister John O'Donoghue
Dept of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
72-76 St Stephen's Green
Dublin 2
Ph: 353-1-6028202
Fax 353-1-6615461
Email: info@justice.irlgov.ie


----
About the author: I am a member of the Workers
Solidarity Movement and the trade union SIPTU.  This
article is written in a personal capacity for a-
infos.  For a net version of a Workers Solidarity
newsletter on this struggle see
http://www.ainfos.ca/ainfos00364.html

--
----************************************-----
Revolution-> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419/revoindx.html

Anarchism-> http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/inter.html
Irish struggles -> http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/revolt.html
Publications -> http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/wsmpub.html



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