Socialists and Grassroots — Trade Union Organising

Why is grassroots organising within trade unions so important?

Whether you consider yourself to be a socialist, aligned or non-aligned, if you are opposed to the neoliberal sell-off of our public services or want to fight for decent wages then you need to be organised.

The 1990 Industrial Relations Act is often used as an excuse by union leaders to refrain from the fight but rank and file pressure can force their hand.

It’s important for workers to sit down and come together with a plan of action and this is where socialist trade unionists can be a small cog that moves the bigger cog of their workplace or sector.

Organise caucuses, like Forsa Left, with your fellow union members to meetings and encourage non-unionised colleagues to get involved.

The socialist worker should be a tribune, to be the radical that lights fire in the belly of workers to make collective demands to both the boss and the union.

That gets more shop stewards on board and workplace by workplace building an upward pressure on our unions from below.

Now imagine even just 20% for argument’s sake were organised in that way?

A fight for a return to 8 hours × 4 days isn’t an abstract aspiration. The hard part? Is starting.

If workers want to force the trade unions to break the 1990 Industrial Act, to have the power as Ray O’Reilly R.I.P (Independent Workers Union) once said in a rare interview:

“The best way to defeat the 1990 Act is to build up the majority within the unions… to ignore it”

We can organise to win decent wages, push back privatisation but also defend workers from the far right.

With attacks on Bus, Luas drivers and retail workers fresh in our minds since the fascist-led Dublin riot back in November 2023 unions can be a force to stop that rising far right.

The riots were not started by the North inner-city communities. One individual arrested, pending a court hearing, once lived in London and put up on his social media that he desired to blow up Mosques!

Currently living in Ranelagh — not from Sheriff Street!

ICTU quite rightly called a Solidarity Rally on the Monday after the riot because of the scale of the attacks on workers working in frontline jobs that awful day.

But sadly to my knowledge there hasn’t been any further union-led initiatives to show that they intend to force employers into more safety protocols to protect all workers from violence fuelled by racism.

It’s staggering that all summer library workers were targeted by fascists with the Guards letting them scream and record their vitriol towards the staff.

The one positive was an action called by FORSA in Cork, because pressure from below by workers forced their President Andy Pike to endorse the rally. The racists turned up, but so did the people of Cork City!

Longer term the goal is to build up contacts and build both a strategic link to have fighters in unions to push for collective improvements with 15-20%+ pay and conditions for all workers while also repelling racist fuelled attacks on fellow workers and refugees.