Public Sector V Private Sector Workers: Blame the Unions

[onlyasking]

Just before noon today on RTE radio Alan Ruddock of the Sunday Independent expressed his concern at the divisive pitting of public sector workers against their private sector counterparts. So far so good and, given Ruddock's position amongst the Sindo's legion of right-wing opinionists, so surprising. Silly me, deluding myself albeit briefly into thinking that Ruddock was entering thoughtful mode.

He immediately disabused listeners of any notion that he was taking an objective view by stating that the public sector unions are driving this campaign of divisiveness. His 'newspaper', along with all the others owned by unimaginably wealthy private sector billionaires, would appear in Ruddock's view to be entirely innocent of any role in the current frenzied attempts to set private sector workers at the throats of every public sector worker in the state.

Is it a formal requirement of the Sindo that its opinionists, with the exception of Gene Kerrigan, are bare-faced liars and/or utter fools.

[ballot stuffer]

Just before noon today on RTE radio Alan Ruddock of the Sunday Independent expressed his concern at the divisive pitting of public sector workers against their private sector counterparts. So far so good and, given Ruddock's position amongst the Sindo's legion of right-wing opinionists, so surprising. Silly me, deluding myself albeit briefly into thinking that Ruddock was entering thoughtful mode.

He immediately disabused listeners of any notion that he was taking an objective view by stating that the public sector unions are driving this campaign of divisiveness. His 'newspaper', along with all the others owned by unimaginably wealthy private sector billionaires, would appear in Ruddock's view to be entirely innocent of any role in the current frenzied attempts to set private sector workers at the throats of every public sector worker in the state.

Is it a formal requirement of the Sindo that its opinionists, with the exception of Gene Kerrigan, are bare-faced liars and/or utter fools.

It's totally counter productive. To my knowledge this media spotlight on the public sector paybill was highlighted in the papers long before our public finances deteriorated to the state they are now.

Now that we need to do something about the pay bill, the PS have been totally alienated.

Perhaps the public sector unions would never have facilitated cutbacks or worked with the government even without this press coverage, but they certainly won't now.

It's pretty irrelevant now any ways. They will embark on a pointless campaign of strike action when they know their demands are impossible.

[real kiltubrid man]

what is happening here is the idiots of union leaders, thin kthey are part of the government ,and that they are required to run the country ,and that if they are not in their positions dictating ,the country will stop.

well might i just say what a wonderful job the media are doing of showing these frauds and thieves in these unions for what they really are, and let the media keep it up, because it will be the fall of the unions on their own stupidity and corruption that will demolish the crowd of simpltons in the public sector and their unnecessary perks.

a union is not a powerful organisation ,and is not a threat to any government or country, and its about time the people of the country realised that.

we the private sector are almost unionless, thank god, and we are 10 times bigger than this leech that is the public sector and their corrupt unions abd its also about time people realised that also.

all that is wrong here is that the union leaders are afraid of loosing their cosy positions on state bodies and bullsh1t meetings that earns them a couple of hundred grand a year of MY money

[X-ray]

The sindo has been ranting about the PS for months, it is an utter rag. I would not house train a cat on it.

How dare they try to blame others for causing division when all they have done is divert attention from their wealthy pay masters and politcal string pullers by fostering as much division among people as they possibily can.

[wexfordman]

The sindo has been ranting about the PS for months, it is an utter rag. I would not house train a cat on it.

How dare they try to blame others for causing division when all they have done is divert attention from their wealthy pay masters and politcal string pullers by fostering as much division among people as they possibily can.

Whats casuing the division X-Ray, is people like you , who on one hand trehaten to go on strike if your pay is cut, and moan and moan about pension levy etc while at the same time comming out with little gems like this one below with regards private sector:-

They will have to cut prices, costs and wages to remain in business. We are entering a phase of deflation, may be stagflation then. Reduce costs or die.

[real kiltubrid man]

Whats casuing the division X-Ray, is people like you , who on one hand trehaten to go on strike if your pay is cut, and moan and moan about pension levy etc while at the same time comming out with little gems like this one below with regards private sector:-

finish him off this time, the sindo is no real business of the ps because it is privately funded ,therefore no business atall of the ps if it cuts jobs or lowers the price OF ITS OWN PAPERS, get over it x ray

[onlyasking]

I realise a couple of contributors are revving their brains to the max, judging by their mature observations, but can somebody deal with Alan Ruddock's assertion that public sector unions are the driving force behind the current campaign to divide public sector and private sector workers. The mendacity of that comment, after all, is what I addressed.

The sheer poison on display here i.e. "finish him off" supports effectively my argument that there is a feeding frenzy on every single public sector worker in the state, and that the poison is overwhelmingly being directed at a massive number of people, about one in six of the workforce, regardless of their earnings or contribution to society. In a great many cases the demonisation is emanating from lavishly paid journalists who can type any lies they like into a laptop in the comfort of the local boozer.

Would anyone care to to address my point about Ruddock's gross dishonesty for a start.

[smallobear]

I realise a couple of contributors are revving their brains to the max, judging by their mature observations, but can somebody deal with Alan Ruddock's assertion that public sector unions are the driving force behind the current campaign to divide public sector and private sector workers. The mendacity of that comment, after all, is what I addressed.

The sheer poison on display here i.e. "finish him off" supports effectively my argument that there is a feeding frenzy on every single public sector worker in the state, and that the poison is overwhelmingly being directed at a massive number of people, about one in six of the workforce, regardless of their earnings or contribution to society. In a great many cases the demonisation is emanating from lavishly paid journalists who can type any lies they like into a laptop in the comfort of the local boozer.

Would anyone care to to address my point about Ruddock's gross dishonesty for a start.

It has been open season for a year now. Of course he's being dishonest. His paper and the Irish Times recently have made a conscious editorial position to attack one sector of the workforce at every available opportunity. What can people do when they are hearing and reading nothing but attacks and bile every day of the week - stand up for themselves. PS workers are now demanding their unions stand up for them. The split was caused by right-wing media types and parts of the public more than willing to go along with them. Unions just reacted to it. These attacks are the main reason for the coming strikes. Things have come to a boil - we know that the time has come to say 'no'. Enough of the misleading hype and hysteria. We are mainly middle income workers doing our best in trying times. Find another scapegoat

[irish_bob]

Just before noon today on RTE radio Alan Ruddock of the Sunday Independent expressed his concern at the divisive pitting of public sector workers against their private sector counterparts. So far so good and, given Ruddock's position amongst the Sindo's legion of right-wing opinionists, so surprising. Silly me, deluding myself albeit briefly into thinking that Ruddock was entering thoughtful mode.

He immediately disabused listeners of any notion that he was taking an objective view by stating that the public sector unions are driving this campaign of divisiveness. His 'newspaper', along with all the others owned by unimaginably wealthy private sector billionaires, would appear in Ruddock's view to be entirely innocent of any role in the current frenzied attempts to set private sector workers at the throats of every public sector worker in the state.

Is it a formal requirement of the Sindo that its opinionists, with the exception of Gene Kerrigan, are bare-faced liars and/or utter fools.

alan ruddock spoke the truth , the so called public - private divide is a union invention , it was designed to create an atmosphere of tension and distrust , it suits the unions to have thier members high on anger and paranoia , when people are angry , they loose sight of the reality of thier situation they find themselves in , no reasonable person in the ps could believe that it is the public sector who have experienced the most pain in this rescession , such a view is completly at odds with the hard facts on the ground , the unions have riled thier members up , i only hope that most ps workers will not be marched up the hill by a motley crue of marxists and champagne socilists on a power trip

[onlyasking]

It has been open season for a year now. Of course he's being dishonest. His paper and the Irish Times recently have made a conscious editorial position to attack one sector of the workforce at every available opportunity. What can people do when they are hearing and reading nothing but attacks and bile every day of the week - stand up for themselves. PS workers are now demanding their unions stand up for them. The split was caused by right-wing media types and parts of the public more than willing to go along with them. Unions just reacted to it. These attacks are the main reason for the coming strikes. Things have come to a boil - we know that the time has come to say 'no'. Enough of the misleading hype and hysteria. We are mainly middle income workers doing our best in trying times. Find another scapegoat

I fear for those in the public sector. The one-day strike will be embraced by govt as a nice little saver, and as the hate-campaign is ramped up there'll be little to lose for FF in moving to crush the public sector. That said, the public sector unions have simply got to do something, but I don't think they are adequately making the case that the bailout of the ruling class represented by NAMA, an unimaginably colossal transfer of money from the masses to the elite, should be a far greater source of anger for the vast majority of the citizens than the massive wealth of the lavishly-paid, tea-drinking and perpetually holidaying nurses, teachers, ambulance drivers and dole-office staff who inhabit the pages of our so-called newspapers.