And now it starts. Morning Ireland are reporting that a 600 strong meeting of the Roscommon Hospital Action Group massively passed a No to Lisbon motion because of the downgrading of the hospital. They also resolved to contact 23 other hospital groups nationwide to urge for similar motions.
I have been saying for months that this will happen!
makes perfect sense.......vote against a treaty which has nothing to do with your issue. then, when the general election comes along, which has everything to do with your issue, vote the same government in. seriously, this is ridiculous, and i hope other action groups around the country have the good sense to ignore.
The payment and employment of hospital workers has a huge amount to do with the running of hospitals.
The Laval judgement of the ECJ means that Irish hospital workers can easily be undercut by non-national contractors.
The Lisbon Charter gives the ECJ even more power over Irish workers and decisions about their human rights. They are right to vote NO.
http://www.people.ie/trade/teeu.pdf4th May 2008 – Country’s largest craft union urges 45,000 members to vote No
in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty
The national executive of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union is advising
members to vote ‘No’ in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. General Secretary
Designate Eamon Devoy says, “The TEEU favours a social Europe but unfortunately
recent key judgments by the European Court of Justice show that the pendulum has
swung against workers’ rights and in favour of big business. In the circumstances it
would be foolish to provide the institutions of the European Union with more power.
“The judgments in the Laval and Viking disputes accepted workers had the right to
organise in unions only to negate its value by saying they could not undertake
industrial action where it conflicted with the provision of goods and services,
regardless of the social consequences.
In the recent Ruffert case the Court found that a
Polish subcontractor operating in Germany was entitled to pay his workers less than
half the agreed minimum wage for the construction sector, because the right to
provide unrestricted services took priority over collective wage agreements.
“This struck a particular chord with TEEU members. Twice in recent times we have
found Polish workers at Money point being grossly exploited by German contractors
and paid as little as €5 an hour. In another instance we discovered Serbian electricians
being paid as little as $3.81c an hour. We were only able to ensure proper rates were
paid to these workers after strong pressure, including the prospect of industrial action,
was exerted on the companies concerned.
I thought Laval didn't impact on Ireland because we already have one of the highest minimum wages anyway and (although I'm sure some do) companies can't pay their employees here less than that?
The Roscommon action group spokesman got hammered on Morning Ireland - came across as somewhat ridiculous when he basically admitted that it's nothing to do with Lisbon they're just unhappy with what's happening with the hospital so they're going to try and use Lisbon to get what they want.
I'm sure there will be more of this with Sligo, Monaghan ....etc. etc.
There is a fine line between using leverage legitimately in a dispute and crossing that line by introducing un-related issues. Any experienced union official will tell you that crossing the line very very seldom works.
In any event the globally accepted model for delivery of best outcomes from hospitals is to have large centres of excellence backed up by small local care centres. Sligo/Roscommon/Mayo and all the others complaining are going to have to accept that. I'm particularly ************************************ off with the senior medical professionals who are backing these protests when they themselves know that best medical outcomes are NOT delivered through the local hospital trying to do everything approach.
Anyway - I can't see Cowen backing down to these guys and I can't see that they are advancing their cause by this approach.
Edit: also meant to say - what do they expect will happen? Health policy ain't gonna change for them. So if the treaty passes do they think their opposing it will give them a better chance of success? Even if the treaty fails do they think that their approach will mean that the HSE changes their approach to services provided out of Roscommon? Ill-judged action.
Utter bloody stupidity. Total dumnuts to think that this sort of antics are sensible politics. Go picket some FF member's clinic, but FFS dont muck about with important issues to make a point of being again the government.
This is getting a bit ridiculous - of course the treaty has to do with health. It specifically move competence on helth and education to the EU and increases the role of private business in the health sector.Originally Posted by caminoed
The Yes sides approach to arguing (oh thats nothing to do with this treaty) has some internal inconsistencies.
The rest of your post is fairly coherent.
They should do what they are told by their 'betters' then. Eh Bluecy?
Of course Europe impacts on Health and on Education and on Human Rights and on our Economy and on etc etcThis is getting a bit ridiculous - of course the treaty has to do with health. It specifically move competence on helth and education to the EU and increases the role of private business in the health sector.
The Yes sides approach to arguing (oh thats nothing to do with this treaty) has some internal inconsistencies.
the point is that that specific issue - Irish Health policy regarding services provided by Roscommon hospital - will not be impacted one iota by the Lisbon treaty's ratification or failure to be ratified.
No. they should try to disintangle the local, national and EU issues and then act to pressurise appropriatly. Vote no = smack the HSE = ? effect on europe. I dont care if they vote yes, no or abstain, but can we not have people vote on issues that are germane. Vote against FF/PD policies at local level if you are against them, but a technical consititution for the EU has as much relevance to roscommon hospital services as the 1980's SF view on economics had to reality.
Sorry, you didn't ead what I said. I didn't say the EU affects health - I said the Lisbo treaty provides for the liberalisation of health services and an increased role for private business in health rvices. i.e. this treaty specifically impacyts on the Irish health service.
As such Roscommon and every other health campaign is correct to argue for a No vote.
The rest of your post is fairly coherent.
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