More than 250,000 Irish public-sector workers went on strike on Nov. 24 in what is said to be the biggest national strike in over 30 years. The work stoppage closed hospitals, schools, social welfare offices, passport offices, and public offices of the state tax authorities.
Government workers are protesting some $2 billion in proposed pay cuts. The working class is already suffering from higher taxes, and the IMF predicts that next year unemployment will rise threefold to 15.5 percent.
Like other capitalist countries, Ireland is attempting to shift the burden of the global economic crisis onto the backs of workers. The Parliament is expected to approve the creation of the National Asset Management Agency in early December, which will translate into an $80 billion bailout for the banks.
The Irish government has stated that there is no bargaining room for public-sector cuts. Workers, for their part, have threatened another strike in early December if negotiations do not proceed.
