THE general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Mr Peter Cassells, yesterday asserted the right of the trade union movement to a strong voice in preparations for monetary union in the EU.
At the ICTU conference in Belfast, he said that as the "train of change" hurtled through Europe, many found the speed and scale of this change "incomprehensible". All sectors must work together to ensure that working people were to be represented in a global economy.
"Putting up monetary borders will benefit no one but the financial speculators who have been quick to target the punt and wipe out the achievement of Irish workers overnight," he said.
But the way trade unions approached these changes should reflect our approach to change in general". "Our aim must be to share the driver's seat; even more importantly, we must be in on planning the journey, helping to draw up the map and laying down the tracks."
"Some of the passengers in the first-class carriage may not welcome us aboard," he said "but without the people who design the train maintain it clean it, check the tickets serve the food - without these people there is no train and there are no passengers, first-class or otherwise.
"It was only when the industrial revolution got rid of the land boundaries between people and put them together in manufacturing units that unions could organise properly and protect their interests. With the removal of national economic borders, unions could make the long-held aspiration of international solidarity a reality".
While in surveys Irish people showed a positive attitude towards Europe, "the Irish ailment of the national inferiority complex takes over" when interpreting these responses: "Instead of seeing the fact that eight out of 10 Irish people view the EU in a positive light as evidence of a new self- confidence . . . it is translated cynically by tired commentators as nothing more than gratitude for the goodies that fall of the EU gravy train."
This kind of cynicism was an insult to the enthusiasm of younger Irish people who saw Europe as an "opportunity to be explored rather than a cow to be milked", he said.
"The workers of Europe must march together to win the battle for decent jobs, better living standards and a caring community," Mr Cassells concluded.
Mr Des Geraghty of SIPTU warned the conference that mass unemployment in the European Union was "the single most serious and intractable problem facing our community".
It required clear, concerted action by all trade unions, and he called on governments and financial institutions to address the problem.