March 2021 – Unite for a Real Alternative

Brendan Ogle: This week, a number of unions started distributing masks bearing the legend ‘pro-mask is pro-worker’. It seems an obvious statement. After all, it is workers – especially in low-paying sectors – who have borne the economic and health brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet there are those cynically trying to convince working people that they should oppose public health measures and breach guidelines en masse.

Mixed messaging from public authorities, and the complete mess made of the vaccination rollout by the EU and our Government, has heightened frustration at the restrictions associated with Covid-19, and this has been compounded by the unequal impact of the pandemic. While lockdowns have had a minimal financial impact on some workers, many others have lost their jobs and been forced to rely on state income supports.

Continue reading “St Patrick, Masks, and Resisting Hate Agendas”

About Unite for a Real Alternative

Unite Trade Union will produce a political blog/commentary which will be regularly updated and published on our social media and related platforms in the Republic of Ireland. Blog posts can be emailed to you on application. In the neoliberal era Unite believe it is critical that modern Trade Unionism fights for members and their communities inside, and outside, the workplace. The factors that impact on our members lives do not stop when they leave work, or end at what used to be referred to as ‘the factory gate’. Most posts are written by Brendan Ogle, Unite’s Senior Officer in the Republic of Ireland.