A quarter of a million public sector workers in Ireland held a one day strike yesterday. Schools, Civil Service offices and many local authority services were closed . Hospitals and courts ran a limited service. Union members may repeat the action on December 3^rd and the strike follows on from a demonstration of 150,000 in November. The strikes and demonstrations are the union movement’s response to 7.5% wage cut imposed though a pension levy and the suspension of a 2.5% pay rise which was due in October.

You might expect that with support on that scale that the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s (ICTU) leadership would be willing to face down the state’s attempt to make workers pay for the shambolic state of the 26 counties’ economy. That’s not the way bureaucrats’ minds work. The Irish Times reports firebrand Peter McLoone, general secretary of Impact summoning the workers to the barricades with this battle cry: “it would be necessary to agree some temporary measures to cut payroll costs in 2010 because reforms were unlikely to deliver the necessary savings before 2011”. When asked last night whether this could include cuts in overtime rates or allowances or the introduction of short-time working, he said the government had indicated these would be on the table.

The government plans to cut €1.3bn (£1.7bn, $1.9bn) from the public sector pay bill and his public negotiating position is that he’s willing to help them do it. ICTU’s preferred option is extend the period of time over which the cuts are made and keep its fingers crossed that the economy comes out of recession. Though given that much of the boom was built on property speculation and the finance sector it’s hard to see this happening anytime soon.

At least the government is open in its declaration of class war. Among the measures it is proposing are:

• Paying overtime at flat rates rather than time-and-a-half;
• Introducing an 8am-8pm core day during which no overtime payments would apply;
• Introduction of unpaid leave, perhaps as much as 12 days per year;
• The possibility of staff working a small number of additional hours per week;
• The elimination of privilege days at Christmas and Easter.

ICTU’s leadership remains devoted to the idea of “social partnership” even if the other partner is at that point in the relationship where he’s not bringing home flowers and chocolates and is more likely to roll home drunk and fall asleep farting on the sofa. It seems determined to provide a safety valve and then give Fianna Fail every substantial thing it is asking for. If you want proof that there is such a thing as a bureaucracy  which has interests separate from those of the working class you need look no further.