1 Friends I am delighted to have the opportunity ... - The Labour Party

labour sought to organise against a version of capitalism that refused the
most basic rights, including that of organisation, to workers. That confrontation
required courage, tenacity, solidarity and above all a commitment to class and
history beyond the short term challenges. We are the beneficiaries of their
struggle.
We cannot betray that legacy. In our generation, we must lay the foundations
for future achievement, and we must struggle against the kinds of social
injustices which our predecessors did.
Out of the most extreme conditions of 1912-13 there emerged a vision that
dealt not only with the immediate problems of working people but also a vision
for the changes that were necessary in the structures of the economy, society
and the political system.
The parallels with today’s situation are significant. Again, we are face with the
urgent need to protect working people. The choices which we make on this
matter- and let us not be any doubt, this is not just a struggle for decent
wages for Irish Ferries workers, but a struggle for decent wages everywhere
in the Irish economy- will define where Ireland goes in the coming decades.
This is a line in the sand. Ireland will either build its future as a high wage
economy with skills that are valued, or we face a dismal future with an
economy based on minimum wages and poor conditions.
What is required of all of us gathered here today is no less than these values
of courage, tenacity, solidarity and commitment which were so prevalent in
1912 and 1913.
Much of the energies of the Labour movement in the intervening period
between 1912 and the present moment have concentrated on the protection
of workers in a hostile environment. These protections have had to be won
through negotiation and more often in the past through courageous
2