Irish Left With Ukraine – Neither Moscow nor Washington

I Was delighted to have the opportunity to speak at Irish Congress of Trade Unions Global Solidarity Summer School on behalf of Irish Left With Ukraine, alongside Chris Ford of Ukraine Solidarity Campaign and Kateryna Maliuta-Osaulova of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine, on the topic of why Irish trade unionists should show solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues and how we can do so.- Gregor Kerr

Gregor’s speech is below.

Gregor Kerr’s Speech :

I’d like to start by thanking David Joyce and the Global Solidarity Committee and conference organisers for including this session on the Summer School schedule. In this session, I’m going to invite you to put yourself in the shoes of Ukrainian workers and trade unionists – people who in the last months of 2021 and the early months of 2022 were grappling with exactly the same sort of struggles we face on a day to day basis – struggles with individual employers about wage rates and terms and conditions, struggles with the broader neo-liberal government agenda on issues of access to public health, housing, education etc etc.? 

But, suddenly, their lives were turned upside down by a brutal invasion of their country.  They found themselves facing the sort of horrors we really can’t envisage and they found themselves grappling with how to respond. 

How do any of us know how we would respond in such a situation?  Our pre-ordained political theory might suddenly not fit the reality of the brutality of what is happening. 

So the challenge for each of us as Irish trade unionists and as Irish left political activists is to be able to step outside our political theory and to listen to the voices of Ukrainian trade unionists, feminists, LGBTQ+ activists, socialists, anarchists.. to listen  to their reality, to respond to their requests, to empathise with the horrific situation in which they find themselves…

That has to be our starting point, we have to ask “What’s your experience? What do you want us to do? How can we show our solidarity with you?” By asking and by listening we very quickly arrive at the importance of arguing for Ukraine’s rights, for their self-determination, for the right of Ukrainian people to resist the invasion by whatever means they feel necessary, for their right to get the weapons they need to mount that resistance from whatever source they can whether we like that source or not – which can obviously be a sticking point for many.  But sticking point or not – by listening we arrive at the importance of making those arguments because that is what Ukrainian trade unionists, socialists and left activists are arguing.  Our job is not to say what we think Ukrainians should say or do.  Our job is to listen, to provide a platform, to amplify their voices.

In an essay in this book – Ukraine – Voices of Resistance and Solidarity , published by the British-based Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, and of which Chris Ford, who we will hear from shortly,  is one of the editors – in an essay entitled ‘I’m a Ukrainian Socialist: Here’s why I resist the Russian Invasion’, Tara Bilous says ‘ the decision to oppose the Russian occupation was not made by Joe Biden, nor by Zelenskiy, but by the Ukrainian people who rose en masse in the first days of the invasion and lined up for weapons .’

Links :
Ukraine – Voices of Resistance

Ukraine – Voices of Resistance – Dublin Book Launch

Ukraine: Voices of Resistance and Solidarity – Dublin Book Launch Report and Video

n the Irish context, I think it is crucial that we are able to distinguish between defence of Ireland’s military neutrality – although all of us know of course that the neutrality of the State has been compromised and honoured more in the breach than in the respect by successive governments – but there is a huge difference between saying We should remain militarily neutral and should not join any military bloc, should have nothing to do with NATO and also being able to say at the same time that in any instance of conflict we are on the side of the oppressed against the oppressor.  As trade unionists and as left activists we must defend Solidarity as well as Neutrality – We stand with the Palestinians in their struggle against the oppression of apartheid Israel, We stand with the people of Ukraine in their struggle against the oppression of the invading Russian forces.

As I’ve said, we need to seek to amplify the voices of Ukrainian resistance and solidarity. And we need to ask our Ukrainian comrades what they seek from us in terms of solidarity.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian civil society has taken to the streets in large numbers to protest the actions of the Zelenskiy government. And even in the midst of the horrors of war, Ukrainian socialists and trade unionists are already grappling with the questions of how society can be reconstructed in a post-war situation.  ‘ Ukraine faces a colossal task in dealing with huge destruction and re-launching industry but neoliberal policies are not suitable for this …’ writes Vitalii Dudin in another essay in this book,  ‘ … this requires policies of re-distribution through taxation and the confiscation of surplus wealth from Ukraine’s richest people.  This would be a concrete expression of Ukraine’s long-promised policy of de-oligarchization…. In the short term, Russia’s war has weakened Ukrainian workers’ power.  But in the long run Ukraine’s labour movement may intensify and improve employment conditions.  Despite all the pessimism, Ukrainian society does have a belief in a more just model of reconstruction ,’ he writes.

Let’s reach out, let’s amplify these voices and let’s stand beside the Ukrainian trade union and socialist movement, to provide them with a platform and to support them in their heroic struggles.

To take another quote from an essay entitled The Right to Resist; A feminist Manifesto in this book Ukraine Voices of Resistance and Solidarity – “ We stand for the right to resist.  If Ukrainian society lays down its arms, there will be no Ukrainian society.  If Russia lays down its arms, the war will end ”.

As an Irish trade unionist I am proud to say that our movement through both individual unions and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have been unequivocal in our support for Ukraine since the brutal Russian invasion in February 2022. 

In March 2022, ICTU organised a well-attended demonstration outside the Russian embassy to mark the one-month anniversary of the invasion.

The 2023 Biennial Delegate Conference passed a comprehensive motion proposed by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions which, among other things, condemned the invasion, called for an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, sent solidarity to the trade union movement and workers of Ukraine and to all peace, anti-war, trade union and workers activists in the Russian Federation and condemned imperialist war, expansion and aggression anywhere in the world from any big power or their clients, or from any military alliance.

In February  of this year, in a statement to mark the fourth anniversary of the invasion ICTU reaffirmed its support for the Ukrainian people in their fight for sovereignty and self-determination and stated

“ Trade unions have always stood proudly against imperialism. As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, that commitment remains as strong as ever. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, with their trade unions, and with all those who resist imperialist and authoritarian regimes. A just and lasting peace, one based on respect for Ukrainian sovereignty, is what they deserve, and it is what we will continue to advocate for.”

Over the past 4 and a half years, ICTU and many unions have run fundraising efforts and moneys raised have gone to the Irish Red Cross and to the International Trade Union Confederation fund to support Ukrainian unions. Fórsa, for example, donated €250,000 to each of those appeals in the immediate aftermath of the invasion.

Many individual unions have made contact and pledged solidarity with their sister Ukrainian unions.  In 2023, 2 representatives of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine  received a standing ovation following a very powerful speech to the annual Congress of my own union – the Irish National Teachers Organisation, and I am glad to say that we will hear from Kateryna Maliuta-Osaulova  from that union in a while to tell us about the realities on the ground for Ukrainians – in particular Ukrainian trade unionists – and some ideas about what can be done from Ireland to support and show solidarity – ideas such as the recent decision by the INTO to provide a solidarity grant of €4422 for a pre-school in Pisoschyn in Kharkiv where they have set up a pre-school in an underground shelter – funds that will go towards IT equipment, laptops, projector to help with teaching and a refrigerator for food storage. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge INTO’s Global Solidarity Officer Sandra Corrigan, general secretary John Boyle and the Central Executive Committee of the INTO for this ongoing support and solidarity for Ukraine. I know that other unions have also carried out acts of solidarity but want to give a shout-out to my own ….

Our other speaker today will be Chris Ford who is secretary and one of the founders of the British-based Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (USC), which works to mobilise left-wing and trade union movements in Britain in support of Ukraine. In February and March of this year, five USC volunteers undertook a 2,500 km drive from London to the mining city of Pavlohrad, delivering two Mitsubishi LS200 pick-up trucks and a substantial consignment of vital aid. Chris has plenty of ideas to share with us about practical steps we can take as Irish trade unionists to support our Ukrainian colleagues, and will share details with us of the International Trade Union and Social Movements Aid Convoy to Ukraine planned for November of this year organised by the International Network in Solidarity with Ukraine and which provides an ideal opportunity for all of us to get involved in sharing our solidarity

Some would say – and indeed I would agree – that more should be done.  But nonetheless the importance of all pledges and concrete actions of solidarity cannot be over-stated.  And, indeed, the importance of providing a space and a platform for the amplification of the voices of Ukrainian trade unionists and workers is possibly the singular most important thing any of us can do in terms of supporting Ukrainian resistance to the invasion of their country by Putin’s imperialist forces.

I’d like now to hand over to Chris Ford of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign to talk to us about some of the practical solidarity initiatives that he personally and the wider campaign and UK trade union movement have been involved in in recent times, and ways in which we can all get involved in building practical solidarity.

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