“The whole world is in a terrible state of chassis”, is Captain Jack Boyle’s famous declaration at the end of Juno and the Paycock, written by the famous playwright and early member of our Union, Seán O’Casey. Capt. Boyle’s declaration of dismay was made as he saw his tenement community impacted by a worsening Civil War, which pitted once friends against each other.
However, it is also a view that speaks to our own era, as the world seeks to deal with a rogue USA under the leadership of Donald J Trump. Whether it is threats to seize Greenland, or his roulette wheel approach to economically crucial tariff regimes, to kidnapping heads of state in night-time raids, the world is certainly a highly volatile place.
Thankfully, the impact of the theatrical threats of the Trump regime has not hit Ireland too severely economically, yet. With our scale of US multinational investment, the open nature of our economy and the obvious cultural links we share with the US, it is unlikely that it will remain this way.
At times of global instability, workers are often the first to feel the consequences, through job insecurity, rising costs of living, and pressure on wages and conditions. When international tensions translate into economic shocks, it is ordinary working people who are asked to absorb the impact. This is precisely why being part of a strong, collective organisation such as SIPTU is more important than ever.
A union provides not only protection in the workplace, but also a collective voice in shaping how employers and governments respond to uncertainty. Through solidarity, organisation and collective bargaining, workers are far better placed to defend their livelihoods, protect hard-won rights, and ensure that the burden of global instability is not unfairly placed on those least able to carry it. In uncertain times, union membership is not just advisable, it is essential.