The Postgraduate Workers Union of Ireland (PWO) is very clear on its website about what it exists to do, and what its purpose is: “Being a member of the PWO means”, their website reads, “that you put your weight behind us as representatives of the postgraduate researcher community. It means that, when it comes to it, we stand together to work for a better future for all postgraduate researchers.”
The Union has three main aims: It wants a living wage for all postgraduate workers while they complete their studies. It wants paid parental and sick leave for the same group. And it wants residency rights for non-EU researchers who come here. Aside from those aims, its website is very clear that it exists to advocate for the conditions and interests of a niche group in general – postgraduate workers.
There was therefore some surprise over the weekend when the 700 members of the union were informed by the leadership of the union that it would be promoting and attending an emergency “solidarity for Palestine” demonstration on Tuesday evening, to be held in Galway.
One member piped up, pointing out that the Union did not have a stance on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and that his membership did not come with any indication that the union would be taking what were, in his view, political stances associated with the hard left.
In response, the Union’s President, Conor Reddy, posted in the Union’s whatsapp chat that while the Union did not have an official position on the conflict, it was “totally legitimate” for the PWO to “share solidarity” with Palestinians:
The group chat was then locked, so that nobody except the leadership of the Union could post messages. Conor Reddy, as well as being an elected official within the PWO, was also a People before Profit candidate in Dublin North West at the last general election, and is their putative candidate at the next such contest. He has also previously bragged about tearing down posters advertising an event for rape survivors, on the grounds that said posters had pro-life connotations.
Elections to the Union’s board were not contested, with a review by Gript Media showing that a majority of the Union’s officers have political ties to far left organisations such as People before Profit and extinction rebellion.
Speaking to Gript, one member of the Union said such conduct was increasingly common: “It kind of gives insight into how these organisations work”, he said. “They claim to represent hundreds of people yet in reality there’s institutional capture by 10-120 activists who shut down any dissent.”
“I’m fed up with them. They’ve become another wing of PBP. Nobody ran for leadership positions except PBP activists. This is not the first time that a political agenda has been imposed, but only a certain agenda gets any traction – they have locked group chats in the past when there has been dissent. They’ve also just straight up deleted posts from others which they deemed political but wasn’t far left crap.”
A draft letter, being circulated within the union’s membership, raises concerns about the alleged takeover of the union, and its stance on the recent conflict. The letter, seen by Gript, reads in part as follows:
“Our group, initially established as a platform for discussing matters pertinent to postgraduate rights, appears to be subtly transforming into a conduit for specific political ideologies and perspectives. While it has always been clear that the people who admin this organisation have strong political alliances, I always viewed that as separate to the collective goal of postgraduate rights. This deviation from our core objective is notably evidenced by:
– Censorship and selective moderation of discussions,
– Prominent promotion of particular political viewpoints, and
– Suppression of dissenting voices or alternative perspectives.”
A request for comment from the leadership of the Union had gone unanswered at the time of publication.