According to SIPTU Divisional Organiser, John King, an information survey commissioned by the union supports the call on the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, to withdraw the reduction in VAT from 13.5% to 9% given to hotel and restaurant employers in 2011 as they have failed to pass on the real financial benefits it has achieved to customers, employees or the exchequer.

He said: “Employer bodies, the Irish Hotels Federation and the Restaurants Association of Ireland have recently complained of a shortage of skilled labour to meet the demand arising from these positive industry figures for the sector, including of chefs. However, their insistence on driving down wages and conditions of employment over the past five years has contributed to the shortage of qualified and skilled workers in the hospitality sector.

“Employers in the sector have refused to engage in discussions for a new Joint Labour Committee which would set fair wage rates and conditions for workers in hotels and restaurants across the country. Although it is government policy the workers in these industries should be covered by a JLC but employers have been given an effective veto over this policy by refusing to engage with trade unions and the labour relations machinery of the State. This veto needs to be removed. We have called on the Minister for Finance to withdraw the favourable VAT reduction policy given to hotel and restaurant owners unless they immediately agree to enter discussions on a new JLC for the hospitality sector.”

Download full statement here

The announcement on Thursday (2nd October) that the Beckman Coulter plant in Mervue in Galway is to close with the loss of 140 jobs has come as a shock to many of the company’s employees, according to SIPTU Organiser, Frank Jones.

The creation of high quality, decent jobs is the only way to ensure that economic recovery is genuine and sustainable, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said on Monday (6th October).

Ahead of World Day for Decent Work – marked annually on 7th October – Congress Assistant General Secretary Sally Anne Kinahan said: “Employment and job creation are the key to any economic recovery, but only when we see a high proportion of properly-paid and secure jobs being created will be able to say the recovery is both genuine and sustainable, over the longer-term.

“We have a problem with low pay in this economy and with the creation of insecure and precarious jobs, particularly over recent years. Badly-paid and insecure work is economically self-defeating and no basis on which to build a recovery.

“We need to make the creation of Decent Work in the form of secure, well-paid jobs with good prospects, a key aim of any recovery and a hallmark of the economy of the future,” Kinahan said.

“While any drop in unemployment is welcome, we need to look beyond the headline figures and see exactly what type of job is being created. If work does nothing to lift individuals and families out of penury, or offer real prospects for the future, then we have to question whether we have the right approach.

“We know that some 95,000 workers are classified as ‘working poor’ because of low income levels, while official figures (2013) also show an increase of some 30% in the number of families in receipt of Family Income Supplement.

“We cannot build a proper recovery on those weak foundations,” Kinahan said.

World Day for Decent Work is an initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation and aims to promote better standards of employment and job creation across the global economy.

A planned protest by SIPTU members outside the annual conference of the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) today (Thursday, 9th October), was suspended due to the postponement of the event.

SIPTU members in the Kerry Women’s Refuge and Support Services, based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, have voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute concerning a unilateral change to workers' shift patterns.

The decision to ballot support staff at the facility for industrial action followed the refusal of management to constructively engage with SIPTU in regard to the changing of workers’ shift patterns.

The dispute concerns an attempt by management to unilaterally end a 12.00 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. shift. This move would result in an up to 50% reduction in work for out of hours support staff and severe consequential effects for other workers in the service.

SIPTU Community Sector Organiser, Sharon Cregan, said: “On Wednesday, 1st October, SIPTU and management attended a conciliation conference under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission in an effort to resolve this dispute. However, due to management’s lack of meaningful engagement the talks were unsuccessful and management immediately confirmed its intention to continue with the implementation of its proposal without agreement.

“Furthermore, management has not fully disclosed the details of how it intends to provide security and support for service users after they implement the reduced rosters for the out of hours service. These developments are of grave concern to the SIPTU members employed in the centre”.

She added: “Our members are dedicated and committed in their work within the refuge. However, they now feel mistreated by their employer and this goes against the very ethos of the refuge itself.

“SIPTU members are saddened by the approach taken by the Board of Directors in their handling of the situation and believe that it has breached its own standards in respect of its employees. The SIPTU members will now discuss what form of industrial action they will take, with the best interests of service users to the fore at all times”.

Kerry Women’s Refuge operates as a not for profit organisation and is registered as a charity. It is run by a voluntary board of directors which employs one manager and seven staff. The facility provides services to women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

Speaking at the event, SIPTU organiser Joanna Ozdarska said it is vital that Polish and other migrant workers join a trade union in order to avoid being discriminated against and to support their integration into communities.

Anna Wianowska, a shop steward in Ferrero Rocher in Cork spoke of her experiences as a SIPTU member. She said she was proud of her role as a representative of all workers in her factory.

“Being in SIPTU has given me confidence to speak out and given me the opportunity to help people every day, to work to improve their lives. I have learnt that together people through their unions can change things,” she said.

SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said: “This initiative is an important step in the trade union movement’s ongoing work to ensure workers from all backgrounds are fully aware of their employment and social rights.

“SIPTU is continuing to play a leading role in seeking to increase Polish workers’ participation and integration within local trade unions structures. Our union currently has over 7,000 Polish members. In recent years our organisers have worked to increase contacts with the Polish community throughout Ireland. We believe that the increased diversity of our membership ensures the continued strength of our organisation”.

A Migrant Worker Organising Film by the SIPTU Manufacturing Division was premiered at the event.

Among those appearing in the short film is agribusiness worker, Wieslaw Stack.

He said: “From the moment I became a SIPTU shop steward I felt better as I was no longer one worker dealing with management but a representative of many people. From this moment I felt I could really change things for the better”.

The use of social media in assisting the organisation of Polish workers was also discussed. During the conference, SIPTU issued Facebook and Twitter updates in Polish and English.

Throughout the year, the Institute has produced research on taxation, housing and education, while progressing its work on the labour market and economic policy. The Quarterly Economic Observer, Autumn 2014 was launched on  Wednesday, 24th September and looks at budgetary options that will stimulate growth, investment and job creation. The Quarterly Economics Facts provides a wide range of key indicators on various aspects of the economy. The publication was restructured over the summer and the new version was released in late September.  

The monthly seminar series re-commenced in September with Dr Micheál Collins giving a presentation entitled, Budget Changes in VAT Excise and Levies: Who Pays?. The seminar was based on a recent paper that estimates the distributive impact of possible Budget changes to key areas of indirect tax. The Institute was also heavily involved in the establishment of an evidence based Living Wage for workers in Ireland

Dates for your diary
·         On October 22 the Institute will host a seminar on Budget 2015 in the INTO Learning Centre. Michelle Murphy, Cormac Staunton and Michael Taft will each make a brief presentation on aspects of the Budget, followed by discussion from the floor. Further details are available on the NERI website. Dr Tom McDonnell will present his work on the advantages and disadvantages of different water charging models on November 12. An abstract of the paper is available here.

·         On 18 November Dr Esmond Birnie (PwC) and Stephen Boyd (STUC) will give a seminar on devolution in the United Kingdom post Scottish referendum on independence. The seminar will be held in Clifton House, Belfast. Contact info@nerinstitute.net to register. Finally, the Quarterly Economic Observer, Winter 2014 will be launched on Tuesday, December 9 in the MAC . The publication will examine the latest economic trends with a focus on industrial policy in Northern Ireland.

Recent publications
·         Modelling the Distributive Impact of Indirect Taxes by Micheál Collins
·         Youth unemployment and cuts to Jobseeker's Allowance by Daragh McCarthy
·         Total Tax Contributions of Households in Ireland by Micheál Collins
·         Pension Policy in Ireland: an Evaluation by Eamon Murphy
·         Hours and Earnings in the Northern Ireland Labour Market by Paul MacFlynn
·         We need to talk about Higher Education by Austin Delaney and Tom Healy
·         For a full list of working papers, inBriefs and other publications see here.

Energy Action also welcomed the Government’s Green Paper on Energy Policy as well as the forthcoming review of the Affordable Energy Strategy that was discussed at the Conference.

Commenting at the photocall Minister White said: “Energy is not a luxury, it is a fundamental requirement of modern life and we have a shared responsibility as a society to ensure that everyone can afford to heat and power their homes. The evidence is clear that enabling people to live in homes that are comfortable and warm has an enormous impact upon the quality of their lives, which is reflected in lower costs for our health system. To achieve this industry, Government and consumer groups all need to work together to develop the type of solutions that can make a real difference for those in energy poverty and the Energy Action conference is a tangible example of the kind of collaborative approach we want to see.”

In addition, Alan Kelly TD, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, recently announced that he is allocating a further €15 million to be invested in upgrading the energy efficiency of local authority homes this year, bringing the total allocation in 2014 to €30 million. This is part of a three year jobs stimulus programme that will see the energy efficiency of 25,000 of the poorest insulated local authority homes improved. This Energy Efficiency Insulation/Retrofitting Programme will receive funding of €50 million over the period 2013-15. This provision will ensure that the entire social housing stock will have, at minimum, cavity wall insulation, roof insulation and draught proofing. This will result in warmer homes and lower energy bills for thousands of families and will create around 1,000 jobs in the construction sector.

Members of the SIPTU Cavan/Monaghan District Committee met Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys and Sean Conlan TD, to present them with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) budget proposals that are aimed at boosting growth in our economy and creating jobs.

Local shop stewards and activists representing workers in the Health, Education, Manufacturing, Public Administration and Community Sectors presented the budget proposals and discussed their importance with the Minister and TD.

Cavan/Monaghan District Committee Member, Sean Sheridan, said: “We were very pleased with the level of engagement with the two politicians that attended. They said they would consider the ICTU proposals in detail and discuss them with their party colleagues”.

SIPTU activist, Seamus Kelly, said: “The ICTU proposals present an alternative strategy for budget 2015, that is focused on jobs, growth and homes”.

ICTU recommends a net adjustment of €800 million in budget 2015 implemented by reforms to tax expenditure, capital acquisitions tax and a new net wealth tax.

SIPTU members in Irish Rail voted by 71% to 29% to accept Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposals in relation to cost containment at the transport company in a ballot counted on Friday (3rd October) in Liberty Hall, Dublin.

The proposals include temporary pay cuts for a 25 month period and a forum involving trade unions, Irish Rail, the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority to discuss the long term funding of the rail service.

SIPTU Organiser, Paul Cullen, said: “SIPTU will now formally write to the company advising it of this result. Our members have accepted further pay cuts amidst growing anger with management in relation to its failure to adequately contain other costs at the company”.

“Our members expect the company and the Government to now live up to their commitments in relation to the LRC proposals. Management at Irish Rail should be aware that it has no right to further alter agreements that it has entered into with our members, as it has continually attempted to do in the past”.

He added: “Management continues to practice double standards when it comes to cost containment in Irish Rail and these must now be addressed”.

The SIPTU Dublin District Council has launched ‘A Vision for Dublin 2020 – Improving Our City’, a document which sets out five priority areas on which union members will campaign over the coming years to improve the city.

Launching the document in Liberty Hall on Tuesday (16th September), SIPTU Dublin District Council chairman, Jack McGinley, said: “This document sets out the union’s priorities for Dublin over the next six years. It is our plan that this document will begin a discussion for SIPTU members and progressive activists throughout Dublin on how we can together improve our city”.

The five priorities set out in ‘A Vision for Dublin 2020’ are; increasing employment and skills training opportunities; opposing privatisation and protecting jobs; actively campaigning for decent wages and a living income; providing adequate housing and rented accommodation to tackle the crisis in the city; protecting and maintaining community based services and jobs in Dublin.

SIPTU Dublin District Council activist, David Connolly, said: “It is hoped that the vision set out in this document will help mobilise and energise SIPTU members in Dublin into campaigns to improve the city. It will mean the union engaging with community and civic groups who share our aim of advancing the conditions and prospects for all Dublin’s residents.

“These campaigns will also seek to build solidarity between communities and workers who engage in industrial disputes as they attempt to further the overall agenda of our union”.

The Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Larry O’Toole, addressed the launch of the document in Liberty Hall saying that he welcomed the move by SIPTU to “engage communities and local representatives in the process of improving Dublin”.

Independent councillor, Cieran Perry, and Labour councillor, Dermot Lacey, also attended the event along with trade union activists from across the city.

O'Donnell said, "The Court's recommendation gives full recognition to the fact that sleepover duty is working time. That recognition is a huge breakthrough for our members because it was very strongly resisted by employers. This recommendation means that, from today, nobody can be paid less than the minimum wage for sleepover duty. This is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of our members working in these services, and we will be actively engaging with employers in this sector in order to ensure its full implementation."

SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said that the recommendation marked the conclusion of a determined campaign by all of the trade unions involved. Bell added: "The next phase now will be to ensure that employers activate this recommendation with immediate effect. It is a really significant milestone for people working in the residential care sector as it gives full recognition to the challenges involved in the unique service they deliver, where sleepover duty is such an integral part of the residential care model."

Willie Quigley of Unite trade union said that members had fought long and hard for this kind of breakthrough. "We expect management now to implement the terms of this recommendation. Workers have waited long enough, I am delighted to see their position vindicated today" he said.

Domestic workers employed by foreign diplomatic staff will enjoy increased protection following the publication of new guidelines by the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday, 12th September.

As a guiding principle, diplomatic staff of embassies or consulates in Ireland who wish to employ private domestic workers are expected to demonstrate respect for Irish laws and good employment practice. The guidelines clearly set out the expectations regarding payment, employment records, health insurance, and social security.

The publication of the new guidelines follows a campaign by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland highlighting the abuse of domestic staff by some foreign diplomats.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, said: “These new guidelines have been developed following a consultative and cooperative process involving other departments and State agencies, including the Departments of Justice and Equality and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) and An Garda Síochána. I also welcome the contribution of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland to this process.”

Minister Flanagan said that the adoption of these guidelines is consistent with Ireland’s ratification in July of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, of 2011.

Outside Leinster House, YWN activists stood behind a fake house to symbolise the impact of the housing crisis. They also held receipts for household expenses to demonstrate that welfare payments and wages need to be increased so that young people can live a decent life.

The protest was addressed by representatives of a number of organisations including the Union of Students in Ireland and the Dublin Council of Trade Unions.

YWN spokesperson, Sinéad Pembroke, said: “We've been here before and we're here again to let the Government know that we haven't gone away. Young people have been attacked year on year: being forced to emigrate, to work for free or for those who are ‘lucky’ enough to get a wage there have been pay cuts.

“We are warning the Government that austerity must end, young workers need wage increases, job security and social housing. The Government has a responsibility to work for all people in Ireland and not just big business.”

YWN activist, Dan O’ Neill, said: “We welcome initiatives such as the setting up of a Low Pay Commission. However, it must be stressed that for it to be credible, young people must be included in the process. The exploitation of young people within the jobs market must end. All people no matter what their age deserve a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work”.

He added: “The inconvenient truth is that core social welfare payments have been lowered for young people despite Government commitments not to. Research by the Nevin Economic Research Institute indicates that such measures have only increased hardship for young people who are failing to find employment due to a lack of jobs”.

The Young Workers’ Network is an initiative that seeks to unite young workers to campaign on issues affecting them. The Network is member driven and open to all young workers under 35, working full-time, part-time, casual or unemployed who are interested in taking action for better jobs and strong trade unions.

In this week’s GLC, Brian Kohler focuses on Sustainability, Just Transition and Trade Unions. Kohler argues that “Working people and their unions want a future in which the environment is protected and where sustainable industries create decent, safe and healthy work.” Thus, that is the importance of the Justice Transition which “charts a pathway towards a sustainable future, and addresses the problem of who benefits from it, and who pays the price for adjustments demanded to get there.” A Just Transition places emphasis on the importance of environmental protection and at the same time it requires three elements: “(1) sustainable industrial policy; (2) robust social protection or “safety nets”; (3) wide-reaching and creative labour adjustment programs” Brian Kohler is Director for Health, Safety and Sustainability at IndustriALL Global Union. A life-long trade unionist, Brian is presently working on his PhD in sustainable energy systems.

Please find the article attached to this email and on our blog: http://column.global-labour-university.org/