SIPTU calls on hotel and restaurant owners to enter talks on new Joint Labour Committee
SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King, has outlined the reasons why a new Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the hospitality industry is urgently required. She has also argued why the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, should withdraw the reduction in VAT from 13.5% to 9% in 2011, as the benefits have not been passed on to customers, employees or the exchequer.
SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King, calling for a new JLC for the hospitality industry at Liberty Hall press conference on Thursday, 9th October.
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SIPTU President supports ‘Education IS’ campaign by USI
SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, has endorsed the ‘Education IS’ initiative by the Union of Students in Ireland.
The ‘Education IS’ campaign, which held a march and rally at Leinster House on Wednesday (8th October) is calling for the defence of quality third level public education against the increased trend towards commercialisation in the sector.
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Greyhound workers vote in favour of agreement to end 14-week lockout
SIPTU members employed by Greyhound Recycling and Recovery voted by a substantial majority in favour of an agreement to end a 14-week long lockout at the company, at a meeting in Liberty Hall, Dublin, on Monday, 22nd September.The ballot followed intense negotiations over the previous weekend between SIPTU representatives and the management of the waste disposal company. These talks resulted in an agreement which was presented to the workers before the ballot.
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A Night to Remember Tom Crean
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SIPTU members shocked at closure of profitable Beckman Coulter plant in Galway
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.
“Our members are shocked at this announcement. It is regrettable that jobs with terms and conditions of employment such as those that have applied in Beckman Coulter don’t appear to be coming on stream to the same degree that they are being wiped out. This is not a company which is struggling to maintain its place in the market. It is a growing and highly profitable company which has decided to reduce costs in an effort to further maximise profits. The decision to close the Mervue plant will have a serious and severe impact on the region,” Frank Jones said.
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Decent work the key to recovery
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.
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DCTU Pre Budget Rally
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Planned protest by nurses and midwives forces postponement of NMBI conference
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.
The protest was to highlight the refusal by nurses and midwives to accept an attempt by NMBI to increase the retention fee for members for 2015, from €100 to €150.
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SIPTU members at Kerry Women’s Refuge vote for industrial action
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.
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The Irish Neutrality League and the Imperialist War 1914-18
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'Investing in Our Future'
SIPTU Youth Work activists and organisers had a constructive dialogue on Friday (3rd October) with officials from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Activists took the Department through the union's 'Investing in Our Future' submission on the future of our country's youth work sector.
Youth Workers Ashling Golden (left), Kate O'Connell (second right) and SIPTU Organiser, Kevin Glackin presented the SIPTU pre-budget submission to Doreen Burke (second left) and Olive McGovern (centre) from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
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Launch of Trade Unions ‘Support Poles Abroad’ in Dublin
SIPTU activists were to the fore at the launch of the Trade Unions ‘Support Poles Abroad’ initiative in the conference centre of the Communications Workers’ Union, Dublin 1, on Friday, 26th September.
The joint initiative, by Congress and the foundation Wsparcie, is part of a wider project which aims to connect unions across Europe with Polish unions in order to better support Polish migrant workers.
SIPTU members and other trade unionists from across the country attended the event, as did Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin.
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Benefit Concert for The Children of Gaza
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NERI Newsletter on Budget 2015 and upcoming events
As we enter the final months of 2014, we thought we'd take the opportunity to recap on some of the NERI's recent work and highlight a few upcoming events.
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.
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Energy Action welcomes Government initiatives to reduce fuel poverty
There are 412,000 households living in fuel poverty in Ireland today, an increase of over 10,000 since last year. This means that almost 20% of all households in Ireland are unable to adequately heat their homes. The Energy Action Conference, ‘Fuel Poverty in Ireland - an integrated new approach”, was held at the Croke Park Conference Centre on Monday (6th October).
Pictured speaking at the Energy Action conference titled 'Fuel Poverty in Ireland – an integrated new approach' on Monday (6th October) in Croke Park is David McCarthy, Chairman of Energy Action Ltd., listening to Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White TD, address the attendees via a pre-recorded video.
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SIPTU Cavan/Monaghan District Committee met Minister Humphries and Sean Conlan TD
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.
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Lecture by Dr. Emmet O'Connor on Larkinism
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Sean O'Casey Theatre - The Forgotten Irish Workers
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SIPTU members in Irish Rail vote to accept LRC proposals
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.
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SIPTU sets out issues it will campaign on in a Vision for Dublin 2020
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”.
Scott Millar, SIPTU Communications Department outlining the importance of community meetings for the union at Liberty Hall on Tuesday, 16th September.
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Unions say Labour Court recommendation a major breakthrough for residential care staff
The group of unions representing residential care staff have described a Labour Court recommendation, dealing with sleepover duty as a major breakthrough. The recommendation, issued on Thursday, 18th September, calls for the recognition of sleepover duty as working time, requires all employers in the sector to comply with the Working Time Act and sets the rate of pay for sleepover duty at not less than the minimum wage of €8.65 per hour. This is an increase of €3.27 on the exisiting hourly rate. The rate of pay for sleepover duty applies with immediate effect.
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New guidelines for domestic workers employed by diplomatic staff
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.
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Young Workers' Network warn returning politicians of the crises facing young people
The Young Workers' Network (YWN) greeted TDs and Senators returning to Leinster House after their summer break with a protest to highlight the impact on young people of the housing crisis and rising costs, on Wednesday, 17th September.
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.
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Hospitality employers must enter talks for new JLC
The Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan should 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 and because they have refused to enter discussions on a new Joint Labour Committee for the sector.
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.
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Global Labour Column
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.”
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