SIPTU members gathered outside the Department of Health in Dublin, for the national launch of the Better Health Care, Better Jobs campaign on Thursday, 25th October. Photo by Jimmy Weldon.
SIPTU President claims Troika is sabotaging our chances of recovery
SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor has accused the EU/ECB/IMF Troika of sabotaging Ireland’s chances of recovering from the economic crisis.
“They are insisting on sticking to a strategy that has failed spectacularly in Ireland and across Europe piling misery on working people and their families. This is bad enough but they are also sabotaging anything the Government might usefully do in the very limited space available to them to stimulate the domestic economy and create jobs”, he said.
Read more >
Sit-in at Co-operative Poultry Products ends in agreement
Following intense discussions on Thursday (25th October) between SIPTU representatives and the receiver, Simon Coyle of Mazars, appointed to Co-operative Poultry Products Ltd, Cootehill, Co. Cavan, agreement was reached which resolved the impasse at the poultry processing plant.
SIPTU Organiser, Jim Finnegan, said; “The sit-in at the plant has now concluded and arrangements for the processing of the remaining product stored in the plant has been agreed. The full terms of the agreement are confidential to SIPTU, its members and the receiver.
Read more >
Sustainable Energy and Jobs Conference
The SEAI and SIPTU present "Sustainable Energy and Jobs" a conference aimed at raising awareness of the jobs potential associated with sustainable energy technologies. View the programme
Unanimous Support for SIPTU Home Helps Campaign at Limerick City Council
There was a halt to “politics as usual” yesterday at Limerick City Council as councillors of all parties and none put aside their traditional differences to support a motion backing SIPTU’s Home Helps and Home Care campaign. Over 70 SIPTU Home Help workers were in attendance at City Hall to watch the debate.
Limerick Home Helps pictured alongside local Sinn Fein representative, Maurice Quinlivan
SIPTU meets with Abbott Nutrition to discuss proposed job losses
SIPTU has commenced a series of meetings with Abbott Nutrition Ltd to discuss members' concerns in relation to the announcement on Wednesday (17th October), of its intention to implement 180 redundancies at the company’s plant in Ballytivnan, co. Sligo.
SIPTU Organiser, Frank Jones, said: “Union representatives met with management on Wednesday (24th October). At the meeting members of the SIPTU Negotiating Committee, formed to represent workers in Abbott Nutrition, outlined to management proposals in relation to how the number of planned redundancies can be reduced and their concerns as to how the terms of any redundancy payment will be agreed.”
Read more >
SIPTU community activists call on Government to protect community services
SIPTU activists made a strong call for the protection of funding for vital Community Services in the coming budget at a meeting in the Oireachtas on Wednesday (17th October). The delegation from SIPTU’s Community Campaign was making a presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection on the value of Community Employment (CE) Schemes.
A range of essential community services across the state such as childcare, meals on wheels, eldercare and disability are dependent on CE workers and CE funding to remain in existence. However, due to budget cuts of between 30% and 40% last year to the training and materials grants many of these schemes are in difficulty.
Watch this: Video of the Solidarity Stroll on Decent Work Day in Ireland on Saturday (6th October) to send a message to the Government to ratify C189 and to call for respect of domestic work.
The Government must desist from its plans to cut back on the vital services provided by Home Help carers.
These carers provide services to the poorest and most vulnerable people in society who are the most affected by the drastic cuts in Home Help hours.
Money must be found elsewhere to meet budget targets rather than from those who depend on the home help services.
The policy of cutting resources for the poor and vulnerable while sparing the rich from contributing to economic recovery through a progressive taxation of wealth is no longer viable.
Jack O'Connor SIPTU General President
ECONOMY
SIPTU calls on Government to incentivise investment in infrastructure
SIPTU has welcomed the Government’s decision to commence with a credit guarantee scheme for businesses but with over 435,000 on the Live Register believes much more must be done to get people back to work.
Responding to the Government’s publication of the Action Plan for Jobs 2012 Third Progress Report on Wednesday (17th October), SIPTU Economist, Marie Sherlock, said: “We are disappointed that the report indicates that there has been less progress than was planned in encouraging commercial investment into infrastructure development projects.
Ideas Institute continues to benefit SIPTU members
Ideas Institute, the SIPTU partner training organisation, continues to assist members of the union at this most very difficult time. From its location at SIPTU College on the South Circular Road in Dublin the organisation delivers a wide range of training interventions to assist members of the union to secure employment, develop opportunities and improve employability where redundancy is threatened.
Participants on a Train the Trainer course in Carlow involved in some discovery learning as part of the course.Read more >
Trade Unions say ‘Turn Off the Red Light’ on EU Anti Trafficking Day
Trade union leaders representing workers across all sectors of the economy today marked EU Anti-Trafficking Day on Thursday (18th October) by calling on Irish politicians to take swift action to end sex trafficking and exploitation.
Voicing support for the Turn Off the Red Light (TORL) campaign, trade unionists from the ICTU, SIPTU, ASTI, ESBOA, CWU, IBOA and the PSEU said:
“We support the Turn Off the Red Light campaign and believe the best way to end the human rights abuses taking place in every county in Ireland is to target demand by making it illegal to pay for sex.
Read more >
The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006: An ILO landmark Convention
With serious economic difficulties confronting so many countries and workers in all regions, as Director of the International Labour Standards Department of the International Labour Office, I welcome the opportunity to share some very good news.
On August 20, 2012 the Russian Federation and the Republic of the Philippines were, respectively, the 29th and 30th countries to have their ratifications of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006), registered. The ratification by these two countries is significant as the 30th ratification, when combined with ratifications by countries representing over 33% of the world’s ships (based on gross tonnage), means that this innovative ILO Convention will enter into force (become binding as international law) for these 30 countries. With these 30 countries, the MLC, 2006 already covers almost 60 per cent of the world fleet in terms of gross tonnage of ships. Therefore, when the MLC, 2006 enters into force on 20 August 2013 it will establish minimum international standards for working and living conditions for seafarers working on more than 60 per cent of the world’s fleet of ships. Many more ratifications in all regions are expected over the next year or two.
Liberty Online is produced by the Communications Department of SIPTU. Liberty Online is distributed on a regular basis to members who are on the SIPTU e-mail data base. In order to maximize circulation of this news bulletin and other messages and statements we urgently ask recipients to gather the e-mail addresses of other SIPTU members who are not already on the data base. Please forward e-mail addresses to communicationsdepartment@siptu.ie
SIPTU Head Office | Liberty Hall | Dublin 1 | Ireland
