FEATURES
Young workers’ protest against social welfare cuts at Dáil
By Cat Finn, Young Workers’ Network

Over 150 young people protested outside the Dáil on Wednesday (16th October) against a Budget proposal to cut social welfare payments for under 26 year olds. The Government proposes to reduce jobseekers payments for all new claimants aged between 22 and 24 from €144 to €100 from 1st January 2014. For those aged 25 the reduction will be from €188 to €144.

The SIPTU supported Young Workers’ Network has stated that the proposal is a cynical attack on young people, whose lack of mobilisation to date makes them an easy target for cuts. The protest called for all young people to organise and fight back while also stressing the importance of solidarity with all vulnerable groups targeted in the budget.

By Cat Finn, Young Workers’ Network

Over 150 young people protested outside the Dáil on Wednesday (16th October) against a Budget proposal to cut social welfare payments for under 26 year olds. The Government proposes to reduce jobseekers payments for all new claimants aged between 22 and 24 from €144 to €100 from 1st January 2014. For those aged 25 the reduction will be from €188 to €144.

The SIPTU supported Young Workers’ Network has stated that the proposal is a cynical attack on young people, whose lack of mobilisation to date makes them an easy target for cuts. The protest called for all young people to organise and fight back while also stressing the importance of solidarity with all vulnerable groups targeted in the budget.

Speakers at the demonstration included Dan O’Neill from the Young Workers’ Network, Moira Murphy from the “We’re Not Leaving” campaign group, John Buckley from SpunOut, Dave Gibney from ICTU Youth as well as speakers from the Y Factor (a National Women’s Council of Ireland youth initiative) and USI.

The platform was also opened to young people attending the event to give their testimonials on the effect this cut would have on their ability to simply pay rent or buy food.

Members of the Communications Workers’ Union, MANDATE, the National Youth Council of Ireland and Labour Youth were also in attendance.

Young Workers’ Network spokesman, Dan O’Neill, 27, said: “This cut is part of a bigger scheme to force down the living conditions of all.  Forced emigration, unemployment, precarious work, internships, fee hikes, grant cuts, lack of affordable housing, and the mental health crisis - they are part of the one picture for young people in this country. Young people need to come together to organise and build a decent future in our own country.”

The Young Workers’ network will be hosting the “We’re not Leaving” Young People’s Assembly on the 9th of November in Liberty Hall. You can find out more about this event and the Young Workers Network at www.youngworkersnetwork.ie
NEWS
SIPTU President says Budget 2014 requires much renovation
Budget 2014 is one that requires much renovation SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor has said. In a review of the budget measures he said: “Granted, a €2.5bn budget is better than the €3.1bn originally projected. However, the Government could have got away with taking out a couple of hundred million euro less again while still safely undercutting the 5.1% deficit target for 2014.

“The decision to abolish tax relief on pension contributions for very high earners is long overdue. However, in the budget speech last year it was envisaged to yield €250 million in a full year. It is not at all clear from the way that it is being implemented that it will meet this target. The proposed bank levy to yield €150 million is positive as are the other measures to raise revenue from capital and wealth but there is considerably more space to increase the contribution from those who can most afford it.  Regrettably, the Fine Gael party’s continued insistence on protecting the rich will mean further unnecessary suffering for low income pensioners and struggling families.

Budget 2014 is one that requires much renovation SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor has said. In a review of the budget measures he said: “Granted, a €2.5bn budget is better than the €3.1bn originally projected. However, the Government could have got away with taking out a couple of hundred million euro less again while still safely undercutting the 5.1% deficit target for 2014.

“The decision to abolish tax relief on pension contributions for very high earners is long overdue. However, in the budget speech last year it was envisaged to yield €250 million in a full year. It is not at all clear from the way that it is being implemented that it will meet this target. The proposed bank levy to yield €150 million is positive as are the other measures to raise revenue from capital and wealth but there is considerably more space to increase the contribution from those who can most afford it.  Regrettably, the Fine Gael party’s continued insistence on protecting the rich will mean further unnecessary suffering for low income pensioners and struggling families.

“The abolition of top slicing relief in redundancy situations is an utterly regressive measure dressed up as progressive. The proper approach would have been to reduce it by half to a maximum of €100,000. It will aggravate the misery of redundancy for a great many people on quite modest incomes and we are totally opposed to it.
 
“We are bitterly disappointed at the failure to put some mechanism in place to offset the effect of the abolition of the Transitional Pension on 65 year olds retiring from employment.  It is estimated that there are only 1,400 people involved per year.  They are the only group in this age category who will actually experience a reduction in their income as a result of the change.  Even if all of them were to claim in respect of adult dependents, which obviously would not be the case, the total saving will be less than €5m per annum.  We will continue to campaign to persuade the Government to change its mind on this measure which is so detrimental to elderly workers who have been paying their tax and Social Insurance contributions all their working lives.
 
“We are strongly opposed to the decision to abolish the pensioners’ telephone allowance completely.  This should be means tested so that lower income pensioners would retain it. We welcome the introduction of free GP care for children under five as a tiny first step towards the achievement of a universally free health service.  We do not go along with the spin that this is being done at the expense of medical card coverage for low income families.  The estimated €37m involved could easily be raised by slightly increasing the tax take from the better-off.
 
“Trade union members will not be too severely affected by the decision to extend the waiting time for social welfare sick pay from 3 days to 6 days because we will be insisting that the employers pay it in all instances. We do acknowledge that the basic rates of social welfare have been maintained throughout the life of this Government.  However, a slightly higher tax contribution from the better-off would have obviated the need for many of the other measures.
 
New claimants under the age of 25 should not have their job seekers allowance reduced unless they had turned down a decent job or good quality training or apprenticeship.  The apprenticeship system should be extended to include new occupations such as child minding, care of the elderly and occupations in the hospitality and other sectors.
 
“On a preliminary examination, there seem to be a number of good announcements in relation to capital infrastructure projects which will generate some jobs. However, the really key question is as to how rapidly the €6.6bn which has been finally re-designated from the National Pensions Reserve Fund into the Strategic Investment Fund can be leveraged into the economy to generate thousands of jobs. We in SIPTU have been calling for this since Mayday of 2011. If it had been done then it would have speeded up the recovery and avoided a considerable degree of unnecessary misery and suffering.  That being said, it is never too late to do the right thing.”

SIPTU Dublin bus drivers to vote on latest proposals next week
SIPTU Dublin Bus drivers will vote next week on a set of proposals aimed at concluding the long running dispute at the company.

The latest set of proposals on the implementation of a cost saving plan at the company were drawn up by former SIPTU National Organiser, Noel Dowling, and management consultant, Ultan Courtney.

The dispute over cost-saving plans led to a three-day strike at the company in August following an attempt by management to implement changes to work practices without agreement.

SIPTU Dublin Bus drivers will vote next week on a set of proposals aimed at concluding the long running dispute at the company.

The latest set of proposals on the implementation of a cost saving plan at the company were drawn up by former SIPTU National Organiser, Noel Dowling, and management consultant, Ultan Courtney.


The dispute over cost-saving plans led to a three-day strike at the company in August following an attempt by management to implement changes to work practices without agreement.

An amended set of proposals was accepted by all other grades of Dublin Bus workers in a ballot held in September. However, bus drivers voted against them. Following this vote ICTU and IBEC appointed Dowling and Courtney to investigate how a Labour Court recommendation on cost cutting measures at the company could be progressed.

SIPTU Organiser, John Murphy, said: “The Dowling and Courtney report would seem to reflect the genuine financial situation of the company.”

He added: “The proposals are currently being considered by Dublin bus drivers. The SIPTU negotiating team will meet on Friday (18th October) and following this the team will be meeting with Dowling and Courtney on Monday for a final discussion of the proposals. A ballot of SIPTU Dublin bus drivers is scheduled to commence on Thursday (24th October).”
Permanent liquidator expected to be appointed to Andersen Ireland Ltd on Monday
The provisional liquidator to the costume jewellery manufacturer, Andersen Ireland Ltd, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, is expected to be made permanent at the High Court on Monday (21st October).

SIPTU Organiser, Denis Gormalley, said: “Almost half of the workforce is currently laid off as the process of permanently winding down the company begins. SIPTU representatives have been in negotiations with the provisional liquidator since his appointment last month on a collective redundancy agreement for our members who face losing their jobs.”

The provisional liquidator to the costume jewellery manufacturer, Andersen Ireland Ltd, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, is expected to be made permanent at the High Court on Monday (21st October).

SIPTU Organiser, Denis Gormalley, said: “Almost half of the workforce is currently laid off as the process of permanently winding down the company begins. SIPTU representatives have been in negotiations with the provisional liquidator since his appointment last month on a collective redundancy agreement for our members who face losing their jobs.”

SIPTU has criticised the decision last month of the owners of Andersen Ireland Ltd to seek the liquidation of the company.

Denis Gormalley, said: “This act by the company eliminated the possibility of finding new owners for the business and the possibility of maintaining over 160 jobs. Instead we have had to rely on all the stakeholders including the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to seek out new potential owners. While our members appreciate theses efforts they do not compensate for losing their jobs, many after decades of service."

SIPTU has also called on the Government to appoint a jobs taskforce to deal with the growing unemployment crisis in the Limerick area.
SIPTU Home Helps meeting in Galway to discuss new contracts
SIPTU is holding information meetings for HSE Home Helps based in Galway on Wednesday, 23rd October in the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit and Thursday, 24th October, in the Loughrea Hotel and Spa, Loughrea, both meetings commencing at 7.30pm.

The meetings will discuss the recent Labour Court recommendation concerning Home Helps’ contracts of employment which establish a new minimum threshold of working hours and curtail the outsourcing of the service.

SIPTU is holding information meetings for HSE Home Helps based in Galway on Wednesday, 23rd October in the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit and Thursday, 24th October, in the Loughrea Hotel and Spa, Loughrea, both meetings commencing at 7.30pm.

The meetings will discuss the recent Labour Court recommendation concerning Home Helps’ contracts of employment which establish a new minimum threshold of working hours and curtail the outsourcing of the service.

The ruling followed an intensive campaign of protest, lobbying and campaigning by SIPTU Home Help activists. There are over 600 HSE Home Help workers based in Galway and the meeting is open to both members and non-members of SIPTU.

SIPTU Organiser, Mark Lohan, said: “Our members and supporters held meetings with local TD’s and Senators in Galway and also organised well attended protests last year to highlight cuts to the service. They have kept the pressure up ever since. “

Home Help and SIPTU Shop Steward Bernie Cormican from Ballinasloe said: “We provide a valuable service to the community, taking care of clients in their own home, where they want to be and it’s great that the Labour Court has recognised that value. This ruling gives us a platform to build better security for our clients and Home Help workers”

Mark Lohan added: “This Labour Court recommendation finally puts Home Help workers on an equal footing with all other HSE employees. Now we need to ensure delivery of the gains achieved, and that is why it is so important that as many Home Helps as possible come along to these meetings.”

Special Report

 
Jack O’Connor states that harsh budget will provoke private sector pay demands

In his Presidential Address at the SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference, SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, said that if the Government exceeds the 5.15% deficit target for Budget 2014, his union will urge the Private Sector Committee of Congress to “spearhead a radical new drive for pay increases across the economy”.

Jack O’Connor made his address following the official opening by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisín Quinn, of the Biennial Delegate Conference at on Monday, 7th October, in the Round Room, Mansion House, Dublin.


In his Presidential Address at the SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference, SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, said that if the Government exceeds the 5.15% deficit target for Budget 2014, his union will urge the Private Sector Committee of Congress to “spearhead a radical new drive for pay increases across the economy”.

Jack O’Connor made his address following the official opening by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisín Quinn, of the Biennial Delegate Conference at on Monday, 7th October, in the Round Room, Mansion House, Dublin.

In his address Jack O’Connor stated that the only way the 3% deficit target could be reached by 2015 is through growing the economy by 5.3% over the period and that the only way this could be done was by boosting domestic demand which had fallen by 24% since 2008, partially as a result of austerity budgets.  

He said, “If they insist on over egging the pudding to impress the financial markets there is another way to stimulate domestic demand and that is by substantially increasing pay…A rise in real earnings need not dramatically affect the country’s export competitiveness, because already Ireland’s real effective exchange rates (deflated by consumer prices) has fallen by 17% relative to our trading partners since peaking in Spring 2008”.

He also called on the Fine Gael Party “to lift their veto on a tax contribution from the rich so that the biggest element (of the adjustment) would be funded entirely by those who can most afford it” and that “the public tolerance for austerity has passed breaking point”.

Jack O'Connor defended what he called the union’s “rear-guard strategy” over the past five years saying, “It’s like being accosted by a band of armed robbers on a remote country road on a dark, wet, winter’s night, demanding your car on pain of your life.  You can mix it with them in the hope of overcoming them or give them the car and suffer the misery of carrying on - on foot.  You can get another car but you can’t get your life back.  No-one could reasonably accuse anyone of being unprincipled for making such a decision”.

He continued, “Meanwhile we fight where we can win.  Indeed we, in this Union, have sanctioned industrial action in almost 40 instances over the last two years.  In this regard I want to make it absolutely clear that members who make democratic decisions by secret ballot vote to take action in defence of existing Agreements or to advance their interests will receive our absolute and fullest support”.

He said the union had done everything it could to “to head off a single Party monopoly Fine Gael Government (or worse, one dependent on a handful of right wing independents).  Citing the direct quotes from the Fine Gael Party’s election manifesto, he said that such a Government would have inflicted more than an additional €1.2 billion thus-far, would not have reinstated the legal mechanisms that protect the pay and conditions of over 200,000 workers and would be selling off all our State Enterprises, Airports, Ports and Harbours which are critical to the resurgence of the economy.

He defended Labour’s role within the Government. “At the end of the day, Delegates, unpopular and all as it is to say it, it comes down to the distinction between making noise and making a difference!  The Labour Party is defending working people and civil society within this Government to the limits of their electoral mandate.  They are battling at the very gates of hell, outnumbered by more than two to one and against the background of the straightjacket of the Troika Agreement.  This is not apparent to people, but unless those of us who know it have the courage to say it there is a real danger that we will end up with a Government that will dismantle the core gains of a century of trade union work.  Does that mean that this is what we expected when we recommended a vote for Labour and transfers to the other parties on the Left?  No! But the electorate chose differently.  Does it mean that we regard the Government’s Budgets to date as fair – no we most certainly do not!  But neither do we  subscribe to the simplistic – ‘It’s all Labour’s fault’ analysis - because it ignores the elephant in the room - the inconvenient truth that 60% of those who went out to vote in the last election voted for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and the others who guaranteed the rich that they would be required to contribute little or nothing – and that based on the current opinion polls if there were an election in the morning those people would still command an absolute majority in the next Dáil”.

Jack O'Connor also called for unity on the Left, disagreeing with those who describe Sinn Fein’s economic policies as “fantasy economics…we do not indulge in describing the Sinn Féin Party’s economic policies as ‘fantasy economics’ either.  They are not fantasy economics.  They are increasingly largely consistent with the analysis of the Nevin Institute.  Neither do we challenge the integrity of the people further to the Left.  But we do respectfully argue that there is a poverty of ambition on the Left.  It’s not sufficient to vie for leadership of the Opposition.  The Left has a responsibility to embrace the lessons of history and to build a unified, cohesive and credible alternative that faces the hard choices to challenge the outlook and value system that has been dominant in Ireland since 1922. Otherwise it will never command the support of a majority of the electorate”.

He said that the decade of rebellion which followed the 1913 Lockout did not bring about an Ireland by the egalitarian ideals of those who led the Resistance and that… “Instead public policy in both of the jurisdictions which emerged has always reflected the interests and the values of William Martin Murphy and his kind.  Individual greed has always been prioritised over the interests of the public good.  Even to the extent that the right to Collective Bargaining, the core issue at stake in the Lockout, which is respected in virtually every EU country, is still denied in this Republic. It all led ultimately to the credit led property bubble here and the seminal decision of the night of 29th September 2008, which saw the Government of the day sign us all up for the colossal debts of our reckless bankers, condemning us to our third existential crisis in sixty years and generations to a legacy of reparations.”

He went on to question, “would not the egalitarian values of equality, community and solidarity provide a better more sustainable basis upon which to construct the future? Perhaps a good place to begin would be by conducting an extensive, comprehensive and detailed study as to why it is that other small countries in Europe have succeeded while we have failed. Why is it that countries such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are able to maintain higher employment rates and consistently lower debt levels, despite vastly better public provision and social infrastructure underpinned by higher levels of public spending funded by taxation, than us?  And incidentally substantially higher proportions of their workforces are organised in unions. What is in their value system that has enabled them to do it – and what is missing from ours?”

To read Jack O'Connor's full speech click here

Patricia King tells Conference that 'establishment' will resist collective bargaining

The "establishment" will meet moves to legislate for workers' right to collective bargaining with "massive resistance", SIPTU Vice-President, Patricia King told the union's Biennial Delegate Conference on Wednesday, 9th October, in the Mansion House, Dublin.

She said that Government moves to give effect to a promise in the joint Programme for Government to enact legalisation on collective bargaining would mark a "turning point for workers".


Workers from Milne Foods in Birr, County Offaly, who are involved in a dispute with the company due to its failure to implement a Labour Court recommendation, are applauded by delegates at the SIPTU Conference in the Mansion House, Dublin.


The "establishment" will meet moves to legislate for workers' right to collective bargaining with "massive resistance", SIPTU Vice-President, Patricia King told the union's Biennial Delegate Conference on Wednesday, 9th October, in the Mansion House, Dublin.

She said that Government moves to give effect to a promise in the joint Programme for Government to enact legalisation on collective bargaining would mark a "turning point for workers".

She acknowledged the legal complexities that exist around the collective bargaining issue, but said that the trade unions had to get to a place where they secure something that has been "denied for one hundred years".

The 2001-2004 Industrial Relations Acts, which she said had been a "strong attempt" to deliver collective bargaining, had been "pulled down" with the Supreme Court judgment in the 2007 'Ryanair' case.

King said they had to find a definition of collective bargaining that did not allow for employer dominance of workplace representative bodies. King told delegates that the union had witnessed a return to wage bargaining in 2012, with twelve of its fifteen sectors recording wage rises last year.

She put the average wage rise in manufacturing at between 2.5% to 3% annually over three years. The union's strategy is based on "keeping jobs" and on "sustainable increases", she said.

On the Haddington Road agreement, King said that section 11 of the services delivery section of the agreement, which covers outsourcing, remains critical to union members. She described this as a "deadly battle" that the union would have to fight, warning that this is an area that constantly threatens members' pay and conditions.

The Vice-President said that it seems that the new Joint Labour Committees will be up and running within 6-8 weeks. But she warned delegates to "watch the resistance" that emerges. For many members the new set up would be the pathway to a "living wage".

SIPTU and Mandate were adopting a common template in this area. King added that new legislation would also be needed for new Registered Employment Agreements.

RMT leader Bob Crow addresses Conference

In a rousing speech to delegates at the second day of the SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference, RMT General Secretary, Bob Crow, said his union was committed to “militant trade unionism.”

“I won’t stab you in the back I’ll stab you in the front,” Crow said in a speech in which he called for politicians that court trade unionists’ support before elections but then forgot about them when in office to be “scrubbed” and replaced.


In a rousing speech to delegates at the second day of the SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference, RMT General Secretary, Bob Crow, said his union was committed to “militant trade unionism.

“I won’t stab you in the back I’ll stab you in the front,” Crow said in a speech in which he called for politicians that court trade unionists’ support before elections but then forgot about them when in office to be “scrubbed” and replaced.


He said: “If they are not prepared to fight for working men and women then we must find ones that are.”

He condemned the privatisation of public utilities saying that their private owners were only interested in “screwing the customer to the floor.”

While stating that globalisation was not necessarily bad for workers, Crow added that the way in which it was working out in reality only benefited corporations and the wealthy.

He said: “Globalisation could bring us the best, but it doesn’t.”

Paying tribute to the men and women of the 1913 Lockout, Crow apologised for the leadership of his union’s failure to support them at the time. However he paid tribute to the “rank and file members” who did raise funds for the Dublin workers.

Crow addressed the second day of the SIPTU Biennial Conference in the Round Room of the Mansion House, Dublin. The day also included debates on how to increase the involvement of young people in the trade union movement and the unemployment crisis.
Irish Senior Citizens Parliament Protest



Sinn Féin Mansion House Event

Dublin Lockout – Impact and Objects

SIPTU welcomes Review of Joint Labour Committees

SIPTU has welcomed the publication on Tuesday, (1st October) by the Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise, Richard Bruton, of the long awaited 'Review of the Joint Labour Committees' (JLCs).

According to SIPTU Vice-President, Patricia King, the union is concerned at the narrowing of the scope of some JLCs and the abolition of others but she said that the Minister should now move swiftly to create the establishment orders necessary to get the system up and running.


SIPTU has welcomed the publication on Tuesday, (1st October) by the Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise, Richard Bruton, of the long awaited 'Review of the Joint Labour Committees' (JLCs).

According to SIPTU Vice-President, Patricia King, the union is concerned at the narrowing of the scope of some JLCs and the abolition of others but she said that the Minister should now move swiftly to create the establishment orders necessary to get the system up and running.

"This will assist low paid workers in sectors such as agriculture, hotels and catering, security and contract cleaning to get an opportunity to secure a living wage," Patricia King said.

The 1913 Lockout Tapestry

Defending the Public University

DCU is a place of learning not just enterprise
SIPTU Education Sector Organiser, Louise O’Reilly, responds to a call by  the president of Dublin City University (DCU) for further neo-liberal ‘reforms’ to third level education.

At the 2013 McGill Summer School, DCU President Brian MacCraith called for “public/private hybrid Higher Education Institutions” based on the FEC (full economic costing) model.  He argues that we simply need to “accept the fact that the state has no more resources to give” and charge students full economic cost fees.  The state-funded places would still see students paying the “normal student charge”.  Bizarrely, this model is presented as promoting social equity when in fact it would lead to a two–tier system as in the health sector.  There is nothing ‘progressive’ about effectively privatising higher education so that free market rules prevail with only a failing Access safety net for those who are not ‘entrepreneurial’ enough to have €20,000-€25,000 available annually for fees.

SIPTU Education Sector Organiser, Louise O’Reilly, responds to a call by  the president of Dublin City University (DCU) for further neo-liberal ‘reforms’ to third level education.

At the 2013 McGill Summer School, DCU President Brian MacCraith called for “public/private hybrid Higher Education Institutions” based on the FEC (full economic costing) model.  He argues that we simply need to “accept the fact that the state has no more resources to give” and charge students full economic cost fees.  The state-funded places would still see students paying the “normal student charge”.  Bizarrely, this model is presented as promoting social equity when in fact it would lead to a two–tier system as in the health sector.  There is nothing ‘progressive’ about effectively privatising higher education so that free market rules prevail with only a failing Access safety net for those who are not ‘entrepreneurial’ enough to have €20,000-€25,000 available annually for fees.

MacCraith argues that Finland with its high scores in terms of competitiveness, innovation and technological advancement provides us with a model to transform Irish higher education.  However, anyone vaguely aware of the Finnish debate would know things are not that simple.  The dismantling of the Finnish welfare state after the economic convulsions of the 1990s meant that while some economic players are in a better position others cannot even join the game.  Public opinion surveys show people are looking for more security and a sense of community now.  The neo-liberal educational policy - with its emphasis on individual choice and market mechanisms - has disadvantaged female students in particular, not deemed ‘entrepreneurial’ enough for this brave new world.  In brief, Finland’s economic and social transformation is highly relevant to Ireland but as much for the problems it has created as for the undoubted efficiency gains.

We all live with the Internet and ICTs generally and very much appreciate how they have transformed teaching, research and administration.  Nevertheless, there is something vaguely fundamentalist in the belief that ICT can provide a technological fix for the undoubted problems of higher education in Ireland.  MacCraith is impressed by the fact that at Stanford’s medical school “70% of formal instruction now takes place online”.  He is also now uncritically promoting MOOCS  (massive open online courses) despite most serious research showing that they are far from being a force for the democratisation of higher education.  The debate on ICTs shows that they have both positive and negative effects on people, organisations and society more widely.  In the field of education the issue of the ‘digital divide’ has created new inequalities, learning does not automatically improve with ICTs and only the naive or deceitful would pretend that organisations do not see the advantages of ICT in terms of reducing the number of staff required.

The neo-liberal - or unregulated market - model is premised on the notion that trade unions disturb the natural order by not allowing the market to set pay and conditions for workers.  The onus is on the employee to train up so as to be available for whatever the market requires.  MacCraith agrees with this and argues that the lifetime employment paradigm “has to shift to that of ‘lifetime employability’ ”.  Thus the emphasis on vague student “attributes” with pride of place being the inculcation of “entrepreneurial principles”. As to staff at DCU, MacCraith proudly told his audience, which included the Minister for Education, that “the system has shown significant elasticity in increasing outputs with decreasing exchequer financial inputs” but that, unfortunately, his staff are not “infinitely elastic”.  The work allocation models, job flexibility demands and performance monitoring we are now seeing across the system at DCU are all part of this broader project to create the perfectly elastic staff complement.

We would all probably agree with MacCraith that there is a link between a country’s economic prospects and a good higher education system.  But that does not mean we should create a ‘university of enterprise’ based on the so-called values of innovation and competiveness when education is clearly not a market or even quasi market good. This privatised market-oriented model is not only intellectually impoverished but it will not work either because it misunderstands the nature of the university even in the globalised informationalised world in which we live.  As teachers and researchers we actually rely on co-operation and not a blind competitiveness.

While citing Noam Chomsky on independent thinking and ‘border crossing’ MacCraith’s real political intent comes through when he advocates the need for “both a broadly educated population and a cadre of top performers”.  That is the real story of neo-liberalism generally and the Celtic Tiger in particular, that the rich got a lot richer.  So, should DCU be effectively privatised, have its teaching and research agenda set by the business sector and focus on the needs of the “cadre of top performers” capable of paying full economic costs?

Brian MacCraith is, of course, entitled to his personal views on what a university is but these are not necessarily the views of those who work and study at DCU and are committed to a vision of a university beyond the world of ‘competitiveness’, ‘enterprise’ and ICT.  In brief, he does not speak in their name.  Having said that, his call to develop an overall strategy for the Irish education system is welcomed.  But this debate needs to take place in an open and inclusive manner and not behind closed doors.  Who at DCU was part of the decision to call it Ireland’s ‘University of Enterprise’?  Did they know this was to lead to the university being seen as the cutting edge of neo-liberal strategy involving ‘full economic costing’ and infinite staff ‘elasticity’? There is a need to get beyond the current mood of compliance with management whims because of the dire economic situation.  An alternative model of the university is, of course, possible but we need to engage in debate around it and before FEC is implemented.  To be frank, repeating Thatcherite mantras of the 1980’s such as competitiveness and enterprise are hardly signs of the much-vaunted “innovation” when it is precisely that economic ideology that has placed us in the economic predicament we have been since 2008.  Another university is possible!
Jack O'Connor calls for Social Solidarity to underpin the rebuilding of the Republic, One Hundred Years on
Delivering the opening address at the weekend event “From Lockout to Bailout” in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, at the end of September, Jack O’Connor, SIPTU General President,  challenged the myth that the Lockout was the opening salvo of a decade of rebellion against the British oppressor. He said that the accurate historical context for the Lockout was what he called the remarkable mobilisation of working people both in Britain and in the USA in the preceding years, paralleled  in Ireland by the emergence of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, and that the Lockout was the response of a privileged class against the workers and the poor in Dublin, against the background of the drive towards Home Rule in Ireland.

Delivering the opening address at the weekend event “From Lockout to Bailout” in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, at the end of September, Jack O’Connor, SIPTU General President,  challenged the myth that the Lockout was the opening salvo of a decade of rebellion against the British oppressor. He said that the accurate historical context for the Lockout was what he called the remarkable mobilisation of working people both in Britain and in the USA in the preceding years, paralleled  in Ireland by the emergence of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, and that the Lockout was the response of a privileged class against the workers and the poor in Dublin, against the background of the drive towards Home Rule in Ireland.

The way in which the Lockout must be understood, he said, was that the privileged and wealthy merchant classes of Dublin were determined that the poor and workers would not have any mechanism to inform the shape of Home Rule Ireland, and that it was to be carved out by their interests exclusively.

“The outlook and value system which informed public policy-making in the new Ireland which emerged after the Civil War was not informed by the egalitarian aspirations which informed Larkin and those around him” said O’Connor.

“Rather it was informed by the outlook and value system of the William Martin Murphys. The decade of rebellion ultimately descended into the oppressive theocracy characterised by unemployment, emigration and misery. It was the Ireland of the industrial schools and the Magdalen laundries and gave way to the Ireland which prioritised one’s capacity to prosper by taking advantage of others rather than a commitment to the public good, an Ireland which venerated the exploiter, that confused three-card-trickery with genuine entrepreneurship and that took us directly to a decision five years ago, to socialise the debts of private banks and expose the country to between E100bn and E400bn in liabilities”.

Commending the organisers, Gerry Coffey, a community activist in Nenagh and Kathleen O’Meara, former Labour Senator, now a leading advocate in civil society, Jack O’Connor said that events such as the weekend of conversations in Nenagh created an engagement around the issues which is necessary as we rebuild the Republic, an engagement which is critical in laying the foundations for a more sustainable Ireland, built on the values of egalitarianism and social solidarity which informed Larkin, Connolly and others in 1913.

“From Lockout to Bailout” was supported by SIPTU and took place in Nenagh Arts Centre on September 27, 28 and 29th last.
SIPTU members regret unavailability of some Dublin Fine Gael TDs to discuss budget proposals
The SIPTU Dublin District Council has stated that it regrets the failure of some Fine Gael TDs to meet constituents to discuss ICTU proposals aimed at boosting economic growth and creating jobs.

Members of the SIPTU Dublin District Council have contacted all the Fine Gael TDs in Dublin to arrange a meeting to present them with the ICTU document, ‘Budget Perspectives’, and discuss its content before the October budget.

The SIPTU Dublin District Council has stated that it regrets the failure of some Fine Gael TDs to meet constituents to discuss ICTU proposals aimed at boosting economic growth and creating jobs.

Members of the SIPTU Dublin District Council have contacted all the Fine Gael TDs in Dublin to arrange a meeting to present them with the ICTU document, ‘Budget Perspectives’, and discuss its content before the October budget.
 


Dublin District Council Chairman, Jack McGinley, said: “Central to the proposals is an economic stimulus package that if implemented is estimated would result in the creation of 41,000 jobs.

“While we thank the majority of Fine Gael TDs in Dublin who did meet delegations of constituents to discuss the proposals, it must be highlighted that several did not make themselves available for a meeting.

“Those who did not make themselves available for a meeting include Ministers Alan Shatter, Leo Varadkar and James Reilly. Other deputies who did not make themselves available include Terence Flanagan, Alan Farrell, Liam Twomey and Mary Mitchell O’Connor.”

Jack McGinley added: “It is extremely unfortunate that despite repeated requests these Fine Gael TDs did not make themselves available to discuss with constituents constructive proposals aimed at job creation.”
Thirty-Seventh Countess Markievicz Memorial Lecture


The Chairperson and Council of the Irish Association for Industrial Relations

have pleasure in inviting you to attend the

Thirty-Seventh Countess Markievicz Memorial Lecture

by Lauren Arrington

 Constance Markievicz and the Idea of Ireland”

 

Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street

Friday, November 29, 2013, 13.00 – 14.00 hours

With support from the Labour Relations Commission

www.ul.ie/iair

Dr. Arrington is the author of W.B. Yeats, the Abbey Theatre, Censorship and the Irish State (Oxford University Press, 2010).  She is lecturer at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool.  Her biography Revolutionary Lives: Constance and Casimir Markievicz will be published by Princeton University Press.



The Chairperson and Council of the Irish Association for Industrial Relations

have pleasure in inviting you to attend the

Thirty-Seventh Countess Markievicz Memorial Lecture

by Lauren Arrington

 Constance Markievicz and the Idea of Ireland”

 

Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street

Friday, November 29, 2013, 13.00 – 14.00 hours

With support from the Labour Relations Commission

www.ul.ie/iair

Dr. Arrington is the author of W.B. Yeats, the Abbey Theatre, Censorship and the Irish State (Oxford University Press, 2010).  She is lecturer at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool.  Her biography Revolutionary Lives: Constance and Casimir Markievicz will be published by Princeton University Press.

Successful Fair Hotels Expo held in Liberty Hall
Representatives of over 30 hotels and 50 organisations seeking to book event and conference venues attended a highly successful Fair Hotels Expo in Liberty Hall on Tuesday, 17th September.

A Fair Hotel is one that ensures the fair treatment of staff and recognition of their right to a collective voice at work.


L-R: SIPTU Division Organiser John King; SIPTU Vice-President Patricia King, SIPTU Organiser Joanna Ozdarska, ICTU General Secretary David Begg; Eileen Sweeney; SIPTU General President Jack O'Connor; National Campaigns and Equality Organiser Ethel Buckley; SIPTU Industrial Organiser Denis Hynes and Eileen Ryan at the Fair Hotels Expo in Liberty Hall on Tuesday, 17th September.

Representatives of over 30 hotels and 50 organisations seeking to book event and conference venues attended a highly successful Fair Hotels Expo in Liberty Hall on Tuesday, 17th September.

A Fair Hotel is one that ensures the fair treatment of staff and recognition of their right to a collective voice at work.

Those attending the event included representatives of several of the countries leading hotel chains and representatives of NGOs, trade unions and political parties.

Westgrove Hotel in Clane, Co. Kildare is the latest hotel to join the Fair Hotels initiative. Among those attending the Expo was Westgrove Hotel Sales and Marketing Manager, Elaine Ryan.

She said: “Fair Hotels is a relatively new venture for us. We have found it very positive for staff and for business in general. The Expo provided us with a great opportunity to meet and network with organisations seeking to book conferences.

Among the NGO representatives attending the event was chairwoman of the National Women's Council of Ireland and Director of the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland, Siobhan O’Donoghue.

“We think it is very important that we are sure that any hotel which is booked to host an event treats workers fairly. The Fair Hotels initiative gives people the confidence that when they pay for a venue for a conference, event, overnight stay or holiday their supporting fair work practices.”

SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said: “The Fair Hotels initiative has gone from strength to strength since it was launched three years ago. It is an internationally recognised as a leading example of how workers, business and cponsumers can all benefit by making ethical choices.”

There are over 70 Fair Hotels throughout the country from Kerry to Belfast. Among participating hotels is the Conrad in Dublin which was recently recognised as Ireland's Leading Hotel at the World Travel Awards 2013 in Turkey.

European Social Justice Award Goes to Irish Campaigners
Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) and activist Mohammed Younis was presented with the SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday (16th October). This is the first time the Silver Rose has been awarded to Irish recipients.

Gráinne O’Toole of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) said, “We are honoured to be acknowledged for our work on social justice, particularly in the area of forced labour and rights for undocumented migrants. These are burning issues not only in Ireland but across Europe.”

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) and activist Mohammed Younis was presented with the SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday (16th October). This is the first time the Silver Rose has been awarded to Irish recipients.

Gráinne O’Toole of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) said, “We are honoured to be acknowledged for our work on social justice, particularly in the area of forced labour and rights for undocumented migrants. These are burning issues not only in Ireland but across Europe.”

 
Mohammed Younis, a victim of forced labour in Ireland, said, “I accept this award on behalf of all workers employed in dangerous and exploitive conditions. I have walked in their shoes. Undocumented workers need to be treated equally and be able to access justice – including getting back their stolen wages without fear of being returned home.” Mr Younis worked for seven years as a chef and endured forced labour in Ireland. He is currently fighting his case in the Irish Supreme Court for unpaid wages of €92,000.
 
Michele LeVoy, Director of PICUM, stated “MRCI is to the forefront in supporting undocumented migrants and forced labour victims to campaign for workers’ rights and legislative change.  To ignore the exploitation of a worker because a work contract should not be legally valid (as in the case of Mohammed Younis) ignores the reality of existing work relationships and facilitates exploitation and abuse in a culture of impunity.”
 
O’Toole concluded, “Ensuring high standards and conditions within labour markets must be a priority if all workers are to be treated equally. The European Parliament has an opportunity to ensure that the transposition of the EU Directive on Victims of Crime includes all victims, regardless of their legal status.  Europe needs to step up its efforts to identify victims of forced labour and we would welcome guidelines from the European Commission on this.”
100th Anniversary Wreath Laying Ceremony

End of an Era
Friday, 6th September 2013 saw the end of an era for three SIPTU members  of the TCD Section Committee as it was their last meeting before retirement.

Kyran Travers the Section Chair and previous Secretary representing the secretarial/executive related grades was one of the last remaining veterans of the 1983 FWUI strike committee which led a two-week dispute with Trinity College Dublin.


L-R: Kyran Travers, Jack McGinley, Rita O'Toole, Brendan McKevitt and SIPTU Sector Organiser Louise O'Reilly

Friday, 6th September 2013 saw the end of an era for three SIPTU members  of the TCD Section Committee as it was their last meeting before retirement.

Kyran Travers the Section Chair and previous Secretary representing the secretarial/executive related grades was one of the last remaining veterans of the 1983 FWUI strike committee which led a two-week dispute with Trinity College Dublin.

 
Brendan McKevitt represented Library Guards in the tourist area since its inception having previously been a Library Guard in the Library reading rooms.
 
Rita O’Toole led a team of shop stewards in the Housekeeping area which encompasses close to 200 direct labour cleaning staff.
 
The Section committee wish them well in their retirement and thank them for all the work on behalf of the 700 + members in TCD.
Lockout Tapestry and trade union banners exhibition in Dublin

1913 Lockout: Impact and Aftermath, Banners Unfurled Exhibition. To mark the 100th anniversary of the Dublin Lockout of 1913 the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD (2nd from left), pictured with, from left, Joe O'Flynn, General Secretary of SIPTU, Raghnall O'Floinn, Director of the National Museum, and Sally Anne Kinahan, ICTU Assistant general Secretary, opened three new exhibitions, '1913 Lockout: Impact and Aftermath', 'Banners Unfurled' and 'Lockout: The Tapestry', at the National Museum of Ireland. Photo/Photocall Ireland


The 1913 Lockout Tapestry and historical trade union banners are being exhibited in the National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin until Sunday, 17th November.The exhibition entitled ‘Banners Unfurled’ features all 30 panels of the 1913 Lockout Tapestry along with 18 trade union banners and full size reproductions.

Launching the exhibition on Thursday (10th October) SIPTU General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn, said the exhibition was another successful event in the centenary commemoration of the 1913 Lockout.

The 1913 Lockout Tapestry and historical trade union banners are being exhibited in the National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin until Sunday, 17th November.The exhibition entitled ‘Banners Unfurled’ features all 30 panels of the 1913 Lockout Tapestry along with 18 trade union banners and full size reproductions.

Launching the exhibition on Thursday (10th October) SIPTU General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn, said the exhibition was another successful event in the centenary commemoration of the 1913 Lockout.

“These commemorations have attempted to connect the events of the Lockout with the current issues of decent work for everyone, the right of people to join trade union without fear of intimidation and the right to collective bargaining,” Joe O’Flynn said.

Addressing Minster for State, Jimmy Deenihan, who was in attendance, O’Flynn called upon the Government to make good its commitment to legislate for the right to collective bargaining “during the period of the Lockout commemorations.”

In his address Minister Deenihan acknowledged that new legalisation in the area of workers rights “was very much part of what the Lockout commemorations are all about.”

The National Museum, Collins Barracks, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Sunday 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. 
100th Anniversary of the Arrival of the SS Hare Food Ship in Dublin

The 100th anniversary of the first food shipment from the British TUC to support striking workers and their families during the 1913 Lockout was re-enacted on Saturday (5th October) at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2.


Arrival of the SS Hare Food Ship to Dublin on 5th October, 2013 at Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin. Picture: Photocall


The 100th anniversary of the first food shipment from the British TUC to support striking workers and their families during the 1913 Lockout was re-enacted on Saturday (5th October) at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2.

The Lockout began in August 1913 after tramway drivers and conductors, members of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, went on strike for better pay and conditions. In response, the Chairman of the Dublin United Tramway Company and President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, William Martin Murphy, persuaded 400 employers to lock out members of the ITGWU, as well as any other employees who refused to disassociate themselves from Jim Larkin's union. Thousands of Dublin workers who were members of the ITGWU, were suspected of being members or were members of other unions and would not sign declarations disowning the ITGWU were locked out and replaced by strike breakers. Eventually over 25,000 workers were involved in strikes and lockouts.

The effects of the Lockout bore heavily on thousands of families in the City, who faced poverty and starvation. The food aid, contributed by workers and their unions across Britain, delivered vital sustenance and hope to the families affected by the lockout.

The commemoration of the anniversary of the first food ship arrival to Dublin acknowledges the critical importance of the solidarity and practical support of the British Trade Union Movement towards supporting struggling families to survive one hundred years ago. The value of the food aid donated equates to over €20,000,000 in today’s terms.

The New Theatre presents 1913 LOCKOUT

Féile na Samhna

LIBERTY VIEW
Budget unfairly hits young and old
 
LibertyHall

Budget 2014 spared the majority of working people from direct cuts to their income and made some effort to stimulate the economy through capital investment, although nowhere near what is required to tackle the jobs crisis.

However, it singled out again those most vulnerable in society, in particular the older generation and new entrants to the jobs market.

The cut in the telephone allowance for elderly people is both harsh and unnecessary and will merely create unwarranted anxiety for those living alone while the review of medical card entitlements will invariably hurt those who most depend on State care.


Budget 2014 spared the majority of working people from direct cuts to their income and made some effort to stimulate the economy through capital investment, although nowhere near what is required to tackle the jobs crisis.

However, it singled out again those most vulnerable in society, in particular the older generation and new entrants to the jobs market.

The cut in the telephone allowance for elderly people is both harsh and unnecessary and will merely create unwarranted anxiety for those living alone while the review of medical card entitlements will invariably hurt those who most depend on State care.

The reduction in jobseeker payments to those under 26 is also unfair and discriminatory and ignores the reality that young people are desperately seeking employment in an economy where decent new jobs are scarce.

New claimants should not have their job seekers allowance reduced unless they had turned down a decent job or good quality training or apprenticeship. 

Many of our youth will interpret the reduction in their basic income from €144 to £100 per week as an encouragement to leave the country as many in the current and previous generations were forced to do.

ECONOMY
Zero-hours Contracts
 
Steve Davies
Steve Davies
This summer in the United Kingdom (UK), ‘zero-hours contracts’ grabbed the headlines and dominated discussion about changes to working life. Zero-hours contracts are those in which a worker agrees to be available for work with a particular employer but without any guaranteed hours or times of work and therefore usually no guaranteed pay either. Under these contracts employers only need to pay for work when they need it. These contracts are not a new phenomenon, although the scale of their current use in the UK is unprecedented. This is seen by employers and ministers as part of the ‘necessary’ flexible labour market.
Introduction
This summer in the United Kingdom (UK), ‘zero-hours contracts’ grabbed the headlines and dominated discussion about changes to working life. Zero-hours contracts are those in which a worker agrees to be available for work with a particular employer but without any guaranteed hours or times of work and therefore usually no guaranteed pay either. Under these contracts employers only need to pay for work when they need it. These contracts are not a new phenomenon, although the scale of their current use in the UK is unprecedented. This is seen by employers and ministers as part of the ‘necessary’ flexible labour market.

Who benefits from flexibility?

The Conservative-dominated British government boasts the UK is on the road to economic recovery and that, even at the worst point of the crisis, the private sector created hundreds of thousands of jobs which compensated for the impact of austerity on public sector employment. What ministers never explain is the nature of these new private sector jobs or how the crisis has been used to restructure the labour market. The increase in forms of ‘flexible’ work is closely related to the attacks on workers’ rights and trade unions. Thatcher began the process of weakening the position of workers, through legislative change to the labour markets and through laws which made it more difficult for unions to engage in legal strikes. This assault continued under the Blair and Brown ‘new Labour’ governments (Blair boasted that the UK had the least regulated labour market of any major industrialised country). The current British government has pushed even harder to remove legal protections for workers and to discourage the use of remaining legal protections by increasing the costs of bringing a case

Download the full Report here
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CityWide




CITYWIDE COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN MEETING

Wednesday 23rd October 10.00am - 1.00pm
Gresham Hotel, O'Connell Street, Dublin

This campaign meeting is also being supported and attended by the National Voluntary Drugs Sector and its members.


DRUGS – CAN WE TAKE ANY MORE?
COME ALONG ON THE 23RD AND GIVE THE VIEWS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY

See Programme for meeting here. Please confirm your attendance so we can confirm numbers for lunch: info@citywide.ie anna@citywide.ie or by by telephone 01-8365090/8365039





CITYWIDE COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN MEETING

Wednesday 23rd October 10.00am - 1.00pm
Gresham Hotel, O'Connell Street, Dublin

This campaign meeting is also being supported and attended by the National Voluntary Drugs Sector and its members.


DRUGS – CAN WE TAKE ANY MORE?
COME ALONG ON THE 23RD AND GIVE THE VIEWS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY

See Programme for meeting here. Please confirm your attendance so we can confirm numbers for lunch: info@citywide.ie anna@citywide.ie or by by telephone 01-8365090/8365039

The Risen People


To mark the centenary of the 1913 Dublin Lockout, the Abbey Theatre is delighted to announce a new stage version of The Risen People by James Plunkett for the Abbey stage in December. Central to this exciting new production of The Risen People is the creative collaboration between director Jimmy Fay, composer Conor Linehan and choreographer Colin Dunne of Riverdance fame. To capture the essence of James Plunkett’s play, these talented artists collaborate to create an invigorating production, full of music, song and movement in what promises to be an exuberant and memorable theatrical presentation.

The Risen People, which inspired James Plunkett’s masterpiece Strumpet City, was first produced by the Abbey Theatre in 1958. 



To mark the centenary of the 1913 Dublin Lockout, the Abbey Theatre is delighted to announce a new stage version of The Risen People by James Plunkett for the Abbey stage in December. Central to this exciting new production of The Risen People is the creative collaboration between director Jimmy Fay, composer Conor Linehan and choreographer Colin Dunne of Riverdance fame.  To capture the essence of James Plunkett’s play, these talented artists collaborate to create an invigorating production, full of music, song and movement in what promises to be an exuberant and memorable theatrical presentation.

The Risen People, which inspired James Plunkett’s masterpiece Strumpet City, was first produced by the Abbey Theatre in 1958.
TASC is recruiting!



TASC is recruiting two posts to assist with our mission of promoting a flourishing society, based on equality, social justice, transparent democracy and sustainable economic activity.
Please click on the following links to see Job Descriptions and application instructions:

Policy Analyst (Economic and/or Social Policy)

Project Officer (Open Government/Freedom of Information)

All applications should be made using the linked Application Form and submitted by 5pm, Friday 25th October.

(Save and email, or print and post, the application form to TASC, Castleriver House, 14-15 Parliament Street, Dublin 2, contact@tascnet.ie)





TASC is recruiting two posts to assist with our mission of promoting a flourishing society, based on equality, social justice, transparent democracy and sustainable economic activity.
Please click on the following links to see Job Descriptions and application instructions:

Policy Analyst (Economic and/or Social Policy)

Project Officer (Open Government/Freedom of Information)

All applications should be made using the linked Application Form and submitted by 5pm, Friday 25th October.

(Save and email, or print and post, the application form to TASC, Castleriver House, 14-15 Parliament Street, Dublin 2, contact@tascnet.ie)

Exhibition

Larkin Credit Union

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Fair Hotels

SIPTU Membership Services

Fair Hotel

SIPTU Basic English Scheme

BasicEnglishADLOL

BasicEnglishADLOL
Supporting Quality

SIPTU serves strike notice on McAllister Garage Ltd
SIPTU has served strike notice on McAllister Garage Ltd (trading as McAllister Volkswagen), Airside Motor Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, with the action scheduled to commence on Monday, 7th October at 9.00 a.m. The scheduled strike is due to a management decision to impose disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal, on workers who are implementing a work to rule action in a dispute with the company over attempts to unilaterally change their contracts of employment.

SIPTU Organiser, Andrew McGuinness, said: “The workers have been left with no option but to escalate this dispute due to the confrontational attitude of management.

SIPTU has served strike notice on McAllister Garage Ltd (trading as McAllister Volkswagen), Airside Motor Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, with the action scheduled to commence on Monday, 7th October at 9.00 a.m. The scheduled strike is due to a management decision to impose disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal, on workers who are implementing a work to rule action in a dispute with the company over attempts to unilaterally change their contracts of employment.

SIPTU Organiser, Andrew McGuinness, said: “The workers have been left with no option but to escalate this dispute due to the confrontational attitude of management.

“The workers have been engaged in a work to rule action since 12th August in response to company attempts to implement unilateral changes to their contracts of employment. Rather than accept changes, without negotiation, that would result in reductions in pay and a longer working week, the workers have continued to work according to the terms of their agreed contracts.”

He added: “In response management has implemented disciplinary procedures on several workers and dismissed one employee, while also refusing to attend a Labour Relations Commission (LRC) meeting or engage with their union.

“The union remains available for direct discussion with the company or engagement through the auspices of the LRC in an effort to resolve the issues in dispute.”
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