SIPTU members at Aer Lingus, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) have welcomed a proposal by the Labour Court for a structured and speedy negotiation process to resolve the crisis in the defined pension scheme at the companies.

Speaking on behalf of the Aer Lingus pensions committee SIPTU Organiser, Dermot O’Loughlin, said:

“The interim recommendation from the Labour Court provides for a structured foundation for a negotiated solution to the long running dispute over the inadequate funding of the pension scheme. It also recommends a robust time-frame within which the negotiation process must be completed.
 
“It is the unanimous view of the Aer Lingus, DAA and SAA Committees that staff representatives should attend any deliberations that occur within the ‘Technical Group’ that is referred to in the recommendation. This will facilitate efficiency, transparency and accountability.”
 
He said that there remained a lack of clarity on the benefits that can be derived from the current pension contributions and that members were also opposed to any attempt by the airline to seek ‘cost offsetting measures’ in return for meeting its responsibility to properly fund the pensions scheme. 
 
“We have no difficulty in negotiating pay stability in a manner that reasonably protects the well-being of our members. However, we are not prepared to allow the company to walk away from the agreed defined benefit scheme and to replace it with an inferior scheme in which our members would end up having to subsidise the employer’s contribution as well as paying their own,” Dermot O’Loughlin said.
 

SIPTU has welcomed the decision of the Irish government to criminalise forced labour and to provide greater protection for victims of modern day slavery. 

SIPTU Services Division Organiser, John King, said that the Government decision Monday (7th January) to insert a definition of forced labour into Irish law will help to eliminate the discrimination against, and exploitation of, workers in Ireland. It also means that employers who commit this criminal act can now be prosecuted.

“This is another measure that will help to eliminate discrimination and the exploitation of people who are induced into forced labour or modern day slavery. It is an important protection for workers across a number of particularly vulnerable employment sectors,” he said.

The decision to bring Irish law into line with government commitments under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention of Forced Compulsory Labour follows a number of high profile instances where workers in this country were treated as slaves by their employers, John King added.

The decision was also welcomed by the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI) and other groups that have been campaigning for the criminalisation of forced labour.

Gráinne O’Toole of MRCI stated; “The MRCI has campaigned for a number of years for a law to criminalise forced labour and we very much welcome this legal amendment. Our experience is that victims will not come forward if there are not clear protections, rights and supports in place.”

She said that forced labour is an extreme form of exploitation and can involve deception, coercion, debt bondage and threats or actual physical harm. The MRCI has dealt with over 179 cases of forced labour over the last 6 years, she said.

SIPTU has endorsed the Government’s commitment to pursue the introduction of a ‘Youth Guarantee’ across Europe during the Irish Presidency of the European Union.

The Youth Guarantee proposal will be the main focus of an informal meeting of the EU Social Protection Ministers in Dublin on Friday (8th February).  

The idea is to provide young people under 25 years of age with education, training, work-placement or other labour market activation opportunities, within four months of becoming unemployed.

Similar systems already exist in several member states, including Austria, Finland and Sweden.

In Ireland 29% or 43,400 young people aged 20 to 24 were unemployed in the second quarter of 2012. Given that emigration has acted as a release valve, the real level may be underestimated.

SIPTU researcher, Loraine Mulligan, said: “The rate of youth unemployment in Ireland is among the highest in the EU. However, the rate of young people under 29 years who are ‘not in employment, education or training’ (referred to as ‘NEETs’) is elevated at 18.4% in Ireland. In the main, this category has a heightened risk of being disengaged or distant from the labour market.”

She added: “The expansion of apprenticeship/structured traineeships and vocational education should be prioritised as part of the roll-out of a ‘Youth Guarantee’ in Ireland, allowing young people to gain recognised industry-relevant qualifications.”

17-31 January 2013  Cervantes Institute Dublin

The Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC), the Cuban film institute, was established in 1959; it aims to promote the medium of film through a range of diverse activities including film and television production. ICAIC also presents numerous screenings of locally produced and international films throughout Cuba each year. And for each, a unique poster is created by a Cuban graphic artist.

ICAIC prints the majority of its originally designed film posters as silk-screens in a 20x30 inch format. These posters are widely distributed across Cuba, and highlight the important role that cinema and the visual arts play in contemporary Cuban life.

These posters are totally handmade. In the silk-screen process a screen is hand cut for each individual colour. Each colour is applied separately. Each colour takes 24 hrs to dry before the next can be applied.

This is a unique exhibition presented to the Irish public coinciding with the Cuban Film Season, as part of the celebrations of the National Day of Cuba, from 17-31 January 2013.

By Dr. Micheál Collins

In the latest edition of the Nevin Economic Research Institute’s Quarterly Economic Observer we have outlined where we expect the economy of the Republic of Ireland to go over this and the next two years. In the institutes first set of economic projections, we detailed our expectations for economic growth, employment, unemployment and government finances. Unfortunately, our projections are pessimistic, highlighting an ongoing economic stagnation as a result of continued contractions to domestic demand, sustained uncertainty at a European level and a related slow recovery of the international economy.

Over this year and next, we expect the Republic of Ireland economy to marginally grow, with annual GDP growth of less than 1% per annum. While we anticipate some improvement in 2015, we expect growth will still be less than 2%. Within the economy, we note the likely expansion of exports and the sectors of the economy strongly linked to the external economic environment. However, this contrasts with the domestic economy and an ongoing decline in domestic demand which is likely to continue for at least another year as a consequence of continuing fiscal austerity combined with high level of indebtedness and a lack of domestic consumer and investor confidence.

The impact of weak growth is also relevant for the labour market. In general, the economy needs to be experiencing more than 2% GDP growth per annum to generate higher employment. Given our growth expectations, we envisage that unemployment will remain stubbornly high for the next few years, climbing to over 15% this year. We also expect a small decline in the total number of employees over each of the next three years with employment growth only returning in 2016.

The lack of growth and the combined effects of less employment and more unemployment add further pressure to the Government’s financial situation. While we anticipate that the Government will reach its fiscal targets in 2013, the prospect of higher budgetary deficits, larger numbers unemployed, further austerity measures and the contracting domestic economy leads us to question the Government’s capacity to reach its 2015 fiscal target of reducing the deficit to below 3% of GDP (the key target set out in the Troika agreement).

However, despite the gloomy outlook, there are options which Government can take to improve the overall outlook and assist the domestic economy as we await further improvements in international conditions. As the NERI, ICTU, SIPTU and others have outlined over the past year, there remains a clear need for a sizeable frontloaded investment stimulus for the domestic economy focused on job intensive projects in the areas of water infrastructure, broadband, early-childhood education, energy production and retrofitting. Funded by resources for commercial semi-states, pension funds and the European Investment Bank, there remains potential to expand such a stimulus well beyond that announced last July and significantly kick-start the domestic economy.

Similarly, Government action on restructuring the bank debt element of our national debt, and in particular the Anglo Irish promissory notes, has potential to provide an important source of fiscal adjustments in 2013. If this is achieved and is of a significant scale, it offers the prospect to reduce day-to-day Government expenditure and dampen some of the fiscal pressure outlined earlier.

Finally, our projection on the sustained nature of the unemployment crisis should remind us of the real need for public policy to take greater measures to address this. With more than 60% of the unemployed being long-term unemployed, many for multiple years, the challenges facing individuals, families, communities and the country as a whole in getting people back to decently paid sustainable work is likely to be the major public policy challenge of the next decade.

The latest NERI QEO is available at www.NERInstitute.net

Dr Micheál Collins is Senior Research Officer at the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).

Seamie Briscoe is usually the man behind the scenes, promoting others and helping to organise whatever is needed, but his last day in his role as the head of FÁS scheme based out of the rugby club - and his birthday - saw the tables turned completely on him.

Family and friends gathered from as far away as Scotland, for a surprise bash at the rugby club on Friday, 21st December.

Old pal Eamon Duffy was the culprit this time as he organised a team of workers to set the scene, the family getting Seamie to the doors of the club with the offer of a ' few quiet drinks' only to be greeted by the Mayor of Drogheda Paul Bell, the head of SIPTU Jack O'Connor and Boyne President Reggie McHugh.

After that he was caught in a 'rolling maul' of best wishes from all quarters while a special video show saw best wishes coming from around the world, some live from Wales and Australia.

Former referee John West described Seamie as the 'catalyst' for the creation of Boyne RFC from the former Drogheda and Delvin clubs while Niall Ronan, the Munster star, was delighted that Seamie could now get the ' bus pass' - adding 'now you can come down and support us in Thomond Park!'

Friends in Wales gathered live in Llanelli while George Hunter in Australia and Craig McGrath in Italy also spoke of Seamie's dedication as did the clan in Kilkelly in Co Mayo, where his sister and family reside. Tom Carolan was praised for putting the whole package together. Various speakers rose to applaud Seamie's career, with Mayor Paul Bell describing him as an 'amazing citizen and a huge role model, a friend of everybody's who could talk to anyone.'

He revealed Seamie proposed him for union membership as he started put in his own career.

'His contribution to Boyne is more than people realise,' club president Reggie McHugh added, as he bestowed Hon Life Membership on his fellow clubman.

Jack O'Connor expressed a wish that Seamie never retire from the community, because it needs him too much.

'Like any good official he has vision and his dedication has been to the working people,' he added.

Ken Kearney from Dalkeith, Scotland, came over for the night and spoke of his own first introduction to Seamie and Delvin in 1974. 'A lot of us were coming to Ireland for the first time on a tour and the lads wanted a drink in an old Irish thatched bar and the next thing we turned into a place called the El Molino in Julianstown!'

Former Ireland star Shane Horgan also got in touch by phone on the night from the UK.

As for Seamie he outlined his own working life, starting on New Year's Day in 1961 as a farm hand on Sweeneys farm in Milltown, before moving to GEC in Dunleer and Unilever. McDonnell's was a special place too. 'I remember going in on my first morning and Dessie Hand asking me to sing ' A Scottish Soldier'.

His love and work for Boyne RFC won't change he added, 'retirement is not over and out,' he declared.

Drogheda Independent (2nd January, 2013)

INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE

Invite you to their

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Saturday 19 January 2013 @ 1:00pm
Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre   45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2FG
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Guest Speaker – Manus O’Riordan
The Enigma of Frank Ryan
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For more details contact Ciaran Crossey: 07759393607 or Ernest Walker: 07751951785
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