James Connolly Bridge campaign co-ordinator, Brendan Carr, said: “In recent days the campaign has met with members of all the political groups in Dublin City Council. The proposal received a very positive response from all the groups.

“The campaign is aiming to garner support from all political persuasions  and have the proposal adopted in a non-partisan manner.”

Among the prominent people who have backed the proposal to commemorate the struggles of the working people of Dublin by naming the bridge in honour of James Connolly are singers Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Mary Byrne and Frances Black; actors Bryan Murray and Gabriel Byrne; comedians Brendan Grace and Brendan O’Carroll; poets Theo Dorgan and Paula Meehan, as well as artist Robert Ballagh and Dublin GAA star Alan Brogan.

The bridge from Marlborough Street to Hawkins Street is due to open next summer, during a year of special significance to the trade union movement as it marks the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Lockout and comes just three years before the centenary of the 1916 Rising

Brendan Carr added: “What we are trying to do is remember the struggle of the people of Dublin 100 years ago and the link we have between 1913 and 1916 is James Connolly.”

To learn more about the campaign and show your support visit the “James Connolly Bridge Campaign” on Facebook or click –http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Connolly-Bridge-Campaign/473354252685931

Workers at Clerys retail chain took part in a peaceful protest on Tuesday (2nd October), in support of their colleagues from the outlets at Leopardstown, Naas, Blanchardstown and Guiney’s, following the decision by the new owners of the company, Gordon Brothers, to place these stores in liquidation.

The protest was exceptionally well attended and the staff outlined their frustration at how these colleagues have been treated.

“Not only is it unacceptable that the company has attempted to unilaterally impose compulsory redundancies without agreement but in the cases of all the stores with the exception of Blanchardstown, the workers will need to apply to the social fund for their redundancy and all outstanding wages. The company has ignored all requests to consider redeployment options for the staff affected. This coupled with the closure of the staff pension scheme is totally unacceptable to all the employees,” SIPTU Organiser Graham Macken said.

A petition was delivered to Gordon Brothers by the protesting workers, who are members of SIPTU and Mandate.

Graham Macken added: “Negotiations between Gordon Brothers and workers’ representatives in relation to the restructuring proposals for O’Connell Street are ongoing. Both SIPTU and Mandate are urging the company to uphold their moral obligation to all our members if there is to be any possibility of an amicable settlement for all parties concerned.

NIC-ICTU have organised a march against Austerity on Saturday (20th October) in Belfast. For further details about the time and route please click on the following link: http://www.ictuni.org/marchagainstausterity/marchroute.html

This march is just one step in a long campaign to get the British Government to change course from it’s dangerous and damaging programme of cuts and austerity.  Across the water the TUC have organised similar marches as a co-ordinated action.

The 7,000 ton freighter ‘Pioneer Atlantic’ at the Aughinish Aluminia facility in Foynes was allowed to move out into the Shannon estuary off Moneypoint on Wednesday (10th October) as crew members wishing to leave because of concerns over safety depart. The first two crew members to do so, the Boson and an able seaman, flew home to the Philippines from Shannon Airport later that day.

SIPTU Organiser, Paul Hardy, said: "No breakdown of cuts in Mayo has been released by the HSE and no risk assessment has been carried out, but we agree with the recent statement of North Mayo coroner, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald that reductions in Home Help services lead to an increase in deaths from chronic illness.”

He added: “The present cuts are not only detrimental to the health and well-being of elderly people in the county but are economically foolish, since integrated Home Help care keeps people out of residential nursing homes and overcrowded emergency departments. The Government should immediately instruct the HSE not to cut services further and to make best use of the contracted Home Help hours available for the good of our community."

SIPTU has stated that the decision of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to implement €8 million in cuts to Home Help services will reduce the quality of life of the most vulnerable and result in increased costs as more people are forced into full time hospital care.

SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said: “The decision by the HSE to implement cuts to Home Help services is morally unacceptable and illogical. Cuts in Home Help hours will not only reduce the provision of care to the most vulnerable in our society but will also result in more people having to avail of full-time care in a hospital setting. These outcomes go directly against the stated aim of the Government to develop community based health services and reduce spending.”

He added: “The reduction in Home Help services will also increase the hardships faced by the low paid workers who provide these services. Since July, SIPTU has attempted to engage HSE management in negotiations on the provision of adequate contracts, the maintenance of Home Helps’ working hours and their security of earnings. Due to management intransigence meaningful discussions have not been possible.

In September, SIPTU requested an emergency Labour Court hearing into the rapidly deteriorating treatment of Home Helps. The request followed the failure of the HSE to honour the terms of a Labour Court recommendation which proposed that management enter meaningful discussions on finalising an agreement to provide Home Helps with adequate contracts and security of earnings.

The Trade Union Left Forum has published a pamphlet on the politics of privatisation. The pamphlet explores the ideology that underpins the privatisation agenda and includes a case study on the effects of this approach on the ESB.

The pamphlet is available for download at the new Trade Union Left Forum website: www.tuleftforum.com

SIPTU’s Contract Cleaning and Security Services Sector is balloting more than 10,000 security static guards and contract cleaners over the next two months.

The Union is recommending a YES vote in the ballot over two new national collective agreements. The proposals, if endorsed by SIPTU members, will pave the way to have both agreements registered under the newly enacted Industrial Relations Act 2012. SIPTU lobbied for the legislation so that the Employment Regulation Orders (EROs) and Registered Employment Agreements (REAs) could be put on a sound legal footing.

Contract cleaners and security officers were previously covered by EROs up to July 2011 when they were struck down by the High Court.

Since then, SIPTU along with a wider progressive coalition of other unions and NGOs have been lobbying for new legislation in order to provide workers – such as cleaners, security officers and other low-paid workers – to negotiate collectively bargained yet legally enforceable minimum conditions of employment for their industries.

SIPTU cleaners as part of the Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign played a leading role in agitating, lobbying and protesting to advance the rights of all low-paid workers. Because of this, SIPTU cleaners managed to secure a “holding” REA for six months from February to August this year.

The sets of proposals protect and enhance the minimum conditions of employment in both industries. In contract cleaning, the minimum rate of pay of €9.50 has been protected. In security, the minimum entry rate of pay has been enhanced by a 7.5% increase, now at €10.75 an hour.

The proposals are being recommended by both SIPTU negotiating teams. These teams are made up of union organisers who organise and bargain in the industry along with elected Shop Stewards who are industry experts in cleaning and security.

Seeking to develop REAs in both contract cleaning and security is a critical part of SIPTU’s overall union and sector strategy and is a bid to organise workers and build worker power with real leverage in the cleaning and security industries.

Having such agreements in place is critical in contracted services in order to take wages out of competition and to avoid placing unionised contractors in an uncompetitive situation. They also constitute a key piece of infrastructure that seeks to defend workers’ earnings in what are labour intensive industries.

The union believes the two agreements, if endorsed by the membership, will create an opportunity to organise more cleaners and security officers.

The agreements have also involved significant collaboration between SIPTU’s Strategic Organising Department and the sector during the contract cleaning REA talks.

The Republic of Ireland is the fifth most expensive country in the EU, with consumers paying 17% more than the EU average, accruing to a new Central Statistics Office (CSO) report.

The CSO Measuring Ireland's Progress 2011 report published on Wednesday (10th October), found that only Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Luxembourg had higher consumer prices than Ireland last year.

However, as a result of low inflation its relative expensiveness has improved since the start of the recession in 2008, when it had the second highest prices in the EU at 30% above average.

Ireland also came fifth highest in the EU for its unemployment rate last year. It had the highest percentage of adults living in jobless households in the EU, at 15.8% compared with the EU average of 11.1%.

The productivity of the Irish workforce (GDP per person employed) was above the EU average, the report found. Ireland’s GDP per capita was the fourth highest in the EU at 27% above average.

Ireland also fared well in terms of educational achievements with the third highest level of third level completion in the EU. Some 46% of the population in the 25-34 age group have completed third level.

Investment in indigenous industry and infrastructure are central to an ambitious jobs plan published by Sinn Féin on Thursday (11th October). 

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Peadar Tóibín said: “In the last four years Ireland has shed more jobs than any other western state per capita since the Great Depression. Last year the economy lost 33,400 jobs. In 2011 our communities lost 87,000 to emigration.

“It is clear that government policy is not working. The government has paid lip service to job creation. Their ambitions for this state are limited to Troika-led retrenchment. Private investment has reduced by €30 billion. Government has withdrawn €24 billion.

He added: “We have identified €13 billion which can be sourced to create jobs, improve competitiveness and increase productivity. This would be funded from the National Pension Reserve Fund, European Investment Bank, incentivised investment from the private pension sector and we would end the capital spending cuts of this government.

“An investment of this scale would create about 156,000 jobs and retain up to 15,000 existing jobs. Smart investment will secure sustainable jobs and our national competitiveness into the future.

“Our jobs plan will invest in essential infrastructure; help entrepreneurs by removing obstacles to doing business and supporting them to retain and create new jobs; exploit the potential of existing and new state enterprises particularly in broadband rollout, renewable energy and eco-tourism and invest in agri-food and rural communities.

Among the proposals in the extensive and rigorously costed jobs plan are the construction of a new bio-refinery plant in the South East with the potential to create 5,000 jobs; investment in the roll-out of next generation broadband across the 26 counties; regeneration of the Cork dockland area; the Establishment of 50 new Primary Health Care Centres and a €1billion investment in sustainable energy.

In today’s article, Christina Anselmann and Hagen Krämer discuss the working rich phenomenon and rising income differences in Germany.

They argue that the reasons or theories that are predominantly put forward do not fully explain these issues. They conclude that it is doubtful that rising top incomes in Germany are economically and socially sustainable.

Christina Anselmann is a research student whose research interests include macroeconomiccs and income inequality. Hagen Krämer is a professor of economics at the Department of Management and Engineering at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (Germany) whose research interests include income distribution and growth.

Please click here to read the full the article and on our blog at: http://column.global-labour-university.org/

We encourage you to make comments at the end of the article.

The GLC editors,
Nicolas and Phumzile