REAs probably protected by Industrial Relations Act 2012
The constitutional status of the Registered Employment Agreement (REA) structure, which legally protects the pay rates and conditions of employment of tens of thousands of workers throughout Ireland, is probably protected by legislation passed by the Government last year, according to SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor.
This is despite a Supreme Court judgement, delivered today (Thursday, 9th May), declaring REAs constituted under the Industrial Relations Act 1946 as unconstitutional.
In an initial reaction to the Supreme Court judgement, Jack O’Connor, said: “On an initial reading it does appear that the actual case that was the subject of the judgement has been overtaken by events.
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Ballot on industrial action in Bus Éireann
SIPTU members in Bus Éireann this week began voting on industrial action in response to a threat by management to impose unilateral changes to the pay and conditions of workers.
The ballot will be concluded with a count of the votes in Liberty Hall on Thursday, 16th May.
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SIPTU manufacturing conference launches declaration on workplace innovation
A very successful conference on Workplace Innovation was held on the Tuesday (30th April) and Wednesday (1st May) at the Green Isle Hotel, Dublin.
The conference was jointly hosted by SIPTU’s Manufacturing Division and the IDEAS Institute. It included speakers and participants from government as well as trade unions and employers in the manufacturing sector.
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Agreement reached in Killarney Golf Club dispute
Workers at Killarney Golf Club, Co. Kerry, have voted to accept a new restructuring plan for the business and to defer planned strike action which had been scheduled to commence on Tuesday (7th May). Staff voted overwhelmingly to accept the proposals at a meeting on the evening of Wednesday (1st May). The restructuring plan will result in 21 job losses with workers receiving redundancy payments of four weeks' per year of service.
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/f8ade047d031a56ffca3bd1f/KillarneyGolfClub.jpg) Golf club workers. Back Row (L- R): Susan Bowler, Dan Morris, SIPTU Organisers, Paula O'Loughlin and Denis Hynes Front Row: Patrick Fleming and Seán Moynihan (Photo: Seán Kelly)
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Strike action deferred at Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant
Strike action by SIPTU members at Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant, Co. Dublin, scheduled to commence on Tuesday (7th May), has been deferred until Tuesday, 21st May following the reinstatement of a worker dismissed for trade union activity.
Management and workers' representatives will meet at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to discuss other outstanding issues at the facility which treats water for domestic and commercial purposes for 248,000 people living in Dublin and Wicklow.
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Historic banners to the fore in Dublin May Day march
Historic trade union banners and the Fintan Lalor pipe band led over 1,500 people on a sunny evening May Day march through central Dublin on Wednesday (1st May).
Leading the SIPTU contingent, on the Dublin Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) organised event, were ten historic banners created for the ITGWU by Dublin banner artist Jer O’Leary. The banners feature images of trade union leaders including Jim Larkin and James Connolly as well as images of the 1913 Lockout.
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/22095701ee4c3004458ef50d/May%20Day%20Flags.jpg) ITGWU banners lead the Dublin May Day march (Photo: John Moran)
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May Day in Belfast
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/fe9a47c88467aab82996b645/MayDayBelfast.jpg) Around 2000 people took part in the May Day march in Belfast on Saturday, 4th May. Among the many colourful trade union delegations were SIPTU members carrying the Belfast silk banner, which is emblazoned with the portraits of ITGWU founder James Connolly and United Irishman Jemmy Hope.
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Congress says time to abandon failed austerity and build a fair recovery
Congress General Secretary David Begg said on Wednesday (1st May) that the gains of Social Europe for working people were being dramatically eroded and undermined by synchronised austerity across the European Union.
“The citizens of Ireland and the citizens of Europe know full well that mass unemployment and widespread misery are no basis for recovery, let alone the building of a decent society and a better future for all,” he said.
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SIPTU calls for caution in regard to use of internships
The publication of an evaluation of the national internship programme, JobBridge, by Indecon consultants, on Wednesday (1st May), provides some positive indications of progression to paid employment but improvements are required to prevent exploitation and job displacement, according to SIPTU Policy Researcher, Loraine Mulligan.
The report states that by November 2012, 7,058 participants had completed an internship while a total of 12,560 had commenced since the scheme’s launch in June 2011.
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Survey finds that 94% of young people do not want to emigrate
A survey of young people between the ages of 16 to 35 has found that 94% do not wish to leave Ireland to find work.The internet survey conducted by the Young Workers’ Network found that only 6% of respondents said their preferred option was to leave Ireland. Other major concerns for young people highlighted in the survey were ‘dead end’ jobs and youth unemployment.
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/a8e04dbd820d63f25d015416/May%20Day%202.jpg) Members of the Youth Bloc at the Dublin May Day march on Wednesday, 1st May.
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SIPTU welcomes C&AG report on Skills Programme fund
SIPTU has welcomed the publication of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) into the administration of the National Health and Local Authority Levy Fund (Fund). The report is consistent with the findings of an internal investigation into the operation of the HSE/Skills Programme and the Fund by the union’s Trustees in March 2011. It also reveals additional details which were not available to the Trustees prior to the completion of their report.
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Nash questions closure of National Ambulance Control Centre
Louth Labour TD Gerald Nash, has joined SIPTU in voicing concerns over plans to temporarily transfer the entire National Ambulance Control Centre into one building in Townsend Street, Dublin. Control centres across the country will start to close from 15th May and all emergency calls will be handled in Townsend Street.
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SIPTU welcomes ECJ court ruling in favour of Waterford Crystal workers
The National Executive Council of SIPTU has welcomed the ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that the State is in breach of its obligations to ensure that the former employees of Waterford Crystal receive sufficient accrued occupational pension entitlements following their employer’s insolvency.
The ECJ found that the State is in breach of its obligations under the terms of the EU Insolvency Directive to ensure that employees receive sufficient accrued occupational pension entitlements.
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James Connolly Bridge campaign petition
SIPTU supports the campaign to name the new bridge to span the Liffey at Marlborough Street, Dublin, the ‘James Connolly Memorial Bridge’.
James Connolly was one of the most prominent leaders of the workers of Dublin during the 1913 Lockout and the 1916 Easter Rising in which he gave his life. During the 1913 Lockout, the workers of Dublin suffered unimaginable conditions to ensure a fairer and better life for all citizens. While this suffering was prolonged and many people played a pivotal role it was James Connolly who consistently showed a sense of leadership and inspired belief in the working people of Ireland.
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SIPTU welcomes auditing of Department of Education building projects
SIPTU has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, that he is to introduce a system of random audits of school and Department of Education funded third level building projects, to verify pay and conditions compliance.
SIPTU Construction Sector Organiser, Martin Meere, said: “The introduction of a system of random audits to ensure that contractors are adhering to the Registered Employment Agreement (REA) for the construction industry follows discussions between the Department of Education and trade union representatives.
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SIPTU shop steward elected on to St. James Hospital Board
SIPTU member Paddy Dingle was elected on to the board of St. James's Hospital, Dublin, on Thursday (2nd May).
Out of the 498 workers who voted Paddy received 368 votes meaning he was elected on the first round in front of candidates from Impact and the Craft unions. He will now serve as non-clinical (support staff) worker representative on the 18-member board for a term of three to five years.
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SIPTU meets with Diamond Innovations management to discuss threatened job losses
SIPTU representatives met with the management of Diamond Innovations on Tuesday (23rd April) to discuss the announcement yesterday that it proposes to cease operations at its plant in Clonshaugh Business Park, Dublin 17, in September 2013.
SIPTU Organiser, Karl Byrne, said: “The announcement that Diamond Innovations is closing its Dublin plant is devastating news for the workers involved and their families. The plant has been in operation since 1981 and has benefited from a highly motivated and professional workforce.”
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MANDATE Trade Union
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Derry May Day and the Factory Girls
SIPTU members and activists were among the hundreds who attended the Derry May Day march on Saturday (4th May). Among the groups also marching were “the Factory Girls” who campaign to see a completed public art piece erected in the city.
In January 2006 The Department of Social Development commissioned artist Louise Walsh to create a public art piece that would celebrate the shirt factory workers of Derry. Seven years later the components of the work are languishing in an engineering yard, gathering rust. ![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/c157a521aa2c87797f9671eb/Derry.jpg) The artwork loosely takes the form of a Victorian sewing machine, which the viewer can walk through, a massively rendered via a needle panel front-piece, with a wheel (measuring seven and a half meters wide) completing the other end. While a shirt element, portrayed primarily by a sculptural collar form, provides outdoor seating as an amenity.
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Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to meet with youth workers
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald, has agreed to meet with youth worker representatives to discuss the impact of budget cuts to vital youth services.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Darragh O’Connor, said: “The Minister has indicated she will meet with youth worker representatives. At this meeting we will be making clear to her that budget cuts to youth services are not only damaging to society but in the long run will cost more to the State than they save.”
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/b8bda3901917f182bd5e0b9a/YouthWorkers.jpg) Rialto Youth Project memberes protest outside the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Dublin, on Tuesday, 7th May.
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Galway’s trade union heritage celebrated
Over 100 years of trade union activity in Galway was celebrated at an event in SIPTU House, Galway city, on Thursday (2nd May).
More than 60 activists drawn from 12 trade unions active in the city attended the event, which began with historian John Cunningham describing Galway’s own Lockout in 1912 and the general strike of 1913. Historian Mary Clancy then described the trade union and political activities of women during this period.
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/ec65538a7b49e89955f76b34/GalwayHeritage.jpg) More than 60 trade union activists attended the celebration of Galways trade union heritage on Thursday, 2nd May (Photo: Diane Jackson)
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End Bangladesh's anti-union laws
Over 900 garment workers were killed and injured when an eight story building housing five textile factories collapsed on Wednesday (24th April).
Large structural cracks appeared in the Rana Plaza the day before and an evacuation order was given. The building and factory owners ignored the warning and insisted work continue hours before the building collapsed.
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View of Dublin City from the top of Liberty Hall
![](/files/1/21161/41174/3676825/fdbf1c07b94282d70929fdae/DublinCityNightView.jpg) View of Dublin City from the top of Liberty Hall (Photo: Matthieu Chardon)
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Caution needed over IBEC call to ease back on austerity
The decision of the employers’ organisation, IBEC, to abandon the sinking ship of one-sided austerity should be welcomed. We agree with its call in its latest quarterly report to call for the alleviation of the tax burden on low and middle-income families alongside increased investment in job creation. However, there must be concern that the IBEC call to ease back on tax measures in the forthcoming budget may be a Trojan horse for those lobbying the Government to abandon its commitment to abolish pension tax relief for high end contributors. It was agreed in Budget 2013 that this measure would be implemented in Budget 2014.
The ending of pension tax reliefs for high-end contributors would result in savings of at least €250 million that should be used to alleviate the tax burden on lower income earners.
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Global Labour Column
Italy from Recession to a new Socioeconomic Identity
By Paolo Borioni
The historical sources of the Italian crisis The Italian economic crisis has global as well as domestic roots. As Italy depends on industrial exports, the country has been deeply affected by the global crisis, and even more so by the depressive results of the EU’s austerity measures. Mario Monti’stechnocratic government has also added to depressive austerity: the Italian internal market shows a negative growth, below -2% in 2013, adding to Italy’s need for exports.
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