Mandate saddened by passing of Mel Corry Thursday 14 January 2021 Mandate is deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of our brother Mel Corry yesterday afternoon after a short battle with Covid. Mel had been working for Trademark Belfast as a tutor on Mandate’s education courses since 2013 where our staff and our members had the pleasure of learning from a trade union stalwart. Members loved his dry wit and twinkle in the eye. Mel was working class. Therefore he acutely felt and understood the struggles met by workers and their families. Through his union work it […]

Retail workers demand early vaccination Tuesday 12 January 2021 Mandate Trade Union has written to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, seeking clarity on the prioritisation of retail workers in the rollout of the vaccination programme. Gerry Light, Mandate General Secretary, said the HSEs listing of priority groups published on 6th January for vaccination is ambiguous and doesn’t explain where retail workers are in its listing of priorities. “Retail workers, particularly grocery and pharmacy staff, have kept the country going over the last 12 months and they deserve recognition as essential workers risking their health every day. As such, the Minister needs to […]

SIPTU says Minister for Health must act now to remove roadblocks to health service recruitment Date Released: 08 January 2021 SIPTU representatives have today (Friday, 8th January) urged the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to immediately intervene and remove any roadblocks to health service recruitment as part of an emergency effort to address the unsustainable staffing crisis that is spreading right across the health service. SIPTU Health Divisional Organiser, Kevin Figgis, said: “The current stress on our health services is completely unsustainable. Patient numbers are rising while staffing levels are falling. The Minister must act now and make sure recruitment is fast […]