Dear Member, On Monday 20 July our members in Premier Periclase had been set take strike action in a dispute arising from the company’s proposal to lay off our members or put them on reduced hours, while transferring work to non-union labour and retaining contractors on site. Earlier this week talks were held at the Workplace Relations Commission, and Regional Officer Willie Quigley spoke to LMFM’s Michael Reade on Wednesday to give an update.  Click here to listen to the interview.  A proposal from the WRC was subsequently received, on foot of which our members voted to defer strike action and participate […]

Give bar workers a fighting chance for the future Thursday 16 July 2020 The bar workers union, Mandate, has today (Thursday, 16th July) called on the Government to give bar workers and bar owners a fighting chance for survival by supporting them in the proposals to be announced in the “July Stimulus Package”. Referring to Mandate’s Submission to the Dail Covid Committee Concerning the Hospitality Sector, John Douglas, Mandate General Secretary said: “Bar workers want to return to work when it is safe to do so for them and their customers. The bars which remain closed have been so since St. Patrick’s […]

SIPTU members at Aer Lingus reject management’s pay and job proposals Date Released: 14 July 2020 SIPTU members at Aer Lingus have voted by 55% to 45% to reject the Covid-19 crisis recovery plan proposed by the airline. The proposals were put to a ballot of the union’s 1500 members at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports over recent days. SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Karan O’Loughlin said: “This is a very difficult and challenging time for our members in the aviation industry. “We will now meet with workplace representatives to discuss the outcome of the ballot and to find a way forward […]

SIPTU warns of strike action if pay and conditions of construction workers are undermined Date Released: 14 July 2020 SIPTU representatives have warned construction companies that its members will conduct strike action if there is any attempt to undermine workers’ agreed wages and conditions in the wake of a High Court decision to strike down parts of the Industrial Relations Amendment Act 2015. The High Court decision, delivered at the end of June, means that the conditions contained within a Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) for the construction industry are no longer legally enforceable. In a letter sent to employers across […]

Sugarcane workers in southwestern Iran have taken strike action for the past 27 days to demand their unpaid wages. The workers from the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company in Shush say they have not received their wages for two to three months. They are also demanding better work conditions, the return of laid-off workers who were fired for protesting, an extension of their insurance booklets, and the return of the company to the public sector. Videos have been posted online showing hundreds of workers marching on the street chanting against regime officials. The sugarcane workers started initially took strike action on […]

Dear Member, With workplaces continuing to re-open, Unite’s focus remains on ensuring members’ safety while protecting terms and conditions that have been hard-won over decades. Unite members in the Premier Periclase magnesia plant in Louth will be taking strike action from July 20th following the company’s failure to engage meaningfully on issues surrounding a ‘temporary shutdown’.  Click here to read our statement, and here to listen to Regional Officer Willie Quigley’s interview on LMFM outlining the background to the dispute. Over recent weeks, the construction sector’s focus has been on the implications of the High Court decision to strike down the electrical Sectoral Employment […]

Fórsa has sought clarification on a number of issues following a meeting with An Post management on its plans for the future of its GPO headquarters in Dublin. The company is examining plans to move from the GPO,, O’Connell Street which famously served as the headquarters for the 1916 rising. An Post has said that the GPO is not fit for purpose, and are proposing to vacate the historical landmark in favour of a new modern premises. A union sub-group was established early on in the process, to facilitate consultation between the company and representatives from all three unions representing […]

The anticipated move towards more widespread remote working is an opportunity to look afresh at issues around working time and work-life balance, according to Fórsa. The union is preparing to make a submission to a Government consultation on remote working, which was launched yesterday (9th July 2020). Fórsa will argue that sectoral agreements on home working should protect workers in specific employments, but that these should be based on principles agreed with unions at a national level. It also says the consultation should encompass a public conversation on the amount of time we spend at work, and the balance between work […]

Shannon Airport Group of Unions rejects company recovery plan Date Released: 07 July 2020 Representatives of the Shannon Airport Group of Unions today (7th July) called for immediate discussions with management following its announcement that the company intends to cut pay by up to 20% until April 2023. Speaking on behalf of the Group of Unions (SIPTU, Connect and Forsa), SIPTU Sector Organiser Neil McGowan said: “The announcement by management at Shannon Airport that it intends to cut members pay by up to 20% is completely unacceptable and any unilateral pay cuts will be strongly resisted. The lack of consultation […]

The World Federation of Trade Unions, the oldest and most historic international trade union organization, that represents more than 100 million workers in 130 countries of the five continents, expresses its sincere condolences to the people of Myanmar who is mourning at least 162 miners. The miners “were smothered by a wave of mud” in a landslide in a jade mine in northern provinces of the country. This terrible “accident” is not just a natural haplessness but is a crime against the tens of miners who died, working to earn the livelihood. As it is proven in the most horrible […]