The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is warning that workers’ rights in Ireland need to be addressed. In a report to the Council of Europe, the IHREC said it is concerned about inadequate protections for workers, discriminatory policies that affect disabled employees and the prevalence of discrimination and sexual harassment in the labour market. The commission said the failure to acknowledge the social and economic value of care work, mainly provided by women, has led to low pay and conditions. The report highlights that trade unions have no legislative right to be recognised in the workplace for collective bargaining purposes. […]

UNION SEEKS MINIMUM 7.7% PAY INCREASE FOR ALL WORKERS Dunnes Stores workers today lodged a pay claim with the company seeking significant pay increases, additional annual leave days, improvements to the staff discount scheme and the creation of full-time jobs. Citing increased living costs and the positive contribution of staff to the business during the pandemic, the workers say they should be rewarded fairly for the work they do. “Workers all over the country are struggling right now, yet many employers, like Dunnes Stores, are capable of paying higher wages and improving conditions of employment. Those that can pay, should […]

Thursday 7 July 2022 Mandate Trade Union, which represents more than 5,000 workers in Penneys in Ireland, has said that any restructuring withing the company, which may include redundancies, must take place through agreement with the workers’ representatives. Penneys announced a restructuring process on the 29th June and since then Mandate has been engaged with the company since then. Lorraine O’Brien, Mandate National Coordinator said: “This announcement from the company has caused enormous stress and anxiety for our members. We’ve already had a number of meetings with the members and we will ensure their voices are heard by the company. “Any […]

In this episode we chat with Jimmy Doran, Chair of the Trade Union Left Forum about proposed legislation to replace the regressive 1990 Industrial Relations Act with a new Bill entitled ‘ The Fair Employment Bill 2022’ . The new bill will give back the freedoms tradeunionists had prior to 1990. We urge all workers to support this Bill. The Bill will be launched tomorrow night in the Unite the Union Office in Middle Abbey Street Dublin. The Interview took place on the 1st June. Presented by Danny Coffey Produced by Denise O’Toole

An act to restore the cost of living and civil society remits of trade unions, to legislate for a trade union right to access to members and workers in the workplace, to legislate for trade union right to be heard in negotiations on behalf of members where collective bargaining is recognised,  and related maters. Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:    

This interview took place on Thursday 26th May with the Irish Language Station Raidió na Life with a Unite The Union activist. Click on this link

Issued by the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA) Industrial Action Week 2 Monday May 23, 2022. Medical Scientists to Step Up Industrial Action Two days of Action to be taken by Medical Scientists this week Medical Scientists to continue on picket lines to resolve – unfilled posts, pay parity, career pathway and increasing demands. Medical Scientists are stepping up their industrial action this week – in frustration over long-standing pay and career development issues. Two days of action are taking place on Tuesday May 24 and Wednesday May 25, following an initial one day of action last week. No approach […]

At the last Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) biennial delegate conference on 26/9/21 a motion proposed by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) was unanimously passed calling for legislation to be enacted to return all rights lost by workers as result of restrictions imposed under the 1990 industrial relations act. Since then, very little has happened to progress this legislation. The Trade Left Forum (TULF) have stepped up to this challenge to draft a bill for legislation that would repair some of the damage done by years of anti-Union legislation in Ireland. TULF have now drafted a bill […]

The absence of agreement between unions, Government and employer representatives on practical measures to expand the range of free and affordable public services is undermining the national response to Ireland’s cost of living crisis, according to Fórsa. Speaking at the 80,000-strong union’s national conference in Killarney today (Thursday), Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said Ireland should resist a return to the “poor quality” social dialogue in place prior to the pandemic, during which more intense engagements shaped and delivered workplace safety protocols and emergency income supports. He called for intensified dialogue to improve Ireland’s ‘social wage,’ or state spending on […]