New Assembly Committee Expected to be set up on Monday Community organisations, charities, trade unions and academics have written to the First and deputy First Minister and other party leaders urging them to ensure that a new Committee established under the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement is the final stage of agreeing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. It is expected that the Assembly will set up the Committee on Monday and the community groups want party leaders to guarantee it will deliver the long-awaited Bill of Rights, originally promised in the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement in […]

Cleaning staff at University Hospital Waterford are taking to the picket lines this morning. Around 125 members of the Unite trade union are striking in a row over changes to their working conditions without consultation. Momentum Support took over the cleaning contract at the hospital from ISS last September. Commenting on today’s strike action, Unite Regional Officer Tony Kelly accused Momentum of seeking to impose changes to working conditions without consultation: “Our members have suddenly found themselves assigned to different work areas and tasks without either consultation or explanation, contrary to long-standing practice at the hospital. They have been forcibly […]

Fórsa members employed by the National Council of the Blind in Ireland (MCBI) and Delta services CLG in Carlow are taking part on a one-day strike today (Friday 21st February) marking the latest phase of the union’s campaign for pay justice in independent organisations that rely on State funding to deliver vital health and care services. Both employments are ‘Section 39’ agencies, under which community and voluntary sector organisations are funded to deliver care and other services by the HSE. Members of SIPTU in other Section 39 agencies are also on strike today (Friday). While these workers are not public […]

Greece National Strike on February 18 TULF offers its International Solidarity with our comrades in Greece today who demostrated in over sixty cities throughout Greece. Watch Our comrades in action today   Demonstrations In More Than 60 Cities Hundreds of trade unions of Greece, Federations and Regional Trade Unions have responded to the call of PAME for a National Strike On 18 February against the antiworkers bill of the Greek Government on Social Security and Pensions. In contrast the General Confederation of Greece (GSEE), member of ETUC, is acting as strikebreaker and denied participation to the strike. The struggle of […]

Last ditch talks to avert strike action at Allied Bakeries break down after pathetic management pay offer rejected by workers Posted on February 14, 2020 by Unite the union NI All-out strike action by workforce confirmed to commence at Allied Bakeries in Belfast from 6am on Sunday [February 16th] Strike action will cripple production and supply of pancakes across UK ahead of Pancake Tuesday Sean McKeever, Regional Officer blasted as ‘pathetic’ the offer made by Allied Bakeries’ negotiators after direct pay talks broke down and confirmed that his members were now preparing for an all-out strike for a fair pay increase to commence from […]

Very interesting and informative article from the Socialist Voice The establishment keep repeating the mantra that in twenty years’ time there will be far fewer people working than there are now, and more people in retirement. This has now become the accepted narrative of the mainstream media. And it is a lie. This lie has been repeated so often it has now become fact and the common belief. But quite the opposite is true: the work force in the Republic today is in excess of 2.3 million, which is substantially higher than thirty years ago, when in the 1980s there […]

With a week to go before Ireland goes to the poll booths, Mandate is delivering a stark election warning to all voters. Successive Fine Gael and Fine Fail led governments have created an unprecedented  housing crisis, a health care crisis and instilled widespread fear regarding pension age increases and continuing threats to reintroduce water charges and deny the people a referendum on public ownership of our water. Check out Mandate’s General Election 2020 fact sheet on why you should vote for change in General Election 2020. Mandate has focussed on four key issues for our members: Housing; Health; Pension Age […]

The Trade Union Left Forum (TULF) supports the protests by childcare workers today, who struggle on minuscule wages doing what is an essential public service. This is against the backdrop of disgraceful practices from employers within the sector, who value profits over the welfare of children and their staff. Currently, more than 60% of educators earn less than the Living Wage of €12.30 per hour and parents are paying some of the highest fees in Europe. Due to low pay and poor working conditions, the average staff turnover is 23% per year. The company that owns Giraffe Childcare, one of […]

Enough is Enough. Why we are taking strike action ?