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 entitled the "Fair Employment Act 2022" and will launch it on Thursday June 2nd
in Unite the Union’s Hall in middle Abbey Street Dublin at 6 p.m. There will be a power point presentation of
the draft bill and an outline of the effects of existing anti-union legislation on workers.This will be followed by Q & A.
The bill covers the right to union access to workers, collective bargaining rights, removes obligatory 7-day
strike notice, returns union autonomy on secret ballots, protects the rights of individual workers, expands the
reasons for industrial action beyond trade disputes to the aims of the Ictu.
Motion passed at congress:
“Conference recognises that the restrictions on trade union action in the 1990 Industrial Relations Act need to
be opposed, and that the Act should be reformed to restore rights which trade unions had before 1990.
Conference mandates the executive to seek an alternative legislative regime which would allow trade union
and industrial action for individual workers, for issues that concern workers across society and across
employers, and for effective solidarity to workers in dispute.
The TULF are calling for the ICTU. to launch a national campaign, in conjunction with affiliated unions
and trades councils, to seek the support of the Government, political parties, Dáil deputies, senators,
local authorities and wider society to amend existing legislation and to introduce the Fair Employment
Bill 2022, which will be the first step to starting the process to tip the balance of power back to
workers.
Jimmy Doran
Tulf Chair/PRO
