The officers of the Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of trade Unions (ICTU) met with affiliate and non-affiliated unions and associations this morning to provide an update on the public sector pay talks, which adjourned at 3am this morning. Unions expressed concern that the Government’s initial pay offering last night illustrated its lack of preparedness to complete a sustainable and robust multi-year pay deal, and further undermined perceptions of the Government’s approach to the process of securing a new agreement. Speaking after the meeting, PSC chair and Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said, in failing to meet […]

#Solidarity with Independent Councillor Cieran Perry for proposing the motion and with Dublin City Council who last night voted in favour of supporting replacing the anti-worker 1990 Industrial Relations Act with the Fair Employment Bill 2022 (2) The 1990 act was introduced as a control mechanism on trade unions. The act introduced many changes to the accepted norms of industrial relations up to that time. It banned support strikes, solidarity action, political strikes, sit-ins and immediate action. It isolated individual workers and introduced 7 day notice. It puts many conditions and restrictions around balloting for industrial action so much so […]

Workers from Unite, GMB and SIPTU will take 24-hour strike action commencing from 00.01am Friday [1 December] in pursuit of a cost of living pay increase.  The strike action will affect bus and rail services across Northern Ireland and the action by members of all three public transport unions is likely to mean that no services will operate throughout the day. The strike is the first to occur on bus and rail since 2015.  The industrial action follows coordinated strike ballots held by the three unions which returned overwhelming support for industrial action. Bus workers in Unite voted 96.5 per cent for […]

Members of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) in Northern Ireland are today taking strike action as part of their long-running campaign for fair pay. We commend all of our colleagues in Northern Ireland who are taking a stand outside their schools. Expressing their full solidarity and support with members in the north, members in the south have today shared messages of support with their colleagues – demonstrating that the INTO is truly an all-island union. This strike is about more than just pay. It is about fighting for the future of the education system in Northern Ireland. Our members […]

ICTU statement on violent events in Dublin We want to express our solidarity with the children and care worker viciously attacked in Parnell Square yesterday afternoon. Our thoughts are with them and their families at this traumatic time and we sincerely hope they all recover from this awful event. We also express our solidarity with the school concerned and all its staff, pupils and families. General Secretary Owen Reidy said ‘We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable and outrageous thuggery witnessed on the streets of our capital city last night. We pay tribute to our wonderful Garda, firefighters, ambulance […]

The World Federation of Trade Unions, on behalf of its 105 million workers in the 5 continents, strongly condemns the new employer’s crime that took place in India after a crane collapsed at the site of an under-construction bridge in Shahapur. The new fatal occupational crime took place on Monday night about 70 km north of Mumbai city in the western Indian state of Maharashtra and resulted in 17 dead workers and 3 injured. We express our sincere and cordial solidarity with the relatives and colleagues of the workers who lost their lives. The international class-oriented trade union demands the […]

Solidarity greetings from Trade Union Left Forum to the working class of Ireland and around the world who continue to struggle against the “Cost of Capitalism Crisis” manifested in poverty, inequality, precariousness, homelessness, war and environmental catastrophe.   As inflation soared last year Irish workers took a 3.9% pay cut while workers share across the globe was cut by an average of 3.19%.    The difference between wage growth and surging prices meant workers in Ireland effectively worked for nothing for 8.3 days.   Wages lagged behind inflation by an average of €2,107 per worker amounting to a total cut […]

Solidarity with all workers on strike today in the Six Counties. There are not two communities in the North there are two classes one divided by the other to stay in power We have one common enemy CAPITALISM North and South.   Speaking today NIPSA General Secretary said::It is a myth to think there is no money for workers, according to General Secretary of NIPSA Carmel Gates. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Gates said payments to a number of key youth services, including the extended schools scheme and holiday hunger payments, are being cut. Economic sanctions are being imposed […]

As SIPTU members in the water services ballot around the country to protect earnings for workers not transferring to isce Eireann but remaining in their local authorities, early results from Limerick, Cork, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown and Fingal confirm huge support for strike action. Karan O Loughlin, Divisional Organiser for SIPTU’s Public Administration and Community Division said: “There is a high level of frustration among our members in water services at the lack of commitment from the various local authorities as to how the value of earnings will be retained once Uisce Eireann assume responsibility for the provision of water services nationally.  […]