Blame bosses for collapse of pay talks - Unite

national | worker & community struggles and protests | press release

Sunday August 03, 2008 17:25

by Bob Miller - Unite

bob.miller at unitetheunion dot com

Unite to lodge pay claims

Unite leader claims 'social partnership' is now one of inequality

Dublin, Saturday August 2nd, 2008
Unite, the second largest trade union in Ireland with over 60,000 members, has laid the blame for the collapse of pay talks firmly at the door of employers.
“Workers were being asked to carry the entire economy on their backs,” said Unite Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly after the breakdown of talks in the early hours of Saturday. “There was no willingness on the part of employers to make any offer that would relieve the pressure of inflation, rising energy and food costs on the working people who are increasingly finding it hard to cover the basics of life in Ireland in 2008.
“There was no attempt to deal with the other key issues of workers rights, pensions and the plight of agency workers. A cynic would argue these talks were a stalling tactic from the outset and this ‘social partnership’ is clearly now one of inequality.”
“Our 60,000 members in the Repuiblic have bided their time waiting for a breakthrough at national level. Now that this has failed, we will be starting to lodge pay claims on their behalf within the next two weeks.”
He added: “Working people deserve wage increases which are linked to company profits and inflation. Irish companies are making more profits per employee than any country in Europe bar Luxembourg. Irish wages lag 25 per cent below the average of our European peers. The rate of inflation which carries the greatest threat to those least well off in society is heading beyond six per cent by the end of the year.”
“These are the factors which we will address in those claims.”

Comments (3 of 3)

Unions Time to Live in the Real World

by John McCoy

Wed Aug 06, 2008 14:28

Irish Trade Unions are going to have to face to the harsh realitaty of conditions in a recession. Its time to get real and help employers trade through to rough times. What good is a cost of living pay increase if it puts your company out of business? Irish Trade Union Officials are the best paid in the World. Because of falling membership due to unemployment and employees coping on that they actually do nothing for them, they relaise that soon they will be on the dole also. The employment Laws in Ireland are among the strongest in the world.
Does an employee need a union to get holiday pay? No Entitled by Law!
Does an employee need a union to get maternity leave? No Entitled by Law!
Does an employee need a union to get Redundancy? No Entitled by Law!
The list goes on.
With the new National Employment Rights Agency (NERA) coming on-stream one wonders what the role for Unions will have in the future. I suspect their only role will be to protect the non performing employees from being dismissed. This will mean employers will have to hire more workers to actually do their work, thus driving up the cost base. This will again make Irish Business too expensive and drive employment out of the country.

Get Real Unions. Your glory days are over. Time to live in the real world

Union Have Ruined Our Industry

by Paul Kelly (The Cribber)

Thu Aug 07, 2008 04:06

I am an electrician and the TEEU have ruined our industry. They have driven many Electrical Contracting firms to bankruptcy by imposing unviable conditions on them. These conditions have been agreed by less than 10% of employers in the sector and have been wrongly signed into law by the Labour Court. This trend will contuinue in Irish Industry if the Unions dont stop their crazy and unrealistic demands.What is needed is some help to bring small business through the recession not cost increases.

Proof Of What Really Drives Unions

Fri Aug 08, 2008 02:31

See the Link below on this website for proof of what Modern Unions are about. Jobs for the boys and money.
Time to cop on lads. Everyone else has.