Thursday January 01 1970
Benefit night for sacked trade unionist.
dublin |
worker & community struggles and protests |
event notice 
Saturday September 25, 2010 14:23
by Owen McCormack
owenmccormack2002 at yahoo dot co dot uk
Social in support of Eugene McDonagh defense fund
Fund raiser in support of sacked trade unionist.
A night of Ballads, Blues and food!
DATE;Friday 22 October at 8.00pm
VENUE; Dublin Workingmens Club,
Strand St Little, (Off Capel Street & opp Nealons Pub).
MUSIC; Ballads and Blues.
Tickets 15 Euro waged
7 Unwaged.
All proceeds go to the Eugene McDonagh defense fund.
Eugene McDonagh, an Executive member of the NBRU was sacked last March by Dublin Bus management for an unofficial dispute in Harristown garage in 2009. Eugene was targeted because he was a Trade Union representative who stood by his members and had a history of opposing cuts in public transport services and attacks on workers pay and conditions.
The company threatened to sue and sack drivers under the Industrial Relations Act.
In the end Eugene was the only driver dismissed, while dozens of others received written and verbal warnings, after over 10 months of a witch hunt with the threat of losing their jobs.
The Dispute in Harristown arose out of the changing of rosters by the company with no agreement of the drivers or their reps.
This social will help to fund Eugene's ongoing campaign for reinstatement and his upcoming Employment Appeals hearing. Eugene will continue to fight for his job and for public transport services. We appeal to all Trade Unionists and others concerned by injustice to support this event and highlight it in your union or organisation.
Owen McCormack. 087 2858388
Eugene McDonagh Support Group.
Comments (5 of 5)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5Can anyone tell me where this place is, i know its no longer beside the clarence hotel and cant place it off capel st. Also have heard something on this case and its sounds outrageous but i had heard that his union had played a role in his dismissal?
The venue is off Capel st just opp Nealons pub, in fact its behind the burnt out head shop ! But dont let that put you off its a good location. Re; the issues, its complicated but his union did not respond with the vigour you would expect of a union whose executive officer was been victimised and whose members were been threatened with been sacked and sued under the 1990 Industrial relations act. Essp for a union that was built on unofficial action there are a lot of questions to be asked and answered.
I hope to be their on the night - but could I make a suggestion - would the organisers contemplate emailing every Siptu official, starting with O'Connor and invite to come along and speak? Obviously, the same applies to Ictu. On the night, the names of all Union officials who were invited could be read out - and proper discussion entered into as to why they didn't attend.
I’m sure the organisers have already contacted Siptu and their officials and received the same bureaucratic response as others following the case.
My own slimey siptu branch organiser who was asked for support stated it wasn’t appropriate for them to get involved and that they ‘hadn’t received anything from either our bus branch (Siptu work alongside the NBRU) or anyone else from congress asking anyone else to get involved’.
Suspend belief! They also stated their reluctance because it was a 'legal dispute involving an individual'.
What the organiser didn’t say was that both Siptu and NBRU helped to implement the cost-cutting plan of Dublin bus in 2009 that led to the unofficial strike that Eugene, as shop steward, was a part of and supported his members.The razor-budget plan was only defeated after 3 votes taken amongst Siptu and NBRU members. The result: Dublin bus cuts have since created the loss of more than 200 buses in the last two years affecting local services and jobs.
As punishment Eugent was ring-fenced as the troublemaker by coercing witness statements from bullied bus drivers after the strike. Who coerced these bus drivers, kept for hours in meetings, into giving false statements? Their own union, NBRU, of course. Now is that legal?
Suspend belief, read out the list of cowards who failed Eugene and his members and make as much money as you can for Eugune who people need in the future.
Jack O’Connor should donate some of his €120,000.00 salary to Eugene’s legal costs as Eugene is a leader and Jack the lad is a champagne and salmon-eating cretin who doesn’t deserve the term ‘leader’. It’s the least that he can do.
Siptu: Now Organising for unfairness at work and injustice in society.
Listening to newstalk. Looks like the government are going to stick with the croke park agreement because they need the votes, so they will probably compensate by hitting voiceless social welfare recipients and putting numerous tolls on our roads amongst other things. The high wage public service management are safe though. Frontline staff on the other hand will be increasingly stretched on their lower rates of pay
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