Irish Rail workers are balloting on a proposed pay deal as Socialist Worker goes to print. This follows two one-day strikes that closed rail and DART services.
By Owen McCormack Despite tough talk from management and the government the strikes were hugely effective and had major impacts on traffic and the economy. The deal on offer is short of the worker’ demand, itself a modest 3.75% a year, and is likely to come with huge productivity measures. The strike is the forth […]
The Government, via the National Transport Authority (NTA) have announced plans to privatise 10% of Dublin Bus routes. Over 350 drivers will be affected and the plan will mean a private multinational will be given over 150 buses by the state to operate the routes affected. A similar plan will be announced soon for Bus Eireann routes.
pic: Go Ahead bus awarded contract By Owen McCormack Despite attempts to paint it as otherwise this is privatisation. Existing publicly owned services and buses will be handed over to a multinational to operate for profit. The move is justified by the NTA on the grounds that increased “competition” in buses operating in Dublin will mean […]
Owen MacCormack writes: A majority of public sector unions have voted to accept a new public sector pay deal. However there remains significant opposition to the Government plan especially in teaching unions. The delay is a rotten one which does not address many core issues and copper fastens pay inequality and many of the austerity measures introduced in the last eight years.
But teachers unions reject it. Support teachers fight for pay equality pic: Jack O’Connor , President of SIPTU and Chair of the Labour Party It is no accident that the leader who has done most, this year as in the past, to sell this rotten deal is Jack O’Connor, President of SIPTU and Chair of the […]
Trade unions and the Government have negotiated a pay deal for all public sector workers.
Picture: SIPTU recommends this shameful deal Some unions will start voting in the next week. The deal is a major setback and effectively locks in austerity measures brought in during the recession. It awards minuscule pay rises but effectively gives the Government a blank cheque in other areas. It copper fastens pay inequality; newly recruited […]
At the ASTI Convention in Killarney, delegates voted to continue the union’s campaign of industrial action in support of the principle of “equal pay for equal work” and acceptable reform of the Junior Cycle.
Mark Walshe Although they stopped short of backing strike action, delegates overwhelmingly backed a protest at the Dáil on the first day of the upcoming public sector talks on a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement. TUI and INTO members will be invited to the protest. Delegates also backed a motion to ballot for strike […]
The demand for equal pay for equal work has dominated all three teachers’ unions’ conferences. teachers’ unions’ conferences.
The education minister Richard Bruton was met with a protest of hundreds of newly qualified teachers demanding pay parity at the INTO conference while the TUI union has voted for industrial action by autumn if pay equality for new teachers is not delivered. The INTO election for President saw a radical candidate poll over 40% […]
After three weeks, the Bus Eireann strike was called off to allow for a ballot to take place on Labour Court proposals. The proposed deal was announced at the same time that a separate ballot of Dublin Bus workers in Siptu showed a large majority (67%) had voted to take solidarity action with their Bus Eireann colleagues.
Owen MacCormack The Labour Court deal was timed to stop the dispute spreading to other CIE companies such a Dublin Bus. Management, backed by the Government and Minister Shane Ross, had originally wanted pay cuts of around 30% and widespread new flexible working conditions. They had talked up the scale of crisis and openly threatened […]
