News Archive

SIPTU representatives are to begin a consultation with union members and management following the announcement of planned redundancies at the Standex Ireland Ltd production plant in Mountmellick, Co. Laois. SIPTU Organiser, Jim Sheridan, said:...

SIPTU members working in St. Patrick's Mental Health Services, James’s Street, Dublin 8, will tomorrow (Wednesday, 29th January) begin the process of balloting for strike action in a dispute resulting from a management decision to...

SIPTU representatives have said that the promises on childcare contained in the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil election manifestos published today (Friday, 24th January) are not adequate to deal with the worsening crisis in the childcare sector. SIPTU Head of...

Community Employment (CE) Supervisors have overwhelmingly voted to take industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a dispute concerning the failure of the Government to implement a Labour Court recommendation regarding their right to a...

SIPTU was joined by leading non-governmental organisations for the launch of the Stop67 campaign in Dublin today (Thursday, 23rd January) which aims to halt the increase of the state pension age for workers to 67 from next year. Speaking at the formal campaign...

SIPTU General Secretary, Joe Cunningham, will outline the union’s STOP67 campaign to reverse the pension age increase to age 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028, in Dublin on Thursday 23rd January. The event will take place at 11.00 a.m. in the Cheyne...

SIPTU representatives have rejected a claim by finance minister, Paschal Donohoe, that the State cannot afford to stop the increase in the pension age to 67 years in 2021. Responding to finance minister, Paschal Donohoe, who questioned how the...

Up to 150 SIPTU members and activists, working in the health service across the North West of Ireland, will gather for a special “Stop67” campaign event tonight in the Glasshouse Hotel, Sligo (Thursday, 16th January) at 7.00 p.m. At...

A SIPTU delegation met the Minister for Sport, Shane Ross, today (Wednesday, 15th January) in Government Buildings in Dublin, to discuss the future of the FAI and the protection of the livelihoods of union members employed by the Association....

Community Employment (CE) Supervisors are voting in a ballot for industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a dispute concerning the failure of the Government to implement a Labour Court recommendation regarding their right to a pension....

SIPTU has called for its organisers to be granted access to building sites across the country following a doubling in the number of construction workers who died in workplace incidents during 2019. SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Regan, said: “New...

The Early Years Alliance has today (Friday, 10th January) announced that it will be holding a national protest march involving thousands of educators, providers and parents to demand a sustainable solution to the worsening childcare crisis in Dublin on...

SIPTU representatives have called on members to support for the #SupportOurSecretaries rallies taking place tomorrow (Friday 10th January) to highlight the campaign by school secretaries for respect and fair conditions at work. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Karl Byrne...

SIPTU representatives have today (Sunday, 5th January) said that the overcrowding crisis in emergency departments is causing chaos for ambulance professionals across the country. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell said: “SIPTU representatives...

SIPTU Services Division Organiser, Teresa Hannick, has expressed her deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Marian Finucane, following the death of the broadcaster who made an immense contribution to journalism and...

SIPTU members in the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) have warned that lives could be put at risk over the festive period due to ambulance delays resulting from the underfunding of the service and have called for extra resources to be made available. SIPTU Sector...

SIPTU representatives have today (Wednesday, 1st January) said that members working in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) are planning a national mobilising campaign to win respect and recognition for all ambulance professionals in 2020. SIPTU Health Division...

SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 31st December) confirmed that up to 500 home helps working in community and disability services across Dublin city and county will be balloted for strike action early in the new year. The decision follows the failure of...

SIPTU members in the Public Service will receive a pay increase from 1st January, 2020, as part of the Public Service Agreement 2018-2020 which places a particular emphasis on raising the wages of lower paid workers. SIPTU Deputy General Secretary,...

The SIPTU Dublin District Council has condemned a government decision to increase the number of work permits issued for chefs from non-EU countries as a move that will further undermine pay and working conditions in the industry. SIPTU Dublin District Council...

A SIPTU delegation met the Minister for Sport, Shane Ross, this evening (Wednesday, 18th December) in Government Buildings in Dublin, to discuss the future of the FAI and the protection of the livelihoods of union members employed by the...

SIPTU has warned that a dramatic increase in insurance costs is threatening the viability of services and jobs in the childcare sector and called for government action to ensure coverage can be maintained at affordable rates into 2020. SIPTU Big Start...

SIPTU representatives are to meet with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, tomorrow (Wednesday, 18th December) to seek assurances for the future of workers employed at the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). The...

The General Secretary of SIPTU, Joe O’Flynn, has expressed his deep condolences to the family and friends of Cormac Ó Braonáin following his tragic death. The General Secretary of SIPTU, Joe O’Flynn, has expressed his...

The SIPTU Big Start Campaign has said that the ‘Early Years Sector Profile Report’ by the State funding agency POBAL, which was published today (Monday, 16th December), has revealed that low pay continues to plague the childcare...

SIPTU members in the Canon Hygiene Division of Rentokil Initial Ltd. based in Santry in Dublin have served notice of a one-day work stoppage on Friday, 20th December. SIPTU Organiser, Peadar Nolan, said: “Our members will conduct their work...

SIPTU representatives have stated that union members employed by the FAI were misled by management concerning the financial situation of the organisation which, it has emerged, is heavily in debt. SIPTU representatives have stated that union members...

SIPTU and Unite members employed by Virgin Media Ireland have overwhelmingly voted in favour of taking industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a ballot counted today (Monday, 9th December). SIPTU Organiser, Martin...

SIPTU representatives have today (Thursday 5th December) demanded the introduction of an emergency hand-over protocol to assist ambulance crews who are unable to hand over patients to hospital staff due to overcrowding and lack of bed capacity. The call comes as the...

SIPTU representatives have welcomed the decision of Pfizer, the multinational pharmaceutical manufacturer, to maintain its Defined Benefit (DB) Pension scheme for workers at its facilities in Ringaskiddy and Little Island in county Cork. SIPTU Sector...

Tara Mines workers have postponed a protest scheduled to take place outside Leinster House in Dublin tomorrow (Wednesday, 4th December) following confirmation that a drastic reduction in their flat rate expenses, which was due to be implemented on 1st...

SIPTU members employed by the FAI are requesting an urgent meeting with the Minister for Sport, Shane Ross, concerning the funding of the organisation in the light of reports of possible major job losses. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Denis Hynes,...

SIPTU representatives have called on National Pen to respect a Labour Court recommendation that it recognise the trade union for collective bargaining purposes for its members working in the company’s production facility and call centre in Dundalk, county...

SIPTU representatives have today (Friday 29th November) demanded that an immediate contingency plan is put in place to deal with the unacceptable obstruction of ambulance resources at Cork University Hospital (CUH). SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell...

SIPTU members have condemned the failure of Fianna Fáil senators to support a Bill which would have strengthened the system of Joint Labour Committees (JLCs), which protect the pay and conditions of low paid workers, in a vote in Seanad...

Unions have signed an agreement with the building contractor, BAM Building, committing it to ensuring compliance with the Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) for the construction industry at the National Children’s Hospital site at James’s Hospital...

SIPTU members have expressed their support for a new Bill which seeks to strengthen the system of Joint Labour Committees (JLCs) at a meeting with politicians in Leinster House, Dublin 2, today (Thursday, 21st November). The existing JLCs set minimum...

SIPTU members employed at SK biotech, the pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Swords, County Dublin, have accepted an invitation to attend a conciliation meeting at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). SIPTU Organiser, Jim Fuery,...

SIPTU members employed by Virgin Media Ireland will ballot for industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a dispute concerning an attempt to impose compulsory redundancies and the failure to implement a Labour Court recommendation by the...

SIPTU representatives told the Joint Oireachtas Health Committee today (Wednesday 20th November) that the HSE recruitment embargo across all grades in the health service and related agencies is putting the lives and health of patients at risk. At the committee it was...

The work of singer, playwright and author Dominic Behan will be remembered in a concert featuring singers, historians, and friends of the late artist in Liberty Hall Theatre on Saturday, 30th November at 7.30 p.m. Among those performing at the...

Unions representing employees in Boliden Tara Mines in Navan, county Meath, have called for the reversal of a decision to drastically reduce an allowance which has been in place for mine workers since 1990. SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Regan,...

Community Employment (CE) Supervisors will visit Dáil Éireann to present a letter to TDs demanding they put pressure on Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, to reconvene the Community Sector High-Level Forum, at...

SIPTU members at the SK biotek, the pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Swords, County Dublin, commenced a 24-hour, seven days a week, picket (Thursday, 14th November) outside the plant in response to a lockout by management....

SIPTU members at the SK biotek pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Swords, County Dublin, have been refused entry to their workplace by management this morning (Wednesday, 13thNovember). SIPTU Organiser, Jim Fuery, said: “The...

SIPTU members employed by GoSafe Ireland, the operator of speed camera vans on behalf of the State, have suspended their industrial action following an interventioby the Workplace Relation Commission (WRC). SIPTU Organiser, Brendan Carr, said:...

SIPTU representatives have stated that they will oppose any attempt to enforce compulsory redundancies on staff in RTÉ following the emergence of a plan to impose 200 job cuts at the national broadcaster. SIPTU Services Division Organiser, Karan O...

The continuing refusal of GoSafe Ireland, the operator of speed camera vans on behalf of the State, to adhere to a Labour Court recommendation to discuss its employees’ concerns with their union will be highlighted at a protest outside Leinster...

SIPTU representatives will be seeking detailed reasons for the proposed closure of the Cuisle Accessible Holiday Resort, county Roscommon, and calling for the decision to be reversed at a meeting with the Irish Wheelchair Association on Friday, 8th...

SIPTU and Fórsa have written to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, calling on him to convene a meeting of the Community Sector High Level Forum to discuss issues of importance within the sector including funding,...

SIPTU members in GoSafe are to hold a further one day stoppage on Thursday, 7th November, due to the company’s continued to refusal to accept a Labour Court recommendation that it engages with the union on their behalf. The workers, who operate...

SIPTU and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have launched a Charter of Rights and Conditions for Postgraduates which calls for a living wage, better access to supports and training as well as other improvements for those who carry out teaching and other...

SIPTU members at the SK biotek pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Swords, County Dublin, will begin a campaign of industrial action this evening (Tuesday, 29th October) following the refusal of management to attend the Workplace Relations...

A 72-hour work stoppage by SIPTU members working for the national speed camera van operator GoSafe will begin at 9.00 a.m. on 26th October, in a dispute related to working conditions and union recognition at the company. SIPTU Organiser, Brendan...

SIPTU representatives and senior management of pharmaceutical manufacturer, Novartis, will meet today (Thursday, 24thOctober) following the announcement by the company of major job cuts at its plant in Ringaskiddy, county Cork. SIPTU Sector...

SIPTU representatives are seeking an urgent meeting with the management of Independent News and Media (INM) following the announcement to staff, today (Wednesday, 23rdOctober), that the company intends to close its printing plant in Citywest,...

SIPTU representatives have today (Wednesday, 23rd October) said that they are preparing to ballot members in some Section 39 organisations for strike action following the refusal of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) to fully honour a recent...

SIPTU representatives are seeking an urgent meeting with the management of pharmaceutical manufacturer, Novartis, following its announcement, today (Wednesday, 23rd October), of major job cuts at its plant in Ringaskiddy, county...

SIPTU members in Stryker, Carrigtwohill, county Cork yesterday (Monday, 21st October) had their claim for trade union recognition endorsed by the Labour Court. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Alan O’Leary, said: “The workers at...

SIPTU representatives have called on the Fianna Fáil Spokesman on Communications, Timmy Dooley, to withdraw remarks made in the Dáil yesterday (Thursday, 17th October) concerning the need for RTÉ to consider compulsory...

SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Gerry McCormack, has said that the latest agreement between the UK and the European Union has offered a solution that avoids the imposition of a hard border in Ireland. He noted that it proposes that Northern Ireland should...

The Bord na Mόna (BNM) Group of Unions has condemned announcements made yesterday (Wednesday, 16th October) by the Government and company as an attempt to portray further job losses as part of a ‘Just Transition’ plan for workers. BNM Group of...

A 72-hour work stoppage has been announced by SIPTU members working for the national speed camera van operator GoSafe from 9.00 a.m. on 26th October, along with additional industrial action which commenced on today (16th October), in a dispute related to...

SIPTU delegates attending the union’s Biennial Delegate Conference in Cork, have heard that the maintenance of the so-called Brexit ‘backstop’ following the UK leaving the EU was vital for workers North and South. In his address to...

SIPTU delegates have voted unanimously in favour of a call on the Government to lift the embargo on recruitment into the health services and to immediately fill all vacate positions at the union’s Biennial Conference taking place in City Hall, Cork,...

SIPTU delegates attending the union’s Biennial Delegate Conference in Cork, have today (Wednesday, 9th October) unanimously voted in favour of an emergency motion condemning the Government for deferring a 30 cents per hour increase in the minimum...

SIPTU representatives have expressed disappointment at the failure of the Government to address the low pay and staffing crisis in childcare in Budget 2020 and have vowed to escalate the union’s campaign by workers in the sector. SIPTU Head of Strategic...

SIPTU General Secretary designate, Joe Cunningham, has said that Budget 2020 is muddled, contradictory and regressive. “Workers paid for the banking crisis and the budgetary crisis. Now it seems our members and other workers are expected to pay...

SIPTU has called for urgent action by the Government to ensure new national safety standards are put into place in ports and docks following a series of recent fatalities in these workplaces. SIPTU Ports, Docks and Harbour Organiser, Jerry Brennan,...

SIPTU and the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) have today (Monday, 7th October) announced the renewal of an agreement between the two organisations to facilitate joint campaigns and provide third level students with support in the workplace. The agreement was...

SIPTU has called for the strict enforcement of the terms of a new Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) for the construction industry which comes into effect tomorrow (Tuesday, 1st October). SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Regan, said: “The terms of...

The crisis in Bord na Mόna has reached a critical stage, according to the Group of Unions (SIPTU, CONNECT, UNITE) which represents workers in the semi-state company. At a meeting yesterday with the Chief Executive Officer of the company,...

SIPTU members employed by, the operator of speed camera vans on behalf of the State, will begin a 24-hour work stoppage at 6.00 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, 28th September) in a dispute related to working conditions at the company. SIPTU Organiser,...

The inaugural Early Years Professionals’ survey has found that 90% of educators are questioning their future in the childcare sector with low rates of pay the main issue. In a sector with an annual turnover of staff of 25%, childcare services are...

Members of the SIPTU Kerry District Council discussed Brexit and the challenges facing the health service at a seminar in the Bandon Hotel in Tralee, county Kerry on Wednesday, 25th September. The seminar was attended by shop stewards from private and...

This survey looks at the working lives and everyday struggles faced by Early Years educators; the results are deeply troubling. The survey reveals a profession living in poverty with low pay and a lack of basic entitlements. The survey was carried out during 2019 by...

SIPTU members employed as cleaners in Sligo Institute of Technology (IT) have voted unanimously to undertake a 48-hour work stoppage which will commence on Monday, 30th September at 8.00 a.m. in a dispute concerning a major reduction in their working hours....

SIPTU members employed by GoSafe Ireland, the operator of speed camera vans on behalf of the State, will conduct a 24-hour work stoppage beginning on 6.00 a.m. Saturday, 28thSeptember, in a dispute related to working conditions at the company....

SIPTU representatives have expressed their support for an employee loan scheme, initiated today (Thursday, 19thSeptember) by some of the beef processing companies to alleviate the financial hardship faced by workers during the ongoing Beef Crisis. SIPTU...

SIPTU members working as health service support staff have voted by 95.65% to 4.35% in favour of a Labour Court recommendation aimed at resolving a dispute over a HSE job evaluation scheme. The result of the vote was announced today (Wednesday, 18th September)...

SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 17th September) called on the Office of the Revenue Commissioners to intervene in an effort to lift workers of St Vincent’s Centre in Cork city out of employment limbo. SIPTU Industrial Organiser, Sharon...

SIPTU has called on the Government to provide additional income supports for the thousands of workers now laid-off due to the ongoing beef crisis. Up to 3000 SIPTU members and their families are directly affected by the ongoing crisis at the beef plants. SIPTU...

SIPTU has called on the Government to establish a taskforce to tackle the worsening crisis in the meat industry which now threatens up to 3,000 jobs. SIPTU Organiser, Denis Gormalley, said: “The crisis in the meat industry, which has...

SIPTU representatives, in conjunction with the International Transport Workers' Federation, held a meeting with Minister of State in the Department of Trade, Employment and Business, Pat Breen, this afternoon (Tuesday, 10th...

SIPTU representatives have said that hundreds of jobs are now at risk due to the worsening dispute in the beef industry and have criticised Meat Industry Ireland, the body which represents processors in the sector, for refusing to meet with them to discuss...

SIPTU representatives have called on professional artists to avail of an expansion in the categories of those eligible to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance while they focus on their artistic work and to develop their portfolio. SIPTU Services Division Organiser,...

SIPTU members employed by GoSafe Ireland, the company which operates speed camera vans on behalf of the State, have voted overwhelming for industrial action, including strike action, in a ballot counted today (Friday, 6thSeptember) in...

SIPTU representatives have today (Monday, 2nd September) called for the establishment of a Living Wage Fund for workers in the childcare sector as part of Budget 2020, in order to ensure an increase in the number of quality services for children. SIPTU...

SIPTU representatives have today written to Meat Industry Ireland, the body which represents processors in the industry, calling on it to ensure that union members do not suffer a financial loss because of ongoing protests at processing plants around the...

SIPTU Waterford District Council will release new data showing the extent and impact of the spread of precarious work practices in the county at a seminar in the Tower Hotel, Waterford City on Friday, 30th August. Speakers at the seminar will include Mayor...

SIPTU members at the Irish Pride Fine Foods plant in Taghmon, county Wexford, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action following a refusal by management to implement a Labour Court recommendation concerning trade union recognition. SIPTU...

The Association of Childhood Professionals (ACP), SIPTU, and PLÉ, the Irish Association of Academics in Early Childhood Education and Care in Higher Education, have formed a working group to explore the establishment of a professional...

The SIPTU Dublin District Council has said that calls for a charge to be placed on employees’ car parking spaces amount to an attempt to impose a new and unfair tax on workers in the city. SIPTU Dublin District Council Joint Secretary, Brendan Carr,...

SIPTU representatives have called for a major reassessment of the procurement and tendering policy for publicly funded building projects following the issues that have emerged in relation to 40 recently built schools. SIPTU Construction Sector Organiser, John...

SIPTU representatives will meet with the liquidators of Avara Shannon Pharmaceutical Services Ltd, under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) tomorrow (Friday, 16th August), at the plant in Shannon, county Clare. SIPTU...

SIPTU representatives have renewed their call for better protections for all workers in port and dock environments across the country following the death this morning (Thursday, 14th August) of a haulier in Dublin docks. SIPTU Ports, Docks and Harbour...

SIPTU representatives have called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, the Beef Plan Movement and Meat Industry Ireland to engage in meaningful negotiations aimed at finding a speedy resolution to a dispute which is...

SIPTU representatives will meet with the liquidators of Avara Shannon Pharmaceutical Services Ltd, Shannon, county Clare, today (Wednesday, 7th August) to discuss proposals to protect the 114 jobs at the plant. SIPTU Sector Organiser,...

SIPTU representatives have today (Wednesday,7th August) confirmed that the Labour Court has recommended increases in pay for over 7,000 SIPTU members working in support grades across the health service. The court issued two recommendations aimed at...

SIPTU has called on Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, to recognise the extent of the funding crisis for public service broadcasting by the speedier implementation of the new media charge which was announced...