News Archive

A Workers Rights Welcome Centre, which is open to all workers who wish to ‘drop in’ for information and advice on workplace issues, will open in Connolly Hall, Lapps Quay, Cork, on Friday, 24th February, at 12.00...

SIPTU members working in Bus Éireann are set to take strike action after the failure of management to present a competent and credible plan to union representatives at talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today (Tuesday, 21st February). SIPTU...

SIPTU representatives will today (Tuesday, 21st February) enter a third day of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) aimed at resolving the dispute at Bus Éireann and averting an all-out strike action by workers at the public transport...

SIPTU representatives attending talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), today (Monday, 20th February), concerning threatened cuts at Bus Éireann have said that a document presented by management to unions only serves to create more...

SIPTU members working in Trinity College Dublin are to ballot for industrial and strike action in a dispute concerning the failure of management to offer permanent contracts to staff. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Karl Byrne, said: “Our workplace...

SIPTU representatives attending talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), today (Monday, 20th February), have raised concerns that the company is intent on collapsing the process following the release of a document to staff prior to its full...

SIPTU members in Cork County Council have voted by three to one in favour of strike action in a dispute resulting from the refusal of management to engage with the workforce planning process and recruit more staff to adequately delivery statutory services. In the...

The strike action by SIPTU members at Tim Hastings Volkswagen in Westport, County Mayo, entered its second week today (Friday, 17th February) with the workers preparing for a major escalation of their campaign. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Teresa...

SIPTU representatives attending a meeting of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today (Friday, 17th February) to discuss the Bus Éireann dispute took the opportunity to inform management that the union will not facilitate its savage attack on public...

SIPTU Firefighters have overwhelmingly voted in favour of taking industrial and strike action in a dispute resulting from an attempt by senior management in Dublin City Council to break up the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) Emergency Medical Service by outsourcing its...

SIPTU representatives have expressed support for the intervention of the Public Service Agreements National Oversight Body in a dispute concerning access to a job evaluation scheme for support staff in the health service. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul...

SIPTU members have suspended scheduled strike action at the Kerry Group plants in Charleville, County Cork, following an agreement by management to attend a Labour Court hearing concerning the dispute at the company. SIPTU Organiser, Terry...

SIPTU Community Sector representatives have called for the government not to target community based job activation schemes, which play a crucial role in promoting social inclusion for vulnerable groups, for further cuts in funding. SIPTU Community Sector...

SIPTU has stated its support for the National Project for the Elders which will be launched in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin 6, on Wednesday, 22nd February, between 10.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. The event, which is hosted by Senator...

SIPTU representatives have called on the Kerry Group to accept an invitation to attend a hearing of the Labour Court concerning the ongoing dispute at the company’s plants in Charleville, County Cork. SIPTU Organiser, Terry Bryan, said:...

SIPTU representatives have expressed disappointment that talks held yesterday (Monday, 13th February) between union representatives and management in Dublin City Council concerning the Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance dispute concluded without agreement. SIPTU...

SIPTU representatives have accepted an invitation to attend exploratory talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to discuss the dispute at Bus Éireann which has led to scheduled strike action, which is due to commence on Monday, 20th...

This morning, Tuesday, 14th February, our colleagues in Mandate trade union commenced an official industrial dispute with Tesco Ireland and have placed pickets on eight stores across the Republic of Ireland. A further eight stores will join the...

Early Years educators involved in the SIPTU ‘Big Start’ campaign will be delivering hundreds of Valentine’s Cards to TDs and Senators in Leinster House, Dublin 2, tomorrow (14th February) at 12.30 p.m. The cards are from Early Years...

SIPTU members employed as health service support staff have voted by 94% to 6% in favour of taking strike action in selected hospitals in a dispute concerning breaches of the national public service agreements and their exclusion from concessions provided to other...

SIPTU representatives have accepted a request to meet with senior management in Dublin City Council this afternoon (Monday, 13th February) to discuss a dispute which has resulted in the commencement of a ballot for strike action by members in the Dublin Fire...

SIPTU representatives at Dublin Bus are to commence an immediate ballot for industrial action over the breach by the company of the terms of settlement agreed by all parties at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in September 2016. The settlement terms included a...

SIPTU members in Dublin Bus and Irish Rail have pledged to display solidarity with their colleagues in Bus Éireann, who face massive reductions in their conditions of employment if management carries out threatened unilateral cuts on 20th February. SIPTU...

Union members have expressed disappointment at the decision by management at Bord Na Mona (BNM) to purchase White Moss Horticulture (WHM), a UK compost manufacturing company. Following a meeting of the BNM Group of Unions, representatives of SIPTU,...

SIPTU members at the Kerry Group plants in Charleville, County Cork, have scheduled four 24-hour work stoppages over the next two weeks (Tuesday 14th, Friday 17th, Tuesday 21st and Friday 24th February) in a dispute which results from the...

Taoiseach Enda Kenny will receive over 100 Valentine’s Cards on Tuesday, 14th February, from Early Years professionals in County Mayo who are involved in the ‘Big Start’ campaign which is calling for major reform in the struggling sector....

SIPTU members have called upon the management of Kerry Group plants in Charleville, County Cork, to desist from using strike breakers or face the further escalation of a dispute which results from the company’s refusal to attend the Workplace...

SIPTU Ambulance representatives have today (Thursday, 9th February) demanded that the Government prioritise the recommendations contained in a submission made by a HSE subcommittee which state that a €277 million investment over ten years is needed to...

SIPTU has stated that it will engage in talks with the management of Bus Éireann once the company removes its threat to unilaterally implement changes to workers’ terms and conditions of employment on Monday, 20th February. SIPTU received a letter...

SIPTU Nursing representatives have today (Wednesday, 8th February) said they are cautiously hopeful concerning the outcome of talks with senior management at the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health aimed at resolving a dispute concerning...

SIPTU has stated that it will engage in talks with the management of Bus Éireann once the company removes its threat to unilaterally implement changes to workers’ terms and conditions of employment on Monday, 20th February. SIPTU received a letter...

A SIPTU delegation addressed the Low Pay Commission today (Wednesday, 8th February) to outline the reasons why their union is calling for a halt on any increase in the amount employers can deduct from workers’ pay for the cost of board and lodgings. The...

SIPTU members in Cork County Council will commence ballots for industrial action and strike action on Monday (13th February) in a dispute related to the refusal of management to engage with the workforce planning process and recruit more staff to adequately delivery...

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Tuesday, 7th February) confirmed that members are more than likely to ballot for strike action in a dispute over nursing and midwifery recruitment and retention. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell said:...

SIPTU members in Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) will within two weeks complete a ballot for strike action which results from the refusal of the senior management of Dublin City Council to resource an additional four ambulances to meet service demands in the city. SIPTU...

SIPTU nursing representatives have tonight (Monday, 6th February) said that talks with senior management at the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health, aimed at addressing a dispute concerning the recruitment of nurses and...

SIPTU members are conducting a third day of strike action at Tim Hastings Volkswagen in Westport, County Mayo, in a dispute concerning the failure of management at the car dealership and garage to pay redundancy to workers or implement a Labour Court...

SIPTU representatives today (Monday, 6th February) attended a meeting at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) concerning a pay claim on behalf of members in Irish Rail which has now been referred on to a full hearing of the Labour Court. SIPTU...

SIPTU supports the maintenance of key infrastructural assets within state ownership and opposes the call by Aer Lingus to consider selling publicly owned airport terminals to private interests. SIPTU Transport, Energy, Aviation and Construction Division...

SIPTU representatives have called on the Taoiseach and Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, to accept that that the union should not be expected to enter talks with the management of Bus Eireann until it has removed its all its pre-conditions concerning...

SIPTU representatives have called on the Taoiseach and Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, to accept that that the union should not be expected to enter talks with the management of Bus Eireann until it has removed its all its pre-conditions concerning...

SIPTU has called for the inclusion of measures to ensure residents of the North East Inner City of Dublin have access to secure, quality employment to be included in proposals for the rejuvenation of the area that will shortly be presented by a taskforce to the...

SIPTU members at Tim Hastings Garage in Westport, County Mayo, will commence strike action on Friday (3rd February) in a dispute concerning the failure of management to implement a Labour Court recommendation in relation to redundancies imposed by the...

SIPTU members at Tim Hastings Garage in Westport, County Mayo, will commence strike action on Friday (3rd February) in a dispute concerning the failure of management to implement a Labour Court recommendation in relation to redundancies imposed by the...

The SIPTU Migrant Workers Support Network held a successful two-day residential training course in Galway last weekend (Friday, 27th January and Saturday, 28th January) which brought together migrant worker activists from ten different nationalities who...

SIPTU members at the Kerry Group plants in Charleville, County Cork, have scheduled two 24-hour work stoppages next week (Monday, 6th February and Thursday, 9th February) in a dispute resulting from a management refusal to attend the Workplace...

SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, has said that the policies of austerity imposed by centre right leaders across the EU have devastated the lives of millions of working people and driven them into the arms of xenophobic nationalist parties. Speaking at...

SIPTU members in Edenderry Power Ltd, Edenderry, County Offaly, have overwhelmingly rejected a Labour Court recommendation in relation to an outstanding pay claim, in a ballot counted last night (Wednesday, 25th January), and stated...

SIPTU representatives have stated that Bus Éireann management have directly threatened the future of school bus services operated by the company, following the presentation of a pay claim by the union at the Workplace Relations Commission, today...

SIPTU representatives today (Tuesday, 24th January) attended meetings of the Oireachtas Transport Committee and Labour Court to discuss the situation at Bus Éireann following threats by management to implement massive cut backs at the public transport...

SIPTU members at the Kerry Group plants in Charleville, County Cork, have overwhelmingly voted to implement a one-day work stoppage on Monday, 30th January, in response to a management refusal to attend a conciliation meeting at the Workplace...

SIPTU Nursing representatives held a meeting with senior management at the Health Service Executive (HSE), Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, today (Monday, 23rd January), to discuss the recruitment and pay of...

SIPTU Health representatives will begin a ballot of support staff for strike action in selected hospitals on Monday, 23rd January, in a dispute concerning breaches of the national public service agreements and their exclusion from concessions provided to...

SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, has expressed his deep regret at the announcement by Sinn Fein leader, and former Northern Ireland deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, of his retirement from public office. “Working people...

SIPTU members have rejected a plan presented by the management of Bus Éireann to workers this evening (Wednesday, 18th January) and condemned it as a blueprint for the destruction of the company as a viable organisation. SIPTU Sector Organiser,...

The SIPTU Education Sector hosted a seminar on the future funding and precarious employment in the third level education sector in Liberty Hall Theatre, Dublin 1, on Wednesday, 18th January. The seminar entitled ‘Towards a World Class Funded...

A process of engagement has taken place between the Government in its capacity as the Public Service employer and the Public Service Committee of ICTU under the framework provided by Section 6 of the Lansdowne Road Agreement to address an anomaly issue arising in the...

SIPTU has condemned the threat to the continuation of the over-65 travel pass scheme due to the refusal of the Department of Social Protection to provide extra funding for transport providers to cover the costs of the public service. SIPTU Retired Members National...

SIPTU members in Bus Éireann will not allow terms and conditions of workers in the Expressway arm of the company to be eroded in order to make up for a financial shortfall created by underfunding by the State in the essential intercity transport service. SIPTU...

SIPTU members in Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) have served notice of a ballot for strike action following a refusal by the senior management of Dublin City Council to resource an additional four ambulances to meet service demands in the city. SIPTU Sector Organiser,...

SIPTU has stated that all workers employed by Pfizer in its pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Ringaskiddy, County Cork, should be treated in an equal manner in relation to their pension entitlements unless there is an agreement on any change. SIPTU...

SIPTU has congratulated its members working in Tara Mines, County Meath, for their success in securing over €40 million in new investment in the mine, which will significantly extend its operation and safeguard the future of thousands of jobs....

SIPTU has called for immediate action by elected representatives to support the public bus network and its staff following media reports today (Wednesday, 11th January) that management has drawn up a plan for massive cutbacks in Bus Éireann. SIPTU Sector...

SIPTU members working as support staff in at least 40 hospitals across the country will begin a ballot for strike action on Monday, 23rd January, in a dispute resulting from breaches of the national public service agreements and their exclusion from...

SIPTU members have expressed support for a motion which will go before Dublin City Council this evening (Monday, 9th January) calling for additional ambulances to be made available to be utlised by the Dublin Fire Brigade. SIPTU Public Administration and...

SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) have expressed concern over the impact on services and patient safety resulting from the delays they are experiencing in signing patients into emergency departments in hospitals across the country. SIPTU Health...

SIPTU members working as support staff in the health service will today (Wednesday, 28th December) begin preparations for a ballot for strike action in a dispute that results from several breaches by the Department of Health and HSE of the terms of the national...

SIPTU has welcomed the An Bord Pleanála decision to grant planning permission to Bord na Móna to maintain the operation of its facility in Edenderry, Co Offaly, and stated that the move should also result in further investment in two other...

SIPTU has stated its support for the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 which seeks to address the remaining legislative barriers to the ratification by Ireland of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The UN CRPD...

The SIPTU Meath District Council has thanked its activists and supporters for ensuring the series of events it held to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising were a success. SIPTU Meath District Council secretary, John Regan, said: “Our year of...

SIPTU members in the Bausch and Lomb plant in Waterford, County Waterford, have voted by a substantial majority to accept Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) proposals aimed at resolving a dispute concerning workers’ pay and conditions of...

Cleaners employed by Allpro Ltd are staging a protest today, (Friday 16th December) at the Solas Training Centre in Raheen Business Park, Limerick over the non-payment of their wages. Allpro Ltd took over this State contract on 29th November last and...

A commemoration of the 103rd anniversary of the fatal wounding of Alicia Brady, who was injured by gunfire during the 1913 Lockout, will take place in the Connolly Hall, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, on Friday, 16th December, at...

SIPTU has called on the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Simon Coveney, to reconsider his plan to deal with the rental crisis which was released yesterday Tuesday, 13th December) due to its failure to adequately address...

The Musicians Union of Ireland (MUI) has voiced its support for a Bill which will be debated in the Dáil this evening (Wednesday, 14th December) which seeks to set a minimum quota for the amount of music produced by Irish artists to be played on radio...

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, has written the introduction to a new charity calendar which celebrates the story of the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) and its commemoration during the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The calendar, which will...

SIPTU members in the Bausch and Lomb plant in Waterford, County Waterford, have issued notice of industrial action to commence on Wednesday, 21st December, in a dispute resulting from the failure of management to fully restore workers’...

SIPTU is hosting a public meeting on the Secure Rent Campaign to debate the worsening crisis in the rental sector in the Connolly Hall, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, at 7.00 p.m. on Monday, 5th December. At the meeting those personally affected by...

SIPTU members employed by Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) Student Services CLG will implement a work stoppage and place pickets on entrances to the institute on Wednesday, 7th December, from 7.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. The industrial action results from a...

SIPTU Vice-President, Gene Mealy, has acknowledged the invitation to the Public Service Committee of the ICTU by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, to engage in early negotiations under Section 6 of the Lansdowne...

The RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) has reported some progress in negotiations with management regarding the proposed closure of the Young Peoples Department, following a full day of talks which concluded this evening (Friday, 25th November). SIPTU...

The RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) has reported some progress in negotiations with management regarding the proposed closure of the Young Peoples Department, following a full day of talks which concluded this evening (Friday, 25th November). SIPTU...

Delegates at the SIPTU Services Division Biennial Delegate Conference were told today (Thursday, 24th November) that the union will not rest until the former staff of Clerys Department Store in Dublin secure justice for the sudden loss of their jobs last year....

The RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) has called on the public broadcaster to withdraw its unilateral decision to close the Young Peoples Department. The TUG reject the proposition that this is a legitimate or necessary strategy and described it as an attack on the...

Delegates from the SIPTU Services Division will assemble in Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, for their biennial conference, which has the theme ‘Fighting for the Future of Work’, at 11.00 a.m. on Thursday, 24th November. The conference...

The National Executive Council (NEC) of SIPTU has authorised ballots by union members for industrial action and strike action on public service pay. In a statement issued by the NEC following its monthly meeting in Liberty Hall, Dublin today, the NEC...

SIPTU has called on the Government to honour its commitment to engage with unions representing community workers or face the prospect of industrial action across the sector in the coming weeks. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Eddie Mullins, said: “The many...

SIPTU members at the union’s Public Administration and Community Division biennial conference voted to launch a campaign demanding the regulation of outsourcing in the Public Sector due to the negative impact is has on the delivery of services to the public. At...

SIPTU will open its new Workers Rights Centre (WRC), which is open to all workers who wish to ‘drop in’ for information and advice on workplace issues, on the Dan Shaw Road in Navan, County Meath on Tuesday, 15th November, at...

SIPTU has hailed the passing by Seanad Éireann today (Thursday 10th November) of a Bill which reinstates the right to collectively bargain for voice-over actors, session musicians and freelance journalists as the next step towards victory in a long...

SIPTU members have commended the cross party support shown for a Dáil motion calling for a referendum on a constitutional amendment to ensure that the ownership and management of water services remains in public ownership, which passed into the committee...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has said that the union will authorise ballots for industrial action among its 60,000 members in the public service unless the Government sets an early date for the opening of talks on pay and related...

SIPTU members are demanding immediate action to end the growing practice of workers, employed across all grades, in third level institutions being forced to accept precarious working conditions. SIPTU Education Sector Committee chairperson, Jack...

The ‘Big Start’ Early Years campaign launched its submission on the Government’s planned Single Affordable Childcare Programme in the Mansion House, Dublin 2, today (Wednesday, 9th November). The submission highlights the need for...

Delegates from the Public Administration and Community Division of SIPTU will assemble in Liberty Hall, Dublin for their biennial conference on Thursday, 10th and Friday, 11th November. The conference will be attended by over 180 delegates and...

Speaking on behalf of his union’s National Executive Council, SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has voiced strong and unequivocal support for a Bill which is being promoted by Deputy Joan Collins TD envisaging a referendum to change...

The ‘Big Start’ campaign is arguing for high quality early years services delivered by qualified professionals. This will be set out in the ‘Big Start’ Affordable Childcare submission that will be published this week. The document endorsed by...

SIPTU vice-president, Gene Mealy, has said that the union will examine the Labour Court recommendation in relation to the pay for members of the Garda Siochána. However, he said the union will withhold any detailed response until members of...

SIPTU members in the contract cleaning industry have welcomed a new pay agreement of more than 10% over three years. The pay deal follows agreement on a newly amended Employment Regulation Order (ERO)) for the sector which was negotiated over recent months between...

SIPTU representatives at Bord Na Mona have said they had a positive and constructive meeting with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, who confirmed his support for the future of employment at the company...