News Archive

SIPTU has stated its support for measures being introduced by the Government to protect precarious workers from exploitation and ensure that the minimum wage is set at a fair level. The Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and...

Workers in the Bord na Móna Finance Shared Services Departments have voted by four to one for industrial action due to a company refusal to suspend a process of eliminating existing jobs and replacing them with ones on lesser pay terms and conditions of...

SIPTU Meath District Council will host a public meeting on the impact of the housing crisis on the commuter belt in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan, county Meath on Wednesday, 18th February at 7.00 p.m. The event will be addressed by housing expert and...

SIPTU members at the Bose plant in Carrickmacross, county Monaghan, have welcomed an agreement by management to extend its proposed closure by two months until June this year. At a meeting with company representatives from the US and Ireland today it was...

A presentation on the case for a Yes vote and the key issues involved in the Civil Marriage Equality Referendum will be made at the meeting of the SIPTU Galway District Council in the union’s Galway office on Wednesday, 11th February at 6.45 p.m. Those who...

SIPTU members working in the community sector are to commence a ballot on protective industrial action to counter the threat of major jobs losses in the sector and to hold a ‘day of action’ on Wednesday, 18th February. The day of action will include...

SIPTU full-time firefighters will resist any attempt to reduce crew numbers on fire appliances and have committed to supporting their colleagues in the retained fire service in their campaign of opposition to this change. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Brendan...

SIPTU has stated its support for Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ged Nash, in his criticism of the ‘boycott’ by employers in the hotel sector of the JLC process. SIPTU Services Division...

SIPTU has called on the management of Pallas Foods to meet with its workers’ representatives to discuss a threat to make 65 people redundant at the company’s distribution depot in Newcastlewest, county Limerick. SIPTU Organiser, Pat...

SIPTU supports an agreement between health unions and management, facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), to significantly increase nursing resources to the University of Limerick (UL) Hospital Group. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Tony Kenny...

SIPTU supports a decision of the Emergency Department Taskforce to ensure Home Helps have a minimum of 30 minutes with each client in which essential care can be provided. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said: “The SIPTU Home Helps...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor has said that in the coming months his union will embark on a major campaign for pay increases of 5% across the economy. In a speech at Glasnevin Cemetery today (Saturday 31st January) to mark the commemoration of the...

SIPTU members in the Retained Fire Services are to ballot for industrial/strike action following a directive issued in January by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government under its “Keeping Communities Safe” (KCS) initiative....

SIPTU has called on the Government to request that Bose senior management commit to an extension of the proposed closure date of the company’s plant in Carrickmacross, county Monaghan, so work can take place on a survival plan. SIPTU Organiser,...

SIPTU representatives will meet with senior management of the Bose Corporation on Thursday (28th January) to discuss the threatened closure of the audio systems manufacturer’s plant in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. SIPTU Organiser, Jim...

The Bord na Móna Group of Unions and management at the semi-state company will attend a conciliation meeting at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in Dublin on Thursday (29th January). The meeting will discuss a dispute at Bord na Móna concerning...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’ Connor has welcomed the decisive victory of Syriza in the Greek general election. He said: “We welcome the historic decision of the Greek people in today’s (Sunday, 25th January) general election. The...

SIPTU has called on the Government to block the sale of Aer Lingus to International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) unless guarantees are secured in relation to the strategic interests of the country and workers conditions of employment. SIPTU Utilities and...

SIPTU's National Executive Committee today called on members of the union to vote ‘Yes’ in the forthcoming Referendum on Marriage Equality Commenting on the decision, SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley,...

SIPTU has called on the Government to immediately end the effective veto over the progressing of Joint Labour Committees (JLCs) which employers groups are using to consign tens of thousands of workers to poverty. SIPTU Services Division Organiser, John...

SIPTU representatives will meet with management at the Bose manufacturing plant in Carrickmacross, county Monaghan, on Monday (26th January) to discuss the threatened closure of the facility. SIPTU Organiser, Jim McVeigh, said: “The...

SIPTU has congratulated the union’s current Vice President, Patricia King, following the announcement that she has been appointed as the new General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Speaking on behalf of the union, SIPTU General...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has called on the Central Bank not to proceed with plans requiring homebuyers to have a 20% deposit in place before being approved for a home loan. According to reports, the Central Bank is due to decide...

The SIPTU Community Sector has stated that the decision by South Dublin County Council (SDCC) to maintain Community Employment and Job Initiative Scheme payments on a weekly basis is in the best interests of participants. SIPTU Organiser, Karen Smollen,...

Unions have welcomed a call from the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) to enter into talks aimed at resolving a dispute arising from the Board’s attempt to increase its fee by 50%. Unions have...

SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, told over 100 health workers protesting outside Leinster House this afternoon (Wednesday, 14th January) that an immediate increase in Home Help services is critical to solving the overcrowding crisis in our...

SIPTU has called on the HSE to immediately release a capacity review of the National Ambulance Service that was commissioned last year following concerns raised by workers that the service is inadequately resourced. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul...

Members of the Bord na Móna Group of Unions have called on the company to implement a proposed pay rise of 3.5% and end its attacks on their terms and conditions of employment at general meetings of workers in Tullamore, county Offaly, on the...

SIPTU has called on the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, to immediately increase funding to HSE Home Care services in order to tackle the issue of delayed discharge and overcrowding of patients across the public hospital network. SIPTU Health Division...

An emergency meeting of the SIPTU academic section at NUI Galway will take place today (Thursday, 8th January) at 1.00 p.m. to debate a motion proposing an external equality audit by independent experts of all aspects of the university. The motion calls for the...

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the SIPTU academic section at NUI Galway voted unanimously today (Thursday, 8th January) for an urgent external equality audit, of all aspects of the university, by an independent expert or experts. The resolution...

SIPTU has called on the Government to stop cuts to the funding of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and oppose EU deregulation plans for safety regulation in the wake of new figures showing a 17% rise in work related deaths during 2014. Figures released by the HSA...

SIPTU has called on all health workers to attend an emergency demonstration outside Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin, on Wednesday, 14th January at 12.00 p.m. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said: “In...

SIPTU has called on the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to immediately inspect hospitals around the country where patient and staff safety is threatened by severe overcrowding. SIPTU Health Divisional Organiser, Paul Bell, said:...

SIPTU has called on the Government to take action to end upward only rent reviews which are negatively impacting on workers' wages and employment in the hospitality and catering sector. SIPTU Services Division Organiser, John King, said: “The...

At 1.00 p.m. on Thursday 18th December, the Young Worker’s Network and the SIPTU Dublin District Council will hold a commemoration to mark the 101st anniversary of the day striker ,Alicia Brady, was struck by a bullet during the 1913 Lockout....

At 1.00 p.m. on Thursday 18th December, the Young Worker’s Network and the SIPTU Dublin District Council will hold a commemoration to mark the 101st anniversary of the day striker, Alicia Brady, was struck by a bullet during the 1913 Lockout....

SIPTU Vice-President, Patricia King, has said that cabinet approval today for proposed new legislation on collective bargaining can help to improve the terms and conditions of employment for very many Irish workers. She was responding to confirmation from...

SIPTU members in the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) have voted by an overwhelming majority against management proposals to resolve the pensions dispute in the company. The dispute arose due to the large deficit in the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS). SIPTU...

SIPTU members on the academic staff of NUI Galway will vote on 8th January on a proposal to call for an external body to carry out a comprehensive equality audit throughout the university to reassure workers that gender equality is practised within the institution. In...

SIPTU has called on the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to respect a Labour Court recommendation, published on Thursday, 4th December, which states that policy makers should enter into talks with unions on the future...

The Bord Na Móna Group of Unions has requested an urgent meeting with management to discuss a reported plan to sell its subsidiary waste collection company, AES, which was disclosed in a newspaper report on Sunday (7th December). SIPTU Organiser and...

The SIPTU NEC statement of 21st November 2014 concluded: “Therefore, in the absence of a declaration by the Government of its intention to provide every household with an adequate supply of water to meet all its domestic needs, at no direct...

SIPTU members have expressed disappointment and concern at the findings of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) review of the gender divide in senior academic posts across publicly funded higher education institutions. The HEA review has confirmed that while the...

SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) are studying the recommendations contained in the HIQA “Review of pre-hospital emergency care services” which they have described as “challenging but...

Irish Equity has called on members to display caution before committing to projects due to the unscrupulous activities of some production companies which include false claims about the other actors involved and the underpayment or non-payment of fees. The call follows...

SIPTU has demanded that workers employed under the HSE support staff intern scheme be made permanent with immediate effect instead of continuing the creeping privatisation of the health service. SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said: “The...

The Government’s initiative of 19th November 2014, while offering clarity and certainty on water charges, will not provide a comprehensive long-term solution for the challenges confronting the development of the public water system. Its most...

SIPTU members in the Kerry Women’s Refuge and Support Services, based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, commenced industrial action on Tuesday, 18th November, in a dispute concerning a unilateral change to workers' shift patterns. The...

SIPTU members in Bausch & Lomb have welcomed the announcement by its owners, Valeant, to invest €41 million in its Waterford facility over the next 18 months. According to SIPTU Assistant Organiser, Allen Dillon, the investment will...

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Adrian Kane, has said that SIPTU members in Irish Water will not accept any unilateral changes to their terms and conditions of employment. SIPTU, which represents about 100 of the 400 directly employed workers in Irish...

SIPTU has said the outcome of a study announced today (Monday, 17th November) by Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash, into the prevalence of zero-hour and low-hour contracts must be used by the Government to end these exploitative...

SIPTU has called for the Government to implement a policy of replacing agency workers with directly recruited staff following the release of figures indicating that the Department of Health and HSE paid out €238 million to private recruitment companies during...

SIPTU has called on the management of the Kerry Women’s Refuge and Support Services, based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, to refrain from using strikebreakers to undermine industrial action at the facility which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday,...

Following talks at the Labour Relation Commission (LRC) today (Friday 14th November) on proposals to privatise bus services, SIPTU has sought an urgent meeting with the Minister for Transport, Paschal Donohoe. SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Owen Reidy...

SIPTU has called for workers in the beef industry to be compensated for the loss of earnings they have suffered as a result of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) blockade on beef processing plants. SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Dunne, said: “Many...

The biennial delegate conference of the SIPTU Manufacturing Division will take place on Friday, 7th November, in Liberty Hall, Dublin. The Manufacturing Division represents over 40,000 workers in the private sector across all industry sectors...

More than 350 human rights groups, trade unions and political parties from across Europe - including 16 from Ireland - have called for the EU to hold Israel accountable for its massacre of Gaza earlier this year by suspending the EU-Israel Association...

SIPTU members in the Kerry Women’s Refuge and Support Services, based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, will begin industrial action on Tuesday, 18th November, in a dispute concerning a unilateral change to workers' shift patterns. The...

SIPTU has called on the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to abandon a proposal to cut Dublin’s main anti-poverty programme by more than €740,000 in 2015. The cut is proposed for the Social Inclusion and Community...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has called on the Government to promote a referendum to amend the constitution to prohibit the privatisation of public water supply. Jack O’Connor said: “SIPTU supports the call for a constitutional...

SIPTU and other health sector unions have asked Department of Health officials to examine whether an attempt by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) to increase members’ retention fees from €100 to €150 next year breaches the Haddington Road...

SIPTU has repeated its call on the Government to defer the water charge payment due in Spring of 2015. SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, said that each family must be guaranteed a free and adequate supply of treated water to meet its normal domestic...

SIPTU members in the pubic service have welcomed the Government’s decision to delete a section of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2009 which gave public service employers the ability to cut workers’ core pay and adjust...

SIPTU has welcomed the Government’s decision to delete a section of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2009 which gave public service employers the ability to cut workers’ core pay and adjust working hours without...

A benefit concert by Christy Moore for the children of Gaza has raised €27,871.41 ($34,338.60). The concert held at Vicar Street in Dublin on Sunday 12th October featured musicians Declan Sinnott, Vickie Keating, Jimmy Higgins, Mick...

SIPTU has called on the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, to commit to full pay restoration for lower and middle income health workers who have borne the brunt of cuts in order to maintain services to the public. SIPTU Health Division Organiser,...

SIPTU has called an emergency meeting of the staff of language schools in response to growing uncertainty in the sector. The meeting, which is open to SIPTU members and non-members, will be held in Liberty Hall, Dublin, on Saturday, 1st...

SIPTU members at the All-Tex Recyclers plant in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, have welcomed the announcement by management that the plant will reopen on Monday (27th October) following its closure on Thursday (23rd October). The plant closed suddenly on Thursday...

SIPTU members at the All-Tex Recyclers plant in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, have expressed shock at a management decision to sent its 140 staff home on Thursday (23rd October) with no notice. SIPTU Organiser, Niall McNally, said: “Our members...

At its monthly meeting today (Friday 24th October), the National Executive Council of SIPTU agreed the following statement on the issue of water charges. 1.      The Government must take a step back and rethink its approach on the way it...

SIPTU has called on the Government to ensure that new high quality jobs are created in Lisheen, Co. Tipperary, following the agreed wind down of operations at the local mine. SIPTU Organiser, John Regan, said: “Our union has been fully...

The Government needs to take a step back on the water controversy and find a way of providing the new investment required to deliver a proper supply of treated water in a way that meets with widespread acceptance, if not approval, while retaining it in...

I want to compliment the Peace and Neutrality Alliance for its initiative in launching two publications and arranging this meeting to mark the centenary of the founding of the Irish Neutrality League in October 1914 by James Connolly, Tom Clarke, Eamon...

Soon after hostilities broke out in Europe in August 1914, the Irish Neutrality League brought together a broad alliance of those opposed to the First World War including: James Connolly of the IT&GWU, Arthur Griffith of Sinn Féin,...

The Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) brought its global ‘No World Cup in Qatar without Migrant Workers Rights’ campaign to Ireland during the union federation’s European Regional Conference held in Dublin this week. Delegates at the...

SIPTU has called for the Government to begin a process of pay recovery for its members in the Health Sector and the ending of the restrictive FEMPI legislation. Responding to an address by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, to the...

The Young Workers Network has today (Wednesday, 15th October) criticised Budget 2015 for failing to reverse cuts to Jobseekers Allowance for young people which had been imposed in the previous budget. Young Workers’ Network activist, Dan...

SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor has said that Budget 2015 contains a number of positive measures but represents a missed opportunity to tackle the water charges controversy comprehensively. Jack O’Connor said: “There are a number of positive...

SIPTU has called on the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) to attend a conciliation conference hosted by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to discuss a dispute at the animal welfare charity resulting from a unilateral change to workers...

Support Staff in six of Dublin’s major teaching Hospitals have voted by a substantial majority in favour of protective strike action in a dispute over rosters and pay. “Following the unilateral decision by the hospital managements to change working...

SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King, will outline the reasons why a new Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the hospitality industry is urgently required when she gives a press briefing in Liberty Hall 1.00 p.m. on Thursday, 9th October. She will also...

SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, has endorsed the ‘Education IS’ initiative by the Union of Students in Ireland. The ‘Education IS’ campaign, which held a march and rally at Leinster House at 12.45 p.m. today is calling...

SIPTU members in the Kerry Women’s Refuge and Support Services, based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, have voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute concerning a unilateral change to workers' shift patterns. The decision to ballot support...

SIPTU members in Irish Rail have voted by 71% to 29% to accept Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposals in relation to cost containment at the transport company in a ballot counted today (Friday, 3rd October) in Liberty Hall, Dublin. The proposals...

The announcement today that the Beckman Coulter plant in Mervue in Galway is to close with the loss of 140 jobs has come as a shock to many of the company’s employees, according to SIPTU Organiser, Frank Jones. “Our members are shocked at this...

SIPTU welcomes the launch of the Trade Unions Support Poles Abroad initiative in Ireland which will take place in the Conference Centre of the Communications Workers’ Union, Dublin 1, tomorrow (Friday, 26th September) between 10.00 a.m. and...

The SIPTU Dublin District Council has launched ‘A Vision for Dublin 2020 – Improving Our City’, a document which sets out five priority areas on which union members will campaign over the coming years to improve the city. Launching the document...

SIPTU members employed by Greyhound Recycling and Recovery voted by a substantial majority in favour of an agreement to end a 14-week long lockout at the company, at a meeting in Liberty Hall, Dublin, this afternoon (Monday, 22nd September)....

The group of unions representing residential care staff have described a Labour Court recommendation, dealing with sleepover duty as a major breakthrough. The recommendation, issued today (18th Thursday), calls for the recognition of sleepover duty...

The Young Workers' Network (YWN) greeted TDs and Senators returning to Leinster House after their summer break with a protest to highlight the impact on young people of the housing crisis and rising costs, on Wednesday, 17th September, at 1.00...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has called for the introduction of a “Water Tax Credit” in the October budget and has said that under no circumstance should tax reductions be funded by cuts to public expenditure. Writing in the...

SIPTU nurses will protest outside University Hospital Galway to highlight their concerns over the number of patients on trolleys in the Accident and Emergency Department, tomorrow (Wednesday, 17th September) from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. SIPTU...

Domestic workers employed by foreign diplomatic staff will enjoy increased protection following the publication of new guidelines by the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday, 12th September. As a guiding principle, diplomatic staff of embassies or...

Oration by SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, to the memory of Limerick’s International Brigade Volunteers Merchant’s Quay, Limerick City and County Hall, Sunday 14th September We are here today to commemorate Frank...

SIPTU members at Greyhound Recovery and Recycling have rejected proposals in the long running dispute at the company which emerged from the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) last week. By a significant majority the workers who have been locked out of the company...

SIPTU members at Irish Rail are to ballot on proposals which emerged from discussions with company management which concluded early today at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). SIPTU Organiser, Paul Cullen, said that a meeting of the Rail Committee of...

SIPTU members locked out of their jobs at Greyhound Recycling and Recovery have voted today (Tuesday, 2nd September) to accept a Labour Relations Commission (LRC) offer to engage in talks with representatives of the waste disposal company. A substantial majority...

SIPTU members in the Arts and Culture Sector have expressed their sympathy to the family and friends of RTE musician, John Lynch, who tragically died while on holiday in Crete on Friday (29th August). SIPTU Organiser, Graham Macken, said:...

Locked out Greyhound workers and their families will march to City Hall, Dublin 1, on Monday, 1st September, to demand that the City Council use all its powers to bring to an end the 11-week-old dispute at the waste disposal company. The march...