News Archive

A survey of young people between the ages of 16 to 35 has found that 94% do not wish to leave Ireland to find work. The internet survey conducted by the Young Workers’ Network found that only 6% of respondents said their preferred option was to leave Ireland....

SIPTU members at Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant will begin strike action on Tuesday, 7th May, at 6.30 a.m., in response to their employer’s refusal to recognise the workers right to be collectively represented by their union. The...

An event celebrating the centenary of the 1913 Lockout and the history of trade unionism in the Galway area will take place in the SIPTU Offices on Forster Court, Galway City, on Thursday, 2nd May, at 7.00 p.m. Hosted by the SIPTU Galway...

SIPTU members in Bus Éireann are expected to ballot for industrial action following a management decision to impose unilateral changes to the pay and conditions of workers at the company. On Wednesday, 30th April, management at the semi-state...

Congress General Secretary David Begg said today (May 1) that the gains of Social Europe for working people were being dramatically eroded and undermined by synchronised austerity across the European Union. Begg said that across Europe on May Day - including in Dublin...

SIPTU has welcomed today’s publication of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) into the administration of the National Health and Local Authority Levy Fund (Fund). The report is consistent with the findings of an internal investigation...

SIPTU representatives will meet with the management of Balfour Beatty CLG on Wednesday, 1st May, to discuss a proposal by the construction company to implement up to 24 redundancies. This week the company announced that it intends to restructure its head...

The National Executive Council of SIPTU has welcomed the ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that the State is in breach of its obligations to ensure that the former employees of Waterford Crystal receive sufficient accrued occupational pension entitlements...

SIPTU has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, that he is to introduce a system of random audits of school and Department of Education funded third level building projects, to verify pay and conditions...

SIPTU has alerted the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) to its concerns relating to the proposed closure by the National Ambulance Service of a number of ambulance control centres across the country and the transfer of emergency calls to Townsend...

SIPTU representatives met with the management of Diamond Innovations today (Tuesday, 23rd April) to discuss the announcement yesterday that it proposes to cease operations at its plant in Clonshaugh Business Park, Dublin 17, in September 2013. SIPTU...

The Government must act immediately to vindicate women’s constitutional rights in line with the Supreme Court ruling in relation to the ‘X case’, according to SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley. Representatives of...

Workers at Killarney Golf Club have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action following a management refusal to engage constructively with the Labour Court in relation to proposed redundancies. SIPTU members voted this afternoon (Thursday, 18th April) to begin...

SIPTU members and supporters staged a rally against further cuts to youth work budgets outside Dáil Eireann on Friday, 19th April. The protest by youth workers and those affected by continuing cuts to services will co-incided with Minister for Children...

SIPTU members working in the public service have voted to reject the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposals for a Revised Agreement on Pay and Reform by a margin of 53.7% against and 46.3% in favour. Commenting on the result, SIPTU General President Jack...

SIPTU members employed at Killarney Golf Club, Co. Kerry, have said they will fight a management attempt to make 24 workers redundant despite an ongoing Labour Court process aimed at saving jobs at the business. On Wednesday (10th April) management served...

SIPTU representatives have begun negotiations with management at Diageo Ltd aimed at minimising jobs loses following an announcement today (Thursday, 11th April) that the company intends to cease operations at its brewery in Waterford. SIPTU Organiser,...

SIPTU members employed at Killarney Golf Club, Co. Kerry, have expressed anger at management attempts to ignore an independent assessor’s report and impose redundancies and cutbacks on staff. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Dennis Hynes, said:...

The Labour Relations Commission proposals for a new public service agreement provide enhanced job security and significant protection from outsourcing for workers in Irish hospitals, according to SIPTU’s National Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell....

SIPTU members at the Lisheen Mine, Co. Tipperary, have expressed their sympathy to the family of miner Mario Francis who was tragically killed by a rock fall yesterday Thursday (4th April) afternoon. SIPTU Organiser, John Regan, said:...

The latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its ninth review of Ireland, confirms the huge challenges that remain for the economy and the prospect of an exit this year from the bailout programme according to SIPTU economist,...

New figures from Eurostat which show that unemployment in the 15 to 24 age group in Ireland stands at just under 31%, must push this crisis to the top of the political agenda, according to SIPTU policy analyst Loraine Mulligan. The Irish rate has now...

Following hearings this morning (Tuesday, 2nd April), three Cork County Council workers suspended last month for carrying out urgent road maintenance in breach of council safety procedures are to return to work tomorrow. SIPTU Organiser, Con...

Dublin based youth workers and young people met with politicians in Leinster House on Wednesday (27th March) to discuss the impact further cuts will have on the vital work carried out by youth projects in the city. The meeting followed the announcement that the...

SIPTU members at Tara Mines, Co. Meath, have voted to accept proposals aimed at bringing to a conclusion the long running dispute at the company. Among the key clauses contained in the proposed agreement is a commitment by the owners of Tara Mines,...

SIPTU representatives have met with union members and management at the Lonza plant, Swords, County Dublin, to discuss alternatives to the closure of the plant. SIPTU Organiser, Michelle Quinn, said: “Workers at the plant are still...

SIPTU members will rally outside the Dáil on Thursday, 21st March, at 10.30 a.m. to protest against EU policies which promote the privatisation of water resources. The rally is part of a EU wide campaign by the European Federation of Public Service...

SIPTU is supporting a protest this morning (Tuesday, 19th March) by workers at Hassetts Pharmacy, 9-11 North Main Street, Wexford, Co. Wexford. This is the third protest this month at pharmacies which are part of the Uniphar Retail Services...

SIPTU members at BCD Travel in Tralee, county Kerry, have deferred strike action following the company’s decision to attend the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in an effort to resolve outstanding issues arising from a dispute over the non-payment...

1. The Labour Relations Commission’s proposals for a revised Agreement on pay in the Public Service to extend over the period 2013-2016, are the result of unprecedentedly difficult negotiations. They have emerged in the context of the on-going consequences...

SIPTU General President Jack O’Connor has described calls for intensifying the rate of evictions as reprehensible and barbaric. He went on to call on the Government “to come up with better solutions to the mortgage crisis than reverting to the tactics of...

SIPTU has called on the Irish Hotels Federation to accept workers have a right to decent conditions of employment which can only be protected by the reinstatement of the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the sector. SIPTU Organiser Denis Hynes said: “Claims by...

The Old Darnley Lodge workers are ending their sit-in at the hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath, on Friday, 8th March, at 11.30 a.m., following the payment of their redundancy entitlements. Old Darnley Lodge SIPTU Shop Steward, Eileen...

SIPTU members in Bus Éireann have voted by a margin of almost nine to one to reject proposals presented by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to change the terms and conditions of their employment. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Willie Noone, said:...

SIPTU members in MSD, Rathdrum, county Wicklow, were informed this morning (Thursday, 7th March) that the plant will close by the end of 2015 with the expected loss of 280 jobs. According to SIPTU Organiser, Frank Jones, workers...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has expressed his deep regret at the tragic death of the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez. “I want to express my deep regret at the death of Hugo Chavez whose passing is a tragedy for the...

SIPTU members employed by BCD Travel, which manages corporate travel arrangements for the Kerry Group, will ballot on strike action tomorrow (Wednesday, 6th March). The seven workers based in the Kerry Group head office in Tralee, Co....

SIPTU representatives supported a protest this morning (Tuesday, 5th March) by workers at Roches Pharmacy, Main Street, Gorey, Co. Wexford. Staff decided to protest outside the store from 11.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. to highlight their frustration...

SIPTU is launching a national campaign aimed at defending community jobs and services which are threatened by Government plans for the sector. SIPTU Sector Organiser Darragh O’Connor, said: “Up to 2000 workers in the community sector face an...

SIPTU is among over 100 civil society organisations, trade unions, politicians and academics supporting a rally at the Central Bank, Dublin, on Monday, 4th March, at 6.30 p.m., calling on the Government to legislate for the X...

SIPTU members are attending a protest outside the City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB) office, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4, tomorrow (Friday, 1st March) at 10.00 a.m. to demand the reversal of cuts imposed on youth projects in the city....

The School of History, University College Cork, in association with SIPTU, is pleased to announce that a two day conference on the 1913 Dublin lockout, and the role of labour during the ‘revolutionary decade’ of 1912-23, is...

The national officers of SIPTU will be taking a further pay reduction in line with the proposals which have emerged from discussions on the Croke Park (Public Service) Agreement. In a statement today (Tuesday 26th February), SIPTU General President, Jack...

Members are justifiably concerned about the on-going Croke Park Agreement process. Indeed, some are doubtful that we should be involved in the talks at all. There is a view that bellicose statements and refusal to participate would yield better results. The fact...

SIPTU school bus drivers employed by Bus Éireann in the Galway area will withdraw their labour on Friday, 1st March, unless an agreement is reached with management that ends attempts to undermine workers’ pay and conditions. SIPTU Transport...

SIPTU has called on the Government to deploy in Budget 2014 the full €1 billion savings secured in the recent promissory note deal and invest in a stimulus plan aimed at job creation and economic growth. Addressing a meeting of the union’s Wexford District...

A general meeting attended by over 130 SIPTU Fire Fighters took place on Monday, 18th February, in Liberty Hall, Dublin. The meeting provided members with an opportunity to receive a detailed briefing from SIPTU Vice-President Patricia King (the...

SIPTU school bus drivers employed by Bus Éireann in the Galway area will withdraw their labour on Friday, 22nd February, in response to a long running campaign by management to undermine the workers’ pay and conditions. SIPTU Transport Sector...

SIPTU school bus drivers employed by Bus Éireann in the Galway area will withdraw their labour on Friday, 22nd February, in response to a long running campaign by management to undermine the workers’ pay and conditions. SIPTU Transport Sector...

Congress General Secretary David Begg has condemned the ‘cheap attacks’ on working people which he said had become a hallmark of the current crisis, in Ireland and across the European Union. Begg said the failure to fashion a just resolution to the...

The Old Darnley Lodge workers are calling on concerned members of their local community to attend a meeting in the St. James Hall, Athboy, Co. Meath, on Thursday (21st February) at 7.00 p.m. to discuss the future of the hotel. The workers, who...

SIPTU General President Jack O’Connor has responded strongly to a statement reported to have been made tonight by Brendan McGinty, Director of HR and IR Services at IBEC. Mr. McGinty is reported to have called for the withholding of increments due to...

Workers in the Old Darnley Lodge voted unanimously last night (Thursday, 7th February) to continue their sit-in at the hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath, until all have received the statutory entitlements, including redundancy pay, holiday pay...

Workers in the Old Darnley Lodge voted unanimously last night (Thursday, 7th February) to continue their sit-in at the hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath, until all have received the statutory entitlements, including redundancy pay, holiday pay...

The Irish Congress of Trade confirmed today (Feb 7) that the countrywide protests arranged for six locations on Saturday, February 9 will go ahead as planned. Congress General Secretary David Begg said: “While the proposal put to the European Central Bank...

SIPTU retained fire fighters are commencing a ballot for industrial action aimed at resisting the introduction of Department of Environment, Community and Local Government plans to implement cuts to fire services that will endanger fire crews and local...

SIPTU fire fighters are set to commence a national ballot for industrial action if the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government attempts to implement changes to working practices that would endanger fire fighters and the communities they serve....

Workers at the Old Darnley Lodge, whose sit-in at the hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath, is now in its third week, are attending a creditors meeting of the business’s management company in the Cavan Crystal Hotel today (5th February). SIPTU...

The SIPTU Meath District Committee is urging Meath workers, their families and community organisations to turn out in large numbers in Dublin on Saturday, 9th February, to protest against being saddled with €64 billion of debt that belongs to...

SIPTU has called for the financial compensation of the survivors of the Magdalene Laundries and their families for the forced labour these women endured and from which religious orders and other businesses profited. SIPTU Equality and Campaigns Organiser, Ethel...

SIPTU has written to the Minister for Health, James Reilly, requesting a meeting to discuss alternative proposals for savings in the health sector and the ending of the graduate nursing scheme. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Kevin Figgis, said:...

SIPTU has called for greater action from the receivers appointed to the Old Darnley Lodge, Athboy, Co. Meath, to secure new owners for the business and payments due to workers who have been staging a sit-in at the hotel for three weeks. SIPTU...

SIPTU has called for action to be taken to deal with the issue of cyber-bullying in the university sector. SIPTU Education Sector Organiser, Louise O’Reilly, said: “We have written today (Thursday, 31st January) to the Union of Students...

“The Government must hang tough on the €3.1 billion promissory note and the wider bank debt,” SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, said at the James Larkin commemoration in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, this...

Adrian Kane, Sector Organiser for the Insurance and Finance Sector of SIPTU, has said that the killing of a Garda and the armed robbery at the Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Jenkinstown, County Louth on (Friday 25th January) was a...

SIPTU is backing a rally in support of the Old Darnley Lodge workers, outside the hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath, tomorrow (Saturday 26th January) at 1.00 p.m. The workers are on day ten of a sit-in at the hotel following its sudden closure on...

SIPTU has received confirmation from the Department of Health that it does not intend to extend the controversial Nurse Graduate Scheme to other health professional grades. The issue was raised at a meeting with Department of Health officials on Tuesday (22nd January)...

SIPTU and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) launched a short social justice film documenting the experiences of low wage migrant restaurant workers today (Monday, 21st January) in Liberty Hall, Dublin. Food for Thought is informed by research...

SIPTU President Jack O’Connor has paid tribute to leading trade unionist and human rights campaigner, Inez McCormack, who passed away today (21st January). “Inez McCormack’s work as a defender of working people and campaigner for peace...

Workers at the Old Darnley Lodge, who are on day five of a sit-in at the hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath, have launched a publicity campaign to highlight their call for a meeting with Mitrespor, the managers of the business, who have not been...

SIPTU has called on the Government to initiate an extensive investigation into all aspects of the meat industry including traceability from farm to plate, health and safety issues and employment practices. SIPTU Agriculture, Ingredients, Food and...

SIPTU has welcomed the decision by Dunnes Stores to concede to a 3% pay claim and said that similar increases will be sought for workers at other retail companies. SIPTU Organiser, Graham Macken, said: "Following the serving of a pay claim for 3% on...

SIPTU representatives will attend the Labour Relations Commission on Friday (18th January) to discuss how to maximise the retention of jobs at Johnson Brothers in Ballymount, Dublin. SIPTU Organiser, Karan O’Loughlin, said: “The...

SIPTU has called on the HSE to end its attempts to recruit 1,000 nurses and midwives on 80% of the staff nurse salary scale following the refusal of graduates to sign up to the scheme. SIPTU Organiser, Kevin Figgis, said: “The announcement...

SIPTU has called on the management of the Old Darnley Lodge, Athboy, Co. Meath, to meet with staff to discuss their concerns after the sudden closure of the hotel on Wednesday, 16th January. SIPTU Organiser, Martin Mannion, said:...

SIPTU has agreed to engage in intensive discussions with management at Tara Mines, Co. Meath, following an initial meeting on Wednesday (9th January) at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). At the LRC meeting union members were represented by SIPTU...

SIPTU representatives will attend talks on Friday, 11th January, on the dispute at Bus Eireann following an invitation to unions and management this morning by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). “We see this as a positive development and will...

SIPTU members at Bus Eireann have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action at the company. The strike action is expected to commence on Thursday 17th January following a ballot in which 91% voted in favour. Members voted for strike action rather than for what...

SIPTU has welcomed the decision of the Irish Government to criminalise forced labour and to provide greater protection for victims of modern day slavery. SIPTU Services Division Organiser, John King, said that the Government decision to insert a definition...

SIPTU has written to the Minster for Health, James Reilly, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, requesting that they halt attempts by the HSE to recruit 1,000 nurses and midwives on 80% of the staff nurse...

SIPTU will meet members in Johnson Brothers in Ballymount, Dublin, on Monday to discuss proposed redundancies at the distribution company. SIPTU Organiser, Graham Macken, said: “The announcement by the management of Johnson Brothers today...

SIPTU members at Aer Lingus, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) have welcomed a proposal by the Labour Court for a structured and speedy negotiation process to resolve the crisis in the defined pension scheme at the companies....

Commenting on yesterday’s better than expected exchequer returns for 2012, SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has called on the Government to seize the initiative and follow through with a major jobs stimulus programme and to bring...