News Archive

Construction unions staged protests on Wednesday, 13th August, in an escalation of their campaign in support of Decent Work in the construction industry and against abuses by contractors engaged on public contracts. The protests were organised by the...

The Labour Party is committed to establishing a Low Pay Commission according to new Ministerfor State, Ged Nash. In his first interview since his appointment as Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ged, told...

Construction unions will stage a number of protests tomorrow (Wednesday, 13th August) in an escalation of their campaign in support of Decent Work in the construction industry and against abuses by contractors engaged on public contracts. The protests have been...

Christy Moore will play a benefit concert for the children of Gaza in Vicar Street in Dublin on Sunday 12th October. The proceeds of the concert will go directly to the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) which helps children to overcome the trauma they have...

Labour TD, Joe Costello, has stated that he intends to raise the Greyhound Lockout on the floor of the Dáil and table a motion which will request that the provision of waste management services involving state bodies is placed on the agenda of the...

The 50th anniversary of the nine-week Builders’ Strike will be marked with an event in the Matt Merrigan Hall, Unite House, Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1, on Monday, 1st September. The event will be addressed by several participants...

Over 500 people marched through Dublin City Centre yesterday (Monday, 1st September) in support of the locked out Greyhound workers. The colourful march began at Liberty Hall and concluded with a rally outside City Hall at 6.00 p.m., just before the first...

Viva Gaza presents an intimate evening of poetry, prose, music and song on Saturday 6th September 2014 at 7.30pm in The Button Factory, Dublin in support of Gaza and in celebration of the indomitable spirit of its people. The stunning line-up of...

SIPTU has suspended two planned work stoppages by members in Irish Rail following an agreement between union and company representatives at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) last night (Tuesday, 2nd September). A 48-hour work stoppage was scheduled to take...

We, the undersigned, call upon you as both concerned citizens and organisations to use the full power of your office to demand the immediate and unconditional release of 18 year old Irish teenager Ibrahim Halawa who has been held in preventive detention...

Mandatory Service Levels and Customer Charter for Waste Collectors to be introduced next year as Minister for the Environment warns waste collection companies they are in “the last chance saloon” with new reforms. Speaking at the Environment Ireland...

Locked out Greyhound workers and their partners addressed over 70 local residents at a SIPTU organised meeting in the Kilmore West Community Centre, Coolock, Dublin 15, on Wednesday (3rd September). The meeting was held for the locked out workers to...

SIPTU members working as support staff in Dublin’s main training hospitals are balloting for strike action in response to an attempt by the management of the HSE to unilaterally change existing rosters and shift pattern arrangements which are protected under the...

SIPTU members and officials and the management of Greyhound Recovery and Recycling are engaged in intensive negotiations aimed at reaching an agreed resolution to the 13 week long lockout of workers by the waste disposal company. The talks began yesterday...

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...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions will tomorrow (Sept. 24) launch an important new guide on how best to assist workers diagnosed with breast cancer and other serious illnesses, during their treatment, recovery and return to work. The guide will be...

SIPTU is opposing an attempt by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) to increase the retention fee for members for 2015, from €100 to €150, which was announced today (Tuesday, 23rd September). ‌All nurses and midwives must...

SIPTU activists were to the fore at the launch of the Trade Unions ‘Support Poles Abroad’ initiative in the conference centre of the Communications Workers’ Union, Dublin 1, on Friday, 26th September. The joint initiative, by...

- No scope for tax cuts, despite positive economic projections. An adjustment of €800 million in Budget 2015 balances the requirement for fiscal prudence with the need to avoid doing harm to an emerging economic recovery, according to the latest...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has launched an important new guide on how best to assist workers diagnosed with breast cancer and other serious illnesses, during their treatment, recovery and return to work. The guide was formally launched by An...

Members of the SIPTU Cavan/Monaghan District Committee met Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys and Sean Conlan TD, to present them with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) budget proposals that are aimed at...

There are 412,000 households living in fuel poverty in Ireland today, an increase of over 10,000 since last year. This means that almost 20% of all households in Ireland are unable to adequately heat their homes. The Energy Action Conference,...

The creation of high quality, decent jobs is the only way to ensure that economic recovery is genuine and sustainable, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (6th October). Ahead of World Day for Decent Work – marked annually on 7th October...

Cathy Henderson, who designed the 1913 Lockout Tapestry with artist, Robert Ballagh has died after a long illness. Cathy was ill from quite an early stage in the design and production of the Tapestry but she insisted on carrying on with the project. The...

As we enter the final months of 2014, we thought we'd take the opportunity to recap on some of the NERI's recent work and highlight a few upcoming events. Throughout the year, the Institute has produced research on  taxation, housing...

SIPTU members will protest outside the annual conference of the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI), Chartered Accountants House, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, on Thursday, 9th October, from 12.00 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. The protest...

A planned protest by SIPTU members outside the annual conference of the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI), on Thursday, 9th October, has been suspended due to the postponement of the event. The protest was to highlight the refusal by nurses...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Youth Committee is to launch its Rights Campaign for young people in Ireland on Wednesday, October 29th. A public meeting will take place at 5.00pm in the Twisted Pepper on Abbey Street and feature young trade...

Representatives of SIPTU and other health sector unions have asked to meet with Department of Health officials over an attempt by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) to increase members’ retention fees from €100 to €150 next year. ‌All...

SIPTU has urged members in the Nurses and Midwifery Sector to ignore a renewal letter sent by the NMBI, to continue their campaign of non payment of the unfair increase in NMBI registration and to make sure that they attend the protest of the NMBI offices on the...

SIPTU has called on nurses and midwives to stand firm in opposing the demand by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) for a 50% increase in its retention fee. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Kevin Figgis, said: “Our members should not feel...

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...

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...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Tuesday, 11th November, called for the restoration of wage-setting mechanisms in key sectors of the economy such as construction, in order to halt the race to the bottom in wages and standards and to restore some...

A recent lecture by Labour historian, Emmet Larkin, to the SIPTU Dublin District Council on the career of Jim Larkin and his place within Irish trade unionism is now available online. In the lecture, delivered in late October in Liberty Hall,...

SIPTU have advised members to ignore a recent intimidatory statement, from the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI), with regard to the current campaign of opposition to the 50% increase in retention fee being sought by that organisation. SIPTU...

Over 2,000 nurses and midwives, from across the country, attended a protest on Tuesday, 18th November, outside the head offices of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) in Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin....

SIPTU, the INMO, and PNA, on behalf of all of nurses and midwives, are holding a public protest, at 12.00 p.m., Tuesday, 18th November 2014, outside the head offices of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has expressed his sincere condolences on behalf of his union at the death yesterday (Thursday, 27th November), of former Mandate trade union official and international solidarity campaigner,...

SIPTU has advised members to ignore a recent and threatening, statement from the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) with regard to the current campaign of opposition to the 50% increase in retention fee being sought by that organisation. 

...

Returning to work following a period of illness or while dealing with the effects of physical or mental trauma can be one of the most difficult periods of a worker’s career. To assist workers finding themselves in this position, Congress is now offering...

Reclaiming the ground that workers have lost during he economic crisis was the theme of the SIPTU Utilities and Construction Biennial Conference held in Liberty Hall on 21st-22nd November. In his first key note speech asDivision Organiser, Owen Reidy, said...

The SIPTU National Executive Council (NEC) has called for the abolition of the Universal Social Charge (USC). The charge, which was introduced as an emergency measure by the Fianna Fáil - Green Party government in 2011, is a regressive tax which...

An estimated 60,000 people crowded into Merrion Square in Dublin at lunchtime on Wednesday, 10th December, to protest against water charges and the wider austerity agenda. The event, which was organised by the Right2Water campaign and supported...

On Wednesday (17th December) members and supporters of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign handed in a petition signed by over 8,000 people calling on Irish supermarket chain Dunnes Stores to make a public commitment that their outlets will not stock goods...

Youth workers are a constant presence on the frontline in communities that have had to bear the devastating impact of cuts to services. In response, SIPTU members working in youth groups across Dublin came together a year ago to form the Dublin Youth...

SIPTU is engaged in a major push to win pay increases across the private sector in order to improve living standards and to stimulate domestic demand in the economy. Addressing the annual commemoration to mark the death of workers leader, Jim Larkin, on...

Strong pillars on solid rock, are the best foundations for any lasting institution. Our dear colleague, Ronnie Masterson, was such an institution. Her seventy year career as an actress, theatre director and staunch union activist will never be...

New Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show a marked rise in the number of industrial disputes during 2013. Last year there were 12 industrial disputes involving a stoppage of work lasting for at least 10 working days or involving 10 or more workers. The twelve...

SIPTU representatives are involved in ongoing discussions with the management of St James’s Hospital concerning major changes at the institution. These include the opening of a new unit in Inchicore and the building of the new National Children’s Hospital...

A Government plan to draft in multinationals to deliver services to job seekers – work which can be better provided by the public and community sector – is to be steadfastly opposed by SIPTU. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) proposals will mean...

Irish academic researchers have collaborated in EU-funded projects with Israeli counterparts who make drones, develop high-tech weapons and engage in “counter-terror” activities with the Israeli Defence Forces and the country’s intelligence...

SIPTU members at the Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork (UCC) will undertake a one day work stoppage on Wednesday 26th February during which pickets will be placed on all entrances to the university from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. The move is part...

Compaines featured in the SIPTU Supporting Quality campaign have made a massive contribution to the success of Irish food and drink exports which last year approached a record €10 billion for the first time. According to figures released by An Bord Bia,...

The group of unions representing workers in Aer Lingus and Dublin and Shannon Airports agreed on Friday, 21st February, to engage in a process of consultation with members with a view to coordinating a campaign of industrial action, in pursuit of a...

Greater income inequality, higher levels of insecure work and the emergence of a ‘two-tier’ workforce pose a serious problem for female workers, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions 2014 Women’s Conference has been told. Addressing some 200...

Greater income inequality, higher levels of insecure work and the emergence of a ‘two-tier’ workforce pose a serious problem for female workers, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions 2014 Women’s Conference has been told. Addressing some 200...

A major push has been launched to ensure hundreds of workers employed on the Irish Water Meter Installation programme receive the pay and conditions to which they are entitled. SIPTU organisers have identified numerous cases of non-compliance by main contractors and...

Taoiseach and Ministers speak out for Irish undocumented in the US, but are silent on the parallel issue of the undocumented in Ireland As part of a decades-old St Patrick’s Day tradition, Government ministers will spend this weekend lobbying US...

Congress General Secretary David Begg has paid warm tribute to the late Tony Benn, whose death was announced earlier today, describing him as a ‘giant of his generation.’ “Tony Benn was the outstanding political figure of his age...

SIPTU activists in the local authorities were told on Thursday (20th March) that the “battle to save water services from privatisation was only beginning” by ICTU Industrial Officer, Liam Berney. In his presentation to a SIPTU Local Authority Sector...

Congress General Secretary David Begg has been confirmed as the final speaker for the current series of trade union lectures run by the People’s College. Begg will deliver the closing lecture in the series, on Thursday, 27th March on the theme of:...

Thousands of trade unionists, political activists and members of the public lined the streets of East London along the funeral procession route of RMT General Secretary Bob Crow on Monday, 24th March. As the black horse drawn carriage bearing the coffin of...

The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) published its latest Quarterly Economic Observer on Tuesday, 25th March. In it, the economic think-tank examines the extent of low pay across Northern Ireland finding that 25% of workers earn less than the...

On Sunday, 6th April, the Limerick Council of Trade Unions is running a bus tour of the locations associated with the events which became known as “The Limerick Soviet, 1919”. This date coincides with the day 95 years ago when comrades of...

Survey of 39 leading clothing brands on Irish high-street show they must do much more to ensure garment workers receive a wage they can live on. Today (Wednesday, 2nd April), Clean Clothes Campaign Ireland launched ‘Tailored Wages’ an in depth...

Members of the SIPTU Retired Members’ Section have began work on their new Secure Retirement Campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the issues retired people have to face on a day to day basis as well as highlighting the vital role they play in both...

The Irish Congresss of Trade Unions is to host a major economic conference on the way forward for Ireland, on Friday April 11. The conference will take place in The Round Room, The Mansion House, Dublin.  'A New Course for Better...

Congress General Secretary David Begg has warned that the “spectre of deflation now threatening Europe could spell disaster for Ireland, causing serious job losses, increasing the debt burden and creating a vicious circle of decline.” Begg was...

The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) will hold a research seminar entitled ‘We Need to Talk About Higher Education’ in the INTO Learning Centre, 38 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 on Wednesday 16th April at 4.00 p.m. The NERI seminar series...

The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) will hold a research seminar entitled ‘We Need to Talk About Higher Education’ in the INTO Learning Centre, 38 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 on Wednesday 16th April at 4.00 p.m. The NERI seminar series...

Over 500 firefighters marched through the streets of Dublin on Monday (7th April) to highlight the threat to the DFB Ambulance service and demand that it is retained. The DFB Pipe Band led the march from Tara Street Fire Station to the City Hall in Dame Street....

Involved in a community enterprise, coop, CE scheme or other form of social enterprise in what’s called the “social economy”? If so this will interest you. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is involved in an initiative with other...

Damien Dempsey to star in aid of 'Buena Vista Pipers Club' Damien Dempsey, and a number of Ireland’s leading traditional musicians, will stage a one-off concert to help fund the visit of an uilleann piper from Cuban to Ireland. Alexander...

Pay increases rather than tax cuts are the best way to drive recovery and protect public services according to Tom Healy, the director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI). Addressing a conference organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has called on the Government to implement a major economic stimulus package in order to increase job creation and develop the domestic economy. Speaking on RTE Radio One on Saturday (19th April),...

A decision is expected on Wednesday (23rd April) in a case taken against the State by a Chinese man imprisoned since November 2012, when he was arrested for the alleged possession of cannabis plants. The State is accused of ignoring signs of human trafficking...

Workers at Errigal Seafood in Carrick, Co Donegal, have won a further victory at the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) in relation to attempts by the seafood supplier to implement wage cuts. The EAT has rejected an appeal by the company against Rights...

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) has welcomed the publication of the Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014 by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton. The Bill addresses problems MRCI has been highlighting since 2006. In a...

Congress General Secretary David Begg said today (May 1) that reflating the economy through pay rises and increased demand was the best guarantee of a faster, more sustainable recovery. Speaking ahead of scheduled May Day demonstrations in Dublin, Belfast...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (April 28) that workers’ health and safety was not a ‘luxury’ to be dispensed with when budgetary constraints dictated and called for full resourcing and strict enforcement of safety regulations, to...

SIPTU Vice-President, Patricia King, has described the approval by the Government, on Tuesday (13th May), of a new law to support the right of workers to participate in collective bargaining with their employers as a “very positive...

Congress General Secretary David Begg has condemned Ireland’s refusal to sign up to the Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) announced today (May 6) by 10 EU member states, describing the decision as “yet another surrender to the same forces that...

Ratification of the EU/Colombian Free Trade Agreement will be before the Dáil in the coming weeks. Please add your name to this petition to tell our TD’s & Senators that it is the wrong time to approve this agreement. Murders, disappearances;...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has described the slowdown in employment growth as “extremely worrying and further proof that Government must now intervene directly to stimulate job creation and boost growth.” Congress Assistant General Secretary Sally...

A ceremony marking the official naming of the Rosie Hackett Bridge, which spans the Liffey between Marlborough Street and Hawkins Street, took place on Tuesday, 20th May. Those addressing the event included Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn, SIPTU...

ICTU President, John Douglas, has called on trade unionists to promote a rally in support of the Paris Bakery workers outside the Dail on Wednesday (4th June) at 1.00 p.m. In a letter to trade unionists, John Douglas, said: “As you are...

Today Paris Bakery workers will hold a rally with supporters outside the Dáil calling on the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to urgently intervene in their worsening situation. The workers are entering their 13th day of their Moore Street sit-in and are owed over...

The tenth anniversary of the citizenship referendum will be marked and mourned by migrants and others outside Dail Eireann next Wednesday. Over the last ten years, the Constitutional amendment approved by the referendum has split families, divided the...

SIPTU is supporting a march and vigil in Dublin on Wednesday, 11th June, to commemorate the 796 children who perished in the St Mary’s Mother and Child Home in Tuam, Co. Galway. The march will begin at the Department of Children and Youth...

Paper by Jack O’Connor, SIPTU General President to the Labour Party Trade Union Section Seminar in William Norton House on Saturday, 14th June 2014 In the context of the outcome of the recent elections, this paper attempts to address two key...

Today (Tuesday 10th June) the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will meet a group of migrant workers and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) to discuss measures in the Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014. The Bill aims to address gaps...

Statement from the Paris Bakery Workers: It’s the 19th day of our sit-in and we are finally leaving the bakery! We have just received official confirmation that Revenue are going to step in and wind up Paris Bakery. As our employers Yannick Forel and Ruth Savill...

The Irish Congress Trade Unions on Wednesday (11th June) welcomed what it described as “an historic vote” at the International Labour Conference in favour of a binding protocol that will ensure greater protection globally against forced labour. The binding...

For the first time progressive parties and Independents have come together to agree a programme for the running of Dublin City Council over the next five years. Following last month’s election, which returned a clear majority of left-wing councillors to...

Labour in Government must insist that there will be no further cuts affecting working families or those who depend on public services in the October budget, SIPTU President Jack O’Connor has said. He said the plan for a further €2 billion in cuts or...

The tenth Quarterly Economic Observer from the Nevin Economic Research Institute is launched today. A €800 million net fiscal adjustment taking account of carry over under HRA and lower public spending arising from water charges. €400 million in additional...

A strike by SIPTU members at Roadstone Woods Ltd facilities across the country has entered its second week with management continuing to refuse to engage in meaningful negotiations. The dispute, which began on Monday, 16th June, concerns an attempt...

In scenes slightly reminiscent of the papal visit to Ireland in 1979 the departure of what the media has styled ‘rockstar’ Thomas Piketty has left a curious void. Was it a temporary mid-summer event to fete the fascinating and seductive ideas of a...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions today (July 2) welcomed the latest drop in the jobless rate, but warned that unemployment in Ireland remains unacceptably high when judged against average rates across the European Union. Congress General Secretary David Begg...