News Archive

In towns and cities, court rooms and corridors, workplaces and street corners the battle lines have been drawn for workers to hold on to their right to strike. On February 18, a global day of action in support of the right to strike will demonstrate...

Love & Pride at Liberty Hall for Valentine’s Eve Irish Congress of Trade Unions President John Douglas announced today (Feb. 13) that Congress is calling for a Yes Vote in the forthcoming civil marriage equality referendum.Speaking ahead of the public launch...

The 1913 Lockout Tapestry, produced as part of the centenary commemoration of the 1913 Lockout, will be on display at Pearse Street Library in Dublin from 17th February until 28th March. The tapestry was designed by artists Cathy Henderson and Robert...

Trade Unionists for Civil Marriage Equality, an alliance of trade union members that will campaign for a Yes vote in the May referendum, was launched in Liberty Hall on Friday, 13th February. Addressing the launch event, SIPTU Campaigns and...

SIPTU members employed as security officers by G4S Secure Solutions Limited on a contract to supply services to South Dublin County Council will attend talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) on Friday (20th February) relating to a dispute concerning transfer...

Over 500 childcare workers held a rally outside Leinster House, Dublin, at lunchtime on Tuesday (17th February) demanding better funding for the essential service they provide. The protest was organised by the Association of Childhood Professionals...

A major new report from the progressive think tank, Tasc, has found that income inequality in Ireland is moving further away from the distribution found in other Europe countries towards the levels of gross inequality experienced in the United States....

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions today (February 19) strongly criticised the government for its failure to be ‘more sympathetic’ to attempts by Greece to secure a resolution of its debt problem, at European level. In a letter to the...

The membership of the Low Paid Commission, which will decide on the appropriate rate of the National Minimum Wage, has been announced by Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ged Nash. The nine-person group...

SIPTU nurses and midwives are organising lunchtime protests at hospitals across the country on Monday, 2nd March, to highlight the attempt by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Ireland (NMBI) to increase its retention fee by 50%. SIPTU Nursing Sector...

The SIPTU Yes to Equality campaign has welcomed the Government’s confirmation that the Civil Marriage Equality referendum will be held on Friday, 22nd May. SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said: “The campaign now has...

The Labour Party must re-assert its own identity and work towards securing a government of the Left, according to SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor. The message was delivered at a fringe meeting on the restatement of Labour values held on...

The threat of over 200 job losses at three Mondelez Ireland (formerly Cadburys) plants amounts to a “dark day for manufacturing in Ireland”, according to SIPTU Organisers. Union representatives will meet with the management of Mondelez Ireland on...

At its annual conference, the Labour Party passed a motion calling for a debate on withdrawing from Government if collective bargaining legislation has not been enacted by this autumn. Presenting the motion on behalf of the Labour Party Navan Road Branch (Dublin...

SIPTU members are sceptical about assurances from Aer Lingus Chief Executive, Stephen Kavanagh, that they would retain their existing terms and conditions if the proposed International Airlines Group (IAG) take-over of the formerly state owned company goes...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (Friday, 6th March) that unions at Aer Lingus “remain unconvinced” of the proposed takeover of the company by International Airlines Group (IAG), following a meeting with IAG head Willie Walsh and...

Au pairs, carers, and domestic workers will today (Friday, 6th March) launch Labour of Love, a new campaign focusing on the rights of workers in private homes across Ireland. The campaign aims to combat the widespread underpayment,...

The Government’s proposal to create a new forum, involving trade unions and other civil society organisations, to discuss pay, tax and overall spending priorities has been supported by SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor....

The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, gave a written commitment to SIPTU members in the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) that there would be “full consultation with stakeholders” before any changes to the running of the city’s ambulance service...

Delegates voted to endorse proposals aimed at establishing a living wage for workers throughout Ireland at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis held in Derry last weekend. Sinn Féin Workers Rights’ spokesperson, Senator David Cullinane, welcomed the...

Two Vietnamese men released today (11.03.15) after Carlow Circuit Criminal Court judge found serious flaws in Garda investigation of trafficking. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) today welcomed the acquittal of two Vietnamese men, Hung Ba Tran and Hoang...

Two Vietnamese men released today (11.03.15) after Carlow Circuit Criminal Court judge found serious flaws in Garda investigation of trafficking. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) today welcomed the acquittal of two Vietnamese men, Hung Ba Tran and Hoang...

Two Vietnamese men released today (11.03.15) after Carlow Circuit Criminal Court judge found serious flaws in Garda investigation of trafficking. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) today welcomed the acquittal of two Vietnamese men, Hung Ba Tran and Hoang...

When: 12.45pm, Sunday 15th March 2015 Where: Outside the Central Bank, Dame Street, Dublin 2 Who: Undocumented men, women and children of various nationalities who live and work in Ireland What: Photocall at 12.45 – a group of...

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) will today, Wed 11 March, hold a lunchtime demonstration outside Dail Eireann between 1pm and 2pm calling on the Irish government to place an immediate arms embargo upon the state of Israel. A statement from...

Two Vietnamese men released today (11.03.15) after Carlow Circuit Criminal Court judge found serious flaws in Garda investigation of trafficking. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) today welcomed the acquittal of two Vietnamese men, Hung Ba Tran and Hoang...

Two Vietnamese men released today (11.03.15) after Carlow Circuit Criminal Court judge found serious flaws in Garda investigation of trafficking. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) today welcomed the acquittal of two Vietnamese men, Hung Ba Tran and Hoang...

SIPTU will host a Polish Culture Night in the Liberty Hall Auditorium, Dublin, on Tuesday, 26th March, as part of the the PolskaÉire 2015 Festival. SIPTU National Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said the...

Public sector workers from across Northern Ireland are on strike today (Friday, 13th March) demanding the shelving of planned cuts that will damage vital services and result in 20,000 job losses. Rallies are being held cities and towns across Northern...

SIPTU has warned the HSE that its plans to outsource the operation of a new State-owned facility providing community and step-down beds on the site of the former Mount Carmel private hospital in south Dublin will breach the Haddington Road agreement. The HSE has...

SIPTU will host a Polish Culture Night in the Liberty Hall Auditorium, Dublin, on Tuesday, 26th March, as part of the the PolskaÉire 2015 Festival. SIPTU National Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said the...

The latest NERI report on the economy predicts the Government will comfortably meet its deficit target this year on the back of strong GDP growth of 3.4%. The positive economic outlook is driven by continued employment growth and improved consumer demand....

A SIPTU delegation attended a major demonstration in the Place Luxembourg, Brussels, Belgium, on Monday, 23rd March, organised by the European Water Movement to highlight the inaction of the European Commission in relation to safeguarding...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (March 27) there are “significant and very strong reasons” to oppose the planned Transatlantic Trade & Investment Pact (TTIP) between the European Union and the United States. Speaking at a seminar on the...

The SIPTU Galway District Council is hosting a special showing of the film ‘Pride’ in the union’s office in Galway City as part of the ‘Yes Equality’ campaign on Thursday,16th April, at 7.30 p.m.. Set in the summer of 1984 in...

A protest in solidarity with Palestinians being attacked in Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, which has been overrun by ISIS fighters, will be held at the GPO, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1 at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, 9th April. A statement...

The SIPTU Health Division is organising a major rally outside of the Department of Health inDublin at the end of this month, as part of its campaign for greater investment in healthcare services and workers. The rally will be staged outside the Department on...

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called an Emergency Protest & Rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, especially those currently being bombarded in Gaza. It will take place this Saturday 12th July at 2pm at The Spire on O'Connell...

THE popularity of Uilleann Piping is growing in Cuba and on Wednesday night in Liberty Hall, Dublin, the Clé club hosts a fund raising event featuring one of the finest Cuban exponents of the traditional Irish art. Alexander Suarez Mendez from...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions today (July 9) warmly welcomed the ratification of the International Labour Organisation’s Domestic Workers’ Convention by the Government, hailing it as “a major advance for domestic workers and their right to...

South Dublin County Councillors voted unanimously last night (Monday, 14th July) to support a motion calling on locked out Greyhound Recycling and Recovery workers to be allowed return to their jobs on their existing terms and conditions while talks aimed at...

A meeting to discuss the current situation in Venezuela scheduled to take place in Liberty Hall tonight (Monday, 14th July) has been postponed. The meeting hosted by Venezuela Solidarity will now take place on a later date. Information on the rescheduled meeting...

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) welcomed the new Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014, which was passed in the Dáil on the evening of Wednesday, 16th July. Gráinne O'Toole of MRCI stated, "This law will address abuses...

Net adjustment of €800 million only needed to reach 3% deficit target.  Five year social housing programme urgently needed. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has proposed to Government that it introduce refundable tax credits and reduced water charges...

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign today welcomed the Irish government's announcement that it would send €500,000 in emergency aid to the UN emergency appeal for Gaza, but added that aid was not a solution to the ongoing problem of the...

Letter of appeal from the Palestinian Community in Ireland regarding the ongoing bombardment of the Palestinian People and an appeal for relief aid to the people in the Gaza strip. Details of the website of the Irish Medical Aid for Palestinians is in the letter along...

Saturday, 26 July 2014, 2pm Assemble @ The Spire, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1 This Saturday 26th July in Dublin there will be another march in solidarity with the people of Palestine, especially those trapped in Gaza who are being...

This Saturday, 2nd August, in Dublin there will be another march in solidarity with the people of Palestine, especially those trapped in Gaza who are being killed in their hundreds, maimed in their thousands and terrorised in their entirety by...

The lockout of workers by Greyhound Recycling and Recovery is entering its seventh week with the solidarity of the men unbroken and growing support for their campaign for justice from communities across Dublin. Strike committee member and SIPTU Shop Steward,...

SIPTU is assisting workers affected by the sudden closure of the Showboat pub in Waterford City on Monday, 28th July. SIPTU Organiser, Mark Flynn, said: “These workers have been left in a terrible situation by the sudden closure of the pub on...

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign announced that it will host a National Demonstration calling for freedom and justice for the Palestinians people this Saturday, 9th August. The announcement comes as 16 small businesses nationwide have pledged to stop to...

News of rising house prices, fewer households in negative equity, falling dole queues, rising spending in the shops and the long farewell to the Troika together with a relatively benign Irish summer, so far, have lifted the economic mood...

Despite the welcome fall in jobless numbers Irish unemployment levels remain some 50 percent above the levels that prevail in non-programme countries within the EU15, the latest issue of the Labour Market Monitor has revealed. The information is contained in the...

Renowned singer/songwriter Damien Dempsey will perform at the National Demonstration for Freedom and Justice in Palestine on Saturday, 9th August. The demonstration, organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, begins at 2.00 p.m. at 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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

- 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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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,...

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...

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)...

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 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. 

...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...