News Archive

Paris Bakery workers can now access insolvency fund Today the High Court formally wound up Paris Bakery and Pastry Ltd and appointed a liquidator in response to a petition by the Revenue Commissioner. The Revenue Commissioner had intervened after a 19-day sit-in by...

The government must use Budget 2014 to stimulate demand and inject life into the economy, as new data from the Central Statistics Office confirms continued stagnation and a lack of growth, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said on Thursday, 19th...

The 100th anniversary of the first food shipment from the British TUC to support striking workers and their families during the 1913 Lockout will be re-enacted on Saturday, 5th October at 11.30 am at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2. The Lockout...

At a ceremony in Dublin on Wednesday (2nd October) officiated by the Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn, campaigners will celebrate the introduction of a new law criminalising forced labour (also known as modern-day slavery) in Ireland. At the event, activists...

Trade union leaders united today (Tuesday, 1st October) to call on all trade unionists to participate in the Dublin Council of Trade Unions Pre-Budget Demonstration on Saturday, 12th October. The demonstration, whose slogan of “Solidarity: an...

The Group of Experts on Action against Human Trafficking (GRETA) on Thursday, 26th September, urged the Irish government to act against trafficking for forced labour and take a victim-centred approach to the growing problem of human trafficking. Despite...

Address by Jack O’Connor, General President SIPTU To The SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference Monday 7th October 2013 Vice President, Distinguished Guests, Delegates, Comrades and Friends, Welcome to this historic room for Biennial...

In a rousing speech to delegates at the second day of the SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference, RMT General Secretary, Bob Crow, said his union was committed to “militant trade unionism.” “I won’t stab you in the back I’ll...

The Cork Council of Trade Unions in conjunction with SIPTU, Cork City Council and St. Vincent’s Hurling & Football Club are hosting an Official Road naming ceremony for former ITGWU Cork Branch Secretary Tadhg Barry on Saturday, 5th October at...

The arrival of the SS Hare into Dublin was reenacted on Saturday, 5th October, on City Quay. Following its one-day voyage from Liverpool, the ship was met on the Quays by volunteers reenacting the role of the workers and their families to whom the...

Address by Jack O’Connor, General President SIPTU To The SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference Monday 7th October 2013  Vice President, Distinguished Guests, Delegates, Comrades and Friends, Welcome to this historic room for...

The Director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute, Dr Tom Healy, today warned that what he termed ‘legacy cuts’ may increase the real adjustment in Tuesday’s Budget. Dr Healy was commenting on reports that the likely fiscal adjustment...

The Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has strongly condemned the two murders by so-called ‘dissident republicans’ in Northern Ireland and has demanded that the perpetrators immediately cease their criminal violent acts and...

The "establishment" will meet moves to legislate for workers' right to collective bargaining with "massive resistance", SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King told the union's Biennial Delegate Conference on Wednesday, 9th...

The 1913 Lockout Tapestry and historical trade union banners are being exhibited in the National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin, from Thursday, 10th October, until Sunday, 17th November. The exhibition entitled ‘Banners...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (October 16) that the Government had made the wrong choices in Budget 2014 and insisted that any investment programme should prioritise the creation of decent jobs to ensure sustainable recovery. At a Post-Budget...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Friday, 18th October, granted an All-Out Picket to Mandate trade union in respect of the ongoing dispute at Wallis Stores in Dublin and Limerick. Congress General Secretary David Begg said that all affiliated unions...

Over 150 young people protested outside the Dáil on Wednesday, 16th October, demanding the Government does not implement a Budget proposal to cut social welfare payments for under 26 year olds. The protest was organised by the Young Worker’s...

SIPTU President Jack O’Connor will lay a memorial wreath at the Workers' Memorial Fountain in Belfast on Friday, 25th October, at 11.15 a.m. in remembrance of two SIPTU members who were shot dead at work 20 years ago. Belfast City Council...

Youth campaign groups, representing young workers, the unemployed and students protested against proposals contained in Budget 2014 to cut Job Seekers Allowance for those under 26 by forming a 'Dáil queue' on Kildare Street,...

Following a meeting of SIPTU Dublin Bus Traffic Representatives to discuss the recent developments in the long running dispute about the Dublin Bus Cost Reduction proposals, a notice was sent to SIPTU members in the Traffic Section of Dublin Bus on 30th...

I was deeply saddened to hear today of the passing of my friend and former colleague Patsy Cronin. I had the great privilege of working with Patsy when I was a trade union official in Kerry and we have been friends ever since. He is someone whose opinion I have always...

A SIPTU proposal to extend the number and scope of apprenticeships would make a major contribution to ending the youth unemployment crisis, according to SIPTU Vice President Patricia King. In an interview on RTÉ Radio’s News at One on Monday (4th...

Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. According to UN figures almost 3,000 trade unionists have been killed since 1986. In the first six months of 2013 at least 11 trade unionists were killed. State authorities are directly...

The Bray and District Council of Trade Unions is hosting a wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of James Byrne (Secretary of Kingstown/ Dun Laoghaire ITGWU Branch) who died as a result of a hunger and thirst strike during the 1913...

The youth committee’s of the Communications Workers’ Union and the TEEU are urging all unemployed people to publicly reject letters from the Department of Social Protection advertising overseas jobs and attend the Youth Assembly in Liberty Hall tomorrow....

Leading figures from Ireland’s major religious dominations and the humanist community attended a service of remembrance for those who suffered during the 1913 Lockout at the University Church, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, on Tuesday 12th...

Oscar López Triviño was murdered on 9th November in the Colombian city of Bugalagrande a day after he and other members of his union, SINALTRAINAL, received death threats from paramilitaries. The union had been on hunger strike at...

Leading figures from Ireland’s major religious dominations and the humanist community attended a service of remembrance for those who suffered during the 1913 Lockout at the University Church, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, on Tuesday 12th...

SIPTU has called on the Government to immediately commence major investment in new State backed apprenticeship schemes in order to prevent the loss of another generation to emigration. “Our young people are experiencing a crisis which will not only lead to many...

The ESB Group of Unions will meet to consider its members recent vote for industrial action in Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey Street, Dublin, on Friday (22nd November). At the meeting a request from the senior management of the ESB to meet with the Group...

SIPTU is holding an information meeting for HSE Home Helps based in Co. Westmeath on Wednesday, 27th November, at 7.00 p.m. in the Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar. The meeting will discuss the recent Labour Court recommendation concerning the...

A campaign to highlight the increasing efforts to redefine our universities as ‘businesses’ rather than centres of research, study and learning has been launched, with the initial support of over 700 lecturers and academics across all seven...

Young people who have grown up in State care will have the statutory right to an aftercare plan under proposed legislation due to come before the Dáil in the coming months. The move follows a long-running campaign on the issue by Focus Ireland, supported...

One of the country’s leading anti-drugs campaign groups has called for an “informed public and political debate” on alternatives to a criminal justice approach to drug addiction. This month the City Wide Drugs Crisis Campaign will launch a leaflet...

The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) will mark International Day for the Abolition of Slavery with a national conference on Identifying Victims of Trafficking for Forced Labour. Victims of slavery, international experts and national stakeholders, along...

SIPTU members in workplaces across the country are being asked to contribute to a Christmas collection for the Milne Food workers who have been conducting a campaign of strike action at the company’s plant in Birr, Co. Offaly, since 11th July. SIPTU...

In this Global Labour Column, the focus is on a farewell speech made by Vasco Pedrina at the Building & Wood Workers’ International (BWI) World Congress. He argues that, under the current economic and political environment dominated by neoliberal...

The courageous Dunnes Stores workers whose strike in 1984 highlighted the inhumanity and injustice of apartheid will be present to witness the funeral of Nelson Mandela in South Africa later this week. Three of the former strikers, Mary Manning, Liz Deasy...

The General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, David Begg, has expressed 'deep sadness' at the death of Nelson Mandela and extended condolences to his family and friends and to the South African trade union movement. Begg said:...

SIPTU is encouraging music and theatre practitioners to attend a Public Forum on proposed reforms to copyright law taking place in the Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin on Monday, 9th December, at 5.00 p.m. SIPTU Organiser, Des...

Tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, undocumented families, children, individuals and supporters will gather outside the Dáil for a 24-Hour Vigil to highlight the plight of undocumented migrants at Christmastime. A candlelit family gathering at 6pm...

SIPTU has set up a committee to deal with equality issues in Northern Ireland.The SIPTU Northern Ireland Equality Committee will be comprised of activists drawn from across the union’s membership with the first meeting scheduled for early 2014. The...

Hundreds of home helps have attended SIPTU-organised meetings across the country to discuss the impact of new HSE contracts that come into force for the service next year. SIPTU Organiser Miriam Hamilton told Liberty: “These new contracts are a step in the right...

SIPTU members in Resources Facilities Services Ltd, a contract cleaning company, are conducting two one-hour work stoppages at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, today (Monday, 16th December) in protest at the company implementing a cut to...

Electricity consumers using prepay meters are spending significantly more than those paying the ESB and other suppliers through the traditional billing system. Retired public service worker, Anne Dunleavy, has estimated that she is paying 75 cent per...

Bord Gáis Group of Unions representatives met with Bord Gáis Energy at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) on Thursday, (9th January), to discuss the details of the transfer of workers when the company moves into private ownership. SIPTU...

SIPTU members in Resources Facilities Services Ltd will vote on proposals from the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) on Monday, 13th January, aimed at concluding a dispute at the contract cleaning company. SIPTU Organiser, Ed Kenny, said:...

The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland welcomes a new commitment by all OSCE members to combat trafficking for domestic servitude. “We have encountered several cases of domestic servitude in diplomatic households here in Dublin,” said MRCI’s...

The Dún Laoghaire 1913 Commemoration Committee is hosting a workshop entitled “After the Lockout commemorations - Trade Union Organising in 2014 and beyond” to be held in the Dún Laoghaire Club, Eblana Avenue, Dún Laoghaire...

René González, the first and only member of the Cuban Five to have been released after completing his 15 year sentence in the United States, has announced that he will come to London to give evidence to an International Commission of Inquiry...

Congress General Secretary David Begg on Monday, 27th January, called for a national policy of “inclusive job creation” to address the devastating effects of the recession on communities across the country. Begg was speaking at the launch of...

The Dublin City University (DCU) SIPTU Section Committee, representing all grades of staff at the institution, has voted to express its support for colleagues at the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork (UCC), in their dispute over...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said, Wednesday (5th February) that while the latest jobless figures included some good news, they also revealed some worrying trends and signalled the urgent need to grow demand in the domestic economy. Congress...

The constitutional status of the Registered Employment Agreement (REA) structure, which legally protects the pay rates and conditions of employment of tens of thousands of workers throughout Ireland, is probably protected by legislation passed by the...

Over 100 years of trade union activity in Galway was celebrated at an event in SIPTU House, Galway city, on the evening of Thursday, 2nd May. Organised by the SIPTU Galway District Committee, to commemorate the 1913 Lockout and celebrate May...

SIPTU members in Bus Éireann this week began voting on strike action in response to a threat by management to impose unilateral changes to the pay and conditions of workers. The ballot will be concluded with a count of the votes in Liberty Hall on...

Dublin City Council has drawn up a shortlist of names for the new transport bridge over the river Liffey at Marlborough Street, Dublin. From a total of 85 nominations the Dublin City Council's Commemorative Naming Committee shortlisted 17 at a meeting...

The recent Supreme Court judgement on Registered Employment Agreements (REAs) paves the way for a devastating attack on the standard of living of building workers in Ireland, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ Construction Industry Committee....

The recent Supreme Court judgement on Registered Employment Agreements (REAs) paves the way for a devastating attack on the standard of living of building workers in Ireland, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ Construction Industry Committee....

SIPTU has called on funding to be made available to maintain the operation of Cultúr, the only community organisation in County Meath that is dedicated to working with migrants experiencing social exclusion and racism. SIPTU Meath District Committee...

SIPTU members in Bus Éireann are voting on Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposals to change their terms of employment with the ballot result expected on Thursday, 30th May. The proposals were arrived at following overnight talks between trade union...

The Ukrainian and Russian crew of the mv Clipper Faith freighter, which has been stranded in Dublin since last December, were paid $406,586.68 (€314,160.62) in arrears of wages today and will now be able to return home after being stranded...

The National Executive Council of SIPTU has recommended the proposals for public service pay and reform which emerged following weeks of negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission. The Haddington Road Agreement sets out details of new pay and working conditions...

Minister for Communications,Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, has announced a review of Ireland’s fiscal terms for oil and gas production. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, he said he would “seek expert...

An important victory for workers’ rights was secured following a two-day protest outside Crumlin Shopping Centre in early May. Following an attempt by the contract company, At Risk Security, to unilaterally change workers’ pay and conditions of...

SIPTU members in Bus Éireann have voted in favour of Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposals to change their terms of employment by 69% to 31% following a ballot which was counted in Liberty Hall, Dublin, on Thursday, 30th May. The...

In response to the G8 Summit of international leaders in Fermanagh during June, the Belfast Trades Council and the Northern Ireland ICTU Youth Committee have jointly organsied the ‘Another World is Possible Festival’ of political discussions,...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has said that although the fall in jobless numbers is welcome, it cannot disguise continued high levels of long-term and youth unemployment. Congress Assistant General Secretary, Sally Anne Kinahan said: “It is good...

Trade unionists and community activists will march in Belfast on Saturday and next week in Enniskillen in response to the G8 Summit of international leaders in Fermanagh on Monday, 17th and Tuesday, 18th June. The marches will demand that world leaders...

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has called for massive investment – of between €140 billion and €280 billion – in a European jobs and recovery programme. Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday (5th June) ETUC general secretary Bernadette...

Rónán Burtenshaw and Tommy Gavin in Istanbul: The hundreds of thousands that have taken to the streets across Turkey this week may represent diverse interests and have a range of grievances but they take their inspiration from the same kilometre of green...

The General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, David Begg welcomed the President and delegates of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to Dublin for their World Congress, which runs from 4th – 7th June. In a message to IFJ...

On International Domestic Workers' Day, (Sunday, 16th June) at 3.00 p.m. domestic workers will protest outside the UAE Embassy, Pembroke Road, Dublin 4 in solidarity with two domestic workers formerly employed by the Ambassador. Visuals...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions today (June 14) formally requested the assistance of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to ensure the Irish Government makes good on a commitment to give legal backing to the right of workers to collectively bargain with...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions Biennial Delegate Conference 2013 will take place from July 2-4, in the Assembly Rooms, Belfast. The theme of BDC 2013 is Decent Work, Better Future and, over the three days, some 500 delegates will...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is to formally protest to Turkish authorities over its handling of recent protests and call on the government to “end violence and repression against peaceful protests and address the demands made by the protestors.” The...

On Saturday 22nd June, undocumented migrants living in Ireland will undertake a ‘Journey for Justice’ bus tour across Ireland, starting in Dublin and stopping in Galway City and the Cliffs of Moher. Undocumented migrants, including...

A Presentation to the Public Accounts Committee by Joe O'Flynn, General Secretary, SIPTU on the Comptroller and Auditor General's Special Report on the Administration of the National Health and Local Authority Levy Fund regarding the SKILLS...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (June 26) that new figures showing Ireland had slipped back into recession served to “confirm all our worst fears about the destructive policy path being followed by government and are a sharp reminder that we need a...

Workers in St. Colmcilles's Credit Union in Kells, county Meath, commenced industrial action with a one day work stoppage on Friday, 28th June, in response to a management failure to recognise their union, SIPTU, for collective...

Among the key points are; A recovery of growth in output and in total employment is likely to be very slow in both economies of Ireland over the coming two years. Economic activity remains depressed in some of the key trading partners and continuing fiscal austerity...

Congress General Secretary David Begg has called for a major programme of social investment in the face of “irrefutable evidence that austerity is not working.” Addressing delegates to the organisation’s Biennial Delegate Conference (BDC), in...

The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) today (Friday 28th June) welcomed the long-awaited criminalisation of modern-day slavery in Ireland. The Dáil has passed a Bill inserting a definition of forced labour...

The Dublin Tenement Experience: Living the Lockout, is an innovative performance and interpretation-based exhibition, on Henrietta Street in Dublin’s North Inner City. A joint initiative of Dublin City Council, the Irish Congress of Trade...

The allegations that senior executives at Anglo-Irish Bank may have misled the Central Bank and the Government in order to secure the disastrous banking guarantee in September 2008 has exposed the culture of entitlement among senior bankers, according to SIPTU...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions Biennial Delgate Conference (BDC) opens tomorrow (July 2) in Belfast, where over 700 delegates and observers will debate a range of motions on the economic crisis, the reform of trade union structures, workplace...

The Congress Biennial Delegate Conference 2013 in Belfast unanimously passed an emergency motion on Thursday, 4th July, in support of "a vigorous and robust campaign" to bring about the repeal of the Fiscal Emergency Measures in the Public...

SIPTU members working at Ballyfermot Chapelizod Partnership Company have expressed serious concerns over Government plans to transfer funding for Local Development Companies (LDCs) to local authorities. Speaking at a successful open day held by the Partnership in the...

Fine Gael is working with business interests to ensure that new rights on collective bargaining for workers are not implemented, SIPTU Vice-President Patricia King has told the Congress Biennial conference in Belfast. Addressing the conference on Thursday (4th...

The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) welcomes the most recent Medium-Term Review published by the Economic and Social Research Institute. It provides a significant addition to the debate on policy options and possible future economic recovery pathways over the...

The SIPTU Community Sector has launched a petition calling on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, to meet with the representatives of workers who will be affected by his plans to “align” Local...

Speaking at a rally on Wednesday (17th July) outside the Dáil in support of former Waterford Crystal workers, Unite Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly said it was scandalous that, over two-and-a-half months after the European Court of Justice ruled that...

The recent controversy concerning union funding of the British Labour Party is merely an attempt to distract attention from the influence of corporate donors in politics, according to Congress industrial officer Peter Rigney. Writing in the Irish Times...

In response to the call on the Government by the Central Bank today (Friday 26th July) that it sticks to the planned adjustment of €3.1 billion in Budget 2014, SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, said: “This is blackmail on a...

The SIPTU Education and Development Support Scheme is currently taking applications with a closing date of Tuesday, 30th September. The scheme provides opportunities for SIPTU members to participate in further and higher learning that will improve their...

SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor has described as “blackmail on a monumental scale” the call on the Government by the Central Bank and other commentators to stick to an adjustment of €3.1 billion in Budget 2014. The Central Bank and Klaus...

The management of Dublin Bus has threatened to unilaterally introduce changes to workers terms and conditions of employment from Sunday 4th August. Such action will automatically result in strike action by SIPTU members at the company in line with overwhelming votes...

The effects of the 1913 Lockout are still evident in Irish society 100 years after the great struggle between employers and trade unionists, according to SIPTU President Jack O’Connor. He said that although the employers had failed in their objective of...

This year marks the Centenary of the Dublin Lockout when employers in the city sought to destroy the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, which they saw as a threat to the status quo and their own dominant position within it. Two books launched today...