News Archive

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...

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...

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...

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;...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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 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 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 "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 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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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:...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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:...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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 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...

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 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...