News Archive

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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 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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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 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 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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

SIPTU President Jack O’Connor has called for an immediate end to the economic policy of austerity which he described as “a violence perpetrated against working people and those who depend most on public services.” Addressing the MacGill Summer School...

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...

Following overnight talks between union representatives and the management of Dublin Bus, that ended at 5.00 a.m. on Thursday, 8th August, a new set of Labour Court proposals on cost saving measures at the company have been formulated. When the final...

SIPTU members conducting a 48-hour strike action at Milne Foods in Birr, County Offaly, have called on politicians to demand that the company, which has a number of contracts to supply State bodies, implement a Labour Court recommendation in...

SIPTU Education Sector Organiser, Louise O’Reilly, has offered the union’s congratulations to the 56,000 students who received their Leaving Cert results today (Wednesday, 14th August). She said: “This is a very important day...

A series of events commemorating the centenary of the 1913 Lockout will take place in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, between Thursday, 22nd and Sunday 25th August. The events will begin with the launch of an exhibition ‘Dún...

SIPTU Dublin Bus drivers are attending general meetings in Liberty Hall today (Monday, 12th August) where they are being briefed on Labour Court proposals on company cost savings. The proposals were published following over night talks last week between union...

SIPTU Dublin Bus drivers are voting at depots across the city on Labour Court proposals for a company cost savings plan. The ballot began on Thursday, 15th August, and will conclude today (Friday 16th August). The ballot result will be announced this...

Songs written by the Irish revolutionary and visionary James Connolly, have been brought to life once again. A group of musicians led by Mat Callahan have recorded the songs of Connolly on a recently released CD and collected all his know songs in a newly...

The President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, will lead the State Commemoration of the 1913 Lockout which will take place, subject to permit, on Saturday, 31 August next – 100 years precisely to the day of Bloody Sunday 1913 –...

Oration by SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, on Thursday 29th August, 2013 at the graveside of trade unionist, Patrick Dunbar, who was murdered by strike breakers on 10th March 1913 while participating in the Sligo Dock Strike...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today (29th August) that an alternative strategy for Budget 2014 would be more effective at reaching deficit targets, spurring job creation and boosting recovery prospects. Launching the Congress pre-budget...

The social economy in Ireland employs over 50,000 people and it has the potential to create thousands more jobs. Yet, it remains a source of concern for many trade unionists, who see in its development threats of outsourcing, or undercutting...

President Michael D Higgins laid a wreath on Saturday (31st August) at the statue of Jim Larkin, in O’Connell Street in Dublin, to commemorate the workers and their families who suffered during the 1913 Lockout. The laying of the wreath on top of an...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said today ( 29th August) that an alternative strategy for Budget 2014 would be more effective at reaching deficit targets, spurring job creation and boosting recovery prospects. Launching the Congress pre-budget...

The seven people who died in the collapse of two tenements buildings in Church Street, Dublin, during the 1913 Lockout were remembered on Monday, 2nd September. Speaking today at a ceremony in Glasnevin Cemetery at the graves of the victims of the...

SIPTU is supporting a vigil in solidarity with the Cuban Five which is taking place at the Spire in O’Connell Street, Dublin, on Thursday, 12th September, at 6.00 p.m. The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are unjustly imprisoned in the...

Three national student and trade union bodies issued a joint call Thursday (5th September)for immediate government action to address the youth jobs crisis and have proposed the adoption of a new National Jobs Strategy for Young People to tackle the problem....

The President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, John Douglas, on Thursday (12th September) called for the immediate release of the ‘Cuban Five’ from custody in the United States and for them to be allowed to return to their homes and...

Labour Ministers have called on the European Central Bank (ECB) to recognise Ireland’s commitment to sustainable economic recovery and deliver a bank debt deal. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, said: “We had very...

Scottish author Irvine Welsh is the latest high profile cultural figure to back the campaign to name the new transport bridge over the Liffey in Dublin in honour of James Connolly. Stating why he supported the campaign Welsh said, “Connolly was a true man...

SIPTU Economist Marie Sherlock welcomed the latest Live Register figures, indicating a consistent decline in the seasonally adjusted numbers of people signing-on over the last six months of 2012, but warned that the statistics hid the impact of emigration....

The overall number of workplace deaths fell by 13% in 2012, according to figures released by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) on Thursday (3rd January). Some 47 people were killed in workplace incidents last year compared with 54 in 2011.The agriculture...

SIPTU has called on the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide clear commitments that proposed primary legislation governing the establishment of a new company, encompassing Shannon Airport Authority (SAA), Shannon Development and...

SIPTU has condemned as unacceptable the placing on protective notice of the entire workforce at Tara Mines in Navan, Co. Meath. The 670 workers were placed on protective notice on Thursday, 3rd January, by the management of Boliden, the Swedish...

SIPTU has condemned as unacceptable the placing on protective notice of the entire workforce at Tara Mines in Navan, Co. Meath. The 670 workers were placed on protective notice on Thursday, 3rd January, by the management of Boliden, the Swedish...

Budget 2013 will result in a further contraction of the Irish economy and more job losses according to the key findings of the latest Quarterly Economic Observer (QEO) published by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI). The QEO, published on Wednesday...

SIPTU has stated that it will not sign up to a new public service agreement if it involves compulsory redundancies. SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King, said: “Opposition to compulsory redundancies is a fundamental trade union position in both the...

SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor, has urged all union members to participate in a national “Day of Action against Austerity” on Saturday, 9th February, which is being organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. In a...

SIPTU representatives will attend a Labour Court hearing on Wednesday (16th January) into the dispute at Bus Eireann following lengthy discussions at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) on Friday (11th January). The company has agreed to defer introducing cuts in...

The Mandate Trade Union has welcomed Dunnes Stores’ decision to concede its claim for a 3% pay rise for the retailer’s workforce. The company has today been informing its 14,000 staff that it will be increasing their pay by the 3% sought by Mandate...

SIPTU has endorsed the Government’s commitment to pursue the introduction of a ‘Youth Guarantee’ across Europe during the Irish Presidency of the European Union. The Youth Guarantee proposal will be the main focus of an informal meeting of the EU...

Ahead of the meeting of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs taking place in Dublin on Thursday,17th January, and Friday, 18th January, as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) called for action...

The Executive Council of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Wednesday (16th January) signed off on final arrangements for a National Day of Action to demand a resolution of Ireland’s bank debt problem. A series of marches and rallies are to be held in...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Thursday, 17th January, insisted that current European Union deliberations on a proposed new Data Protection Regulation reinforce and guarantee the principle of consent in relation to data collected by employers in the...

Workers conducted a total of 8,486 days of strike action during 2012. Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Tuesday, 22nd January, record five industrial disputes involving companies with more than 10 workers. The disputes...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions warned today (30th January) that Ireland faced “the most dire consequences” without a significant deal on the country’s €64 billion bank debt burden. Speaking at a briefing on the February 9 demonstrations that...

SIPTU has called for action to revive the economy in order to save a generation from unemployment following the release of Live Register figures that indicate the continued scale of the jobs crisis. SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley said:...

Around 400 people braved pouring rain at lunchtime on Saturday, 26th January, to show their support for the Old Darnley Lodge workers in the second week of their sit-in at the Hotel in Athboy, Co. Meath. Local politicians from all political parties...

A massive protest against the bank debt and the one-sided austerity policies imposed by the EU/ECB/IMF troika on Irish workers and their families will take place during a national Day of Action on Saturday 9th February. Unions and civic society organisations are...

To mark the centenary of the 1913 Lockout, the Progressive Film Club plan is running a series of films on the themes of labour struggles and workers’ rights throughout the coming year. It kicks-off on Saturday, January 26th with two films about...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is to warn officials from the Troika that without a significant deal on Ireland’s €64 billion bank debt burden, there is little chance of economic recovery in the near future. Speaking ahead of a meeting with...

SIPTU President, Jack O’Connor, will lay a wreath at the grave of Jim Larkin, founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, today (30th January) at 4.30 p.m. to mark the 66th...

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

A write down on the €28 billion which Ireland is expected to pay as settlement of the Anglo Irish promissory notes must be on the agenda in negotiations between the Government and European Central Bank (ECB), according to NERI Director Tom Healy. Presenting...

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has called on the Government to restore the rights and protections that applied to Irish Bank Resolution Corporation workers, before the introduction of emergency legislation that liquidated the company. Congress General...

The ITF is backing pro-democracy strikers in Tunisia today, including its three affiliates, Fédération Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisien - UGTT, Federation Generale des Ports et Dockers - UGTT and Fédération Nationale...