European Election candidates to debate workers’ rights at Dublin European election hustings.
28 May 2024
Respect at Work campaign to launch new video highlighting union busting in Ireland.
European election candidates for the Dublin constituency will debate workers’ rights and what can be done at EU level to improve them at a special hustings in Dublin on Wednesday evening. The hustings is organised by SIPTU with support from ICTU and other unions.
The Respect at Work campaign, which is a joint initiative from the Communications Workers’Union, Mandate Trade Union, the Financial Services Union and SIPTU will use the hustings to launch a new video highlighting union busting in Ireland. The video will tell the story of a union member who was sacked due to his union activity.
At the hustings all candidates will be asked to support the principles of the Respect at Work campaign.
Commenting Ian McArdle, Deputy General Secretary of the CWU said:
“The Respect at Work campaign will launch a new video which tells the story of what happened to one worker when he attempted to organise a union in his workplace. It will show union busting is real and how our weak workers’ rights legislation is allowing discrimination and victimisation occur in the workplace. The video highlights one story but the reality is this is happening in workplaces across Ireland. Ireland is one of the few Countries in the EU where this can occur.
The Government and IBEC need to adapt to the ever-changing workplace and treat workers and employers as equals. “
SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Ethel Buckley, said:
“The Irish Government need to honour their legal obligations to transpose the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages into Irish law by November this year. The IBEC position that this can be achieved without new legislation will not be accepted by workers and unions.
It is time to put a stop to union busting and victimisation in the workplace. The Respect at Work campaign are asking all European candidates to support the principles of the campaign and to lobby Government for a worker centric transposition of the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages.
We should not tolerate a society which allows employers to sack a person for organising a union. Workers should have a right to access a trade union and openly discuss their terms and conditions. Over the coming months the Respect at Work campaign will bring this message to politicians across all parties and will make it an election issue when the general election is finally called.”
ENDS
You can view the video here -
or download here -
The EU Dublin hustings will take place in the offices of the Communications Workers Union, 575-577, Nth Circular Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 1
Time : 6pm – 7.30pm
Note to Editor
Ian McArdle, Deputy General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union is available for interview.
You can find out more from the Respect at Work campaign here – https://respectatwork.ie/
Candidates attending
Barry Andrews MEP, Ciaran Cuffe MEP, Senator Regina Doherty, Senator Lynn Boylan, Aodhan O ‘Riordain TD, Clare Daly MEP, Brid Smith TD, Cllr Daithí Doolan, Sinead Gibney, Brendan Ogle.
For further information contact Brian McDowell, Mobile : 0879161225