Shifting the Burden http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/39824
WHO is shouldering the burden of the recession? The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has this month released a report which seeks to answer that question.
The report is called Shifting the Burden: Why the Government wants to load the cost of the collapse onto the less-well-off and why their plan will just make things worse.
It argues that at the heart of Government policy is “a determination to load the full cost of the collapse onto working people and the poor”.
The consequence of this strategy, argues ICTU, “could turn Ireland into a social and economic wasteland for a decade or more”.
In support of their argument, ICTU examine the impact of recent budgets on wages, social welfare and pensions. The report outlines the loss of real income experienced by workers and the unemployed while highlighting those sectors of society who are gaining from the recession.
In 2009, 300 individuals held a personal wealth of €50 billion. Despite this, the total tax take from these millionaires was just €73 million. In the same year, the Budget took €760 million from social welfare claimants in cuts.
In 2009, the share of national wealth going to wages fell by €5 billion while profits from trade, farming and rents are expected to rise by €3 billion.
These figures, and the disparities they highlight, argue ICTU, are the consequence of a Government policy that is determined to lower the cost of labour. And there is more to come.
Shifting the Burden details Government plans to further reduce social welfare payments; cut the minimum wage and other sectoral wage rates; and reduce the size and cost of the public sector.
All of this is being done in the name of restoring Irish competitiveness, and is the key plank of the Government’s plan for economic recovery.
Yet the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), established to advise Government on competitiveness policy, doesn’t share the Government’s concern with wages.
Successive NCC reports argue that costs such as rents, energy, health insurance and childcare are primarily responsible for the economy’s loss of competitiveness in recent years. The Government has brought forward no proposals to address these issues.
In opposition to the Government’s deflationary economic strategy, ICTU quotes Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz who argues that, “In a recession you want to raise (and not decrease) the level of total spending – by households, businesses and government...”
In response to what it believes is the Government’s failed economic strategy, ICTU outlines its alternative which it contends would not only share the burden of the recession more fairly but also address the causes of the recession.
Among the measures proposed are:
Increased investment in job protection and creation
Protecting incomes
Ending social welfare cuts
Protecting people’s homes
Safeguarding public services
Reforming the tax system
Protecting pensions
Enhancing workplace rights
Stronger regulation of the banks
Extending the estimated period of time for economic recovery.
At the core of Shifting the Burden is a call for a significant shift in social and economic policy. ICTU want an end to those policies which privilege the wealthy in society at the expense of equality and long-term social and economic sustainability.
Shifting the Burden can be downloaded here http://www.ictu.ie/publications/fulllist/shifting-the-burden/
Showing posts with label trade unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trade unions. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, December 4, 2009
I'm Fxcking angry and pissed off!
As a public sector worker in the South I am totally pissed off with the manner in which my union has behaved in relation to the pre budget negotiations.
My union held a national ballot, organised meetings and sent out literature about the position of the union leadership in relation to the planned government cuts to public sector pay. In all of the above the argument was put forward that such cuts were not fair and must be rejected in favour of a fairer tax system whereby the wealthier members of the country would pay more, because they could afford it!
I stood with many others holding official union placards that said no to pay cuts and yes to fairer taxation. It was on this basis that people voted to strike and walked out in their hundreds of thousands. To us the argument was sound and we were taking a principled stand.
BUT THEN
Yet what happened? Our leaders then go into negotiations and put forward a proposal whereby public sector workers would have to take 12 days compulsory leave without pay! This is a pay cut and anybody with a brain can see that.
By taking this step the union leaders had moved away from the agreed principled position already mentioned and accepted that the public sector pay bill needed to be reduced. At one stroke they had undermined their/our position. This was madness!!!
As soon as I heard this was happening I said this will not be agreed and the government will hum ha and then walk away. Which is exactly what they did. SURPRISE!!
The reason they can safely walk away is that they can now simply turn around and say ,"Look you accepted the need for the pay bill to be reduced, but unfortunately your way will not work. So all that is left is pay cuts. Sorry."
And in response what can the union bosses say, "Umm umm No that's not right. We have tried to be reasonable. We don't really believe cutting pay is important anymore."
To which the media will go, "Ha ha ha. Now we have you. Now we have ya."
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN
When I try to understand what has happened to my union since the crisis began, I am left confused.
Firstly we had the behaviour around the pay cuts via the increased pension payments.
When this step was announced by the government the unions took weeks to organise a response. They got over 100,000 people on the streets opposing these cuts eventually got around to organising a ballot for strike action. But what happened? Nothing. One union did not have a big enough majority for strike action and that was it.
In my opinion this was NOT the result of poor leadership on the part of the unions. Rather the union leadership actually accepted the logic of the cuts and that wait. game over.
Secondly we have the farce around the cuts coming up in the budget. For me there is only one explanation for what happened and that is the leadership never believed what they were originally telling their members. they never actually believed in fairer taxation and making the rich pay and one of the reasons for that is possibly the high pay of many of those union leaders. For some info check here http://www.businessandleadership.com/news/article/16895/leadership/paper-publishes-salary-levels-of-trade-union-leaders
SO NOW WHAT?
So now what. Well the only thing for people to do is get active in their union. Every branch member should demand to know why the leadership are behaving as they are. If they believe in the cuts agenda, well be honest about it and convince us. If they don't support the cuts agenda then why are they just rolling over every time the government makes another attack on working people. And if we don't like their answers then we should kick them out of office and put in people who will fight for working people.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sinn Féin TDs stand in solidarity with striking public sector workers
Great work from the Sinn Féin TD's
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Coca Cola - The real thing when it comes to respecting workers
Below is an e-mail I received from Pól Ó Deoráin. He had received it from a worker invoved in the current Coca Cola dispute in Dublin. I have also included a video made by the strikers.
The complete disregard that Coca Cola has shown for its employees is reflected across the country in cases such as Tomas Cook, Dublin Docks etc and working people need to stand together, not only to protect jobs, but also pay and conditions.
I strongly believe that what we are seeing now is a taste of what is to come in both the public and private sector and Sinn Féin must continue to stand with workers in such struggles on both sides of the border.
A Chara
A neighbour sent this to me. He is on Strike in Coca Cola
Now entering my fourth week of strike duty at the Coca Cola HBC’s Ballycoolin plant. A day that myself and my 60 work mates thought we would never see. 18 of us with fixed term contracts joined Coca Cola HBC over a year ago with the promise of permanent employment. How wrong were we? How sad and disappointed are we, as most of us left full time employment to join Coca Cola HBC thinking it would be a job for life?
We were notified recently of the company’s proposal to outsource all jobs in distribution. This will affect over 50 people immediately in Dublin. There are also depots in Cork and Tuam to consider who have no futures. 130 people in total will be affected.
SIPTU balloted staff for strike action with an over whelming “YES” majority. However, some of the people who voted in favour of strike have now returned to work. They went from “YES” to looking at us with disgust as they pass our picket each day. Our protest seems to be only a major annoyance to them. Imagine how we feel. What we strike for now will ultimately benefit them in the future. What little thanks as they could be next.
We believe a company who has made over 200 million profit in the first half of this year are most certainly in a position to keep all staff employed. They openly admit that outsourcing is the cheapest way forward, totally at our expense.
We protest about our 45% to 70% pay cuts and loss of pension rights for staff, only if the third party companies offer positions to us. It is supposed to be a transfer of undertaking, where staff are transferred with the same salaries and same pension rights. Pay cuts of that level are totally unacceptable in modern Ireland with such a high cost of living. A long bleak future of unemployment for the unsuccessful. The average 10% pay cut the majority of Irish people had to take would be most welcome.
Gokhan Bilgic managing director of Coca Cola HBC told the staff we had the highest output per man and that we set a high standard for all distribution points to follow. He was very happy, however this was not enough.
This is the first all out strike Coca Cola has seen in its 50 year history in Ireland. Our pickets are 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We fight for the right to be treated fairly and for our hard work to be recognised and appreciated.
Michael Kerrigan, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
September 18, 2009 5:12 PM
The complete disregard that Coca Cola has shown for its employees is reflected across the country in cases such as Tomas Cook, Dublin Docks etc and working people need to stand together, not only to protect jobs, but also pay and conditions.
I strongly believe that what we are seeing now is a taste of what is to come in both the public and private sector and Sinn Féin must continue to stand with workers in such struggles on both sides of the border.
A Chara
A neighbour sent this to me. He is on Strike in Coca Cola
Now entering my fourth week of strike duty at the Coca Cola HBC’s Ballycoolin plant. A day that myself and my 60 work mates thought we would never see. 18 of us with fixed term contracts joined Coca Cola HBC over a year ago with the promise of permanent employment. How wrong were we? How sad and disappointed are we, as most of us left full time employment to join Coca Cola HBC thinking it would be a job for life?
We were notified recently of the company’s proposal to outsource all jobs in distribution. This will affect over 50 people immediately in Dublin. There are also depots in Cork and Tuam to consider who have no futures. 130 people in total will be affected.
SIPTU balloted staff for strike action with an over whelming “YES” majority. However, some of the people who voted in favour of strike have now returned to work. They went from “YES” to looking at us with disgust as they pass our picket each day. Our protest seems to be only a major annoyance to them. Imagine how we feel. What we strike for now will ultimately benefit them in the future. What little thanks as they could be next.
We believe a company who has made over 200 million profit in the first half of this year are most certainly in a position to keep all staff employed. They openly admit that outsourcing is the cheapest way forward, totally at our expense.
We protest about our 45% to 70% pay cuts and loss of pension rights for staff, only if the third party companies offer positions to us. It is supposed to be a transfer of undertaking, where staff are transferred with the same salaries and same pension rights. Pay cuts of that level are totally unacceptable in modern Ireland with such a high cost of living. A long bleak future of unemployment for the unsuccessful. The average 10% pay cut the majority of Irish people had to take would be most welcome.
Gokhan Bilgic managing director of Coca Cola HBC told the staff we had the highest output per man and that we set a high standard for all distribution points to follow. He was very happy, however this was not enough.
This is the first all out strike Coca Cola has seen in its 50 year history in Ireland. Our pickets are 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We fight for the right to be treated fairly and for our hard work to be recognised and appreciated.
Michael Kerrigan, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
September 18, 2009 5:12 PM
Friday, July 10, 2009
An Phoblacht - Sending out the right message
I'm glad to see this week's edition of An Phoblacht has two pieces supporting workers in the current economic crisis. For me this is a core message that Sinn Féin needs to be shouting out loudly.
The first article is entitled
Recession no excuse for employers to line pockets with money owed to electricians
Unions to resist attempts to drive down wages and conditions
The article is in clear support of the the electricans and their stance in fighting for what they are owed and how this is just the latest attempt to attack the pay and conditions of ordinary workers.
The article states, "The reason why this dispute has taken on such importance for the trade union movement is that it represents another step in a concerted attempt by employers to dismantle agreed structures and mechanism for setting wages in specific sectors of the economy. It follows an attempt last year by the Irish Hotels Federation to challenge the right of Joint Labour Committees and the Labour Court to set minimum wages and the employment conditions for workers in the hotel sector.This dispute arose as a consequence of a challenge by the a section of employers to a registered employment agreement (REA) on electricians pay, agreed by workers and employers. That employers’ action in refusing to pay the agreed increase would, if carried out by unions, have been described as ‘wild cat action’ with serious consequences for any unions involved. The action by the TEEU is a direct response to employers’ refusal to negotiate, despite a recommendation from the Labour Court that they should do so."
In addition there is a further article in An Phoblacht entitled.
McGuinness tells ICTU conference – workers cannot be asked to pay price for crisis not of their making
This article outlines points made when the Joint First Minister (stupid feckin title to be using) made at the ICTU conference in Tralee.
In the article it states.
McGuiness told delegates that his concern about the economic downturn was the effects it has inflicted on the lives of ordinary people throughout Ireland: “Effects which you as trade unionists, and myself as a political representative, are all too painfully aware. The recession cannot, and must not, be used as an excuse to drive down terms and conditions of employment for ordinary workers. Ordinary workers cannot be asked to pay the heaviest price for a crisis that is not of their making.“It is their lives and futures and indeed that of their children and grandchildren that we must focus on improving. And while we work to address the employment and banking crisis we must ensure that the most vulnerable in our society continue to be protected”.
The above two articles push the message that I feel Sinn Féin need to be fully behind. Namely Sinn Féin is a party that supports the interests of the working people of this country and that Sinn Féin will stand with the trade union movement in ensuring that it is not just working people that have to pay for the current economic crisis.
The first article is entitled
Recession no excuse for employers to line pockets with money owed to electricians
Unions to resist attempts to drive down wages and conditions
The article is in clear support of the the electricans and their stance in fighting for what they are owed and how this is just the latest attempt to attack the pay and conditions of ordinary workers.
The article states, "The reason why this dispute has taken on such importance for the trade union movement is that it represents another step in a concerted attempt by employers to dismantle agreed structures and mechanism for setting wages in specific sectors of the economy. It follows an attempt last year by the Irish Hotels Federation to challenge the right of Joint Labour Committees and the Labour Court to set minimum wages and the employment conditions for workers in the hotel sector.This dispute arose as a consequence of a challenge by the a section of employers to a registered employment agreement (REA) on electricians pay, agreed by workers and employers. That employers’ action in refusing to pay the agreed increase would, if carried out by unions, have been described as ‘wild cat action’ with serious consequences for any unions involved. The action by the TEEU is a direct response to employers’ refusal to negotiate, despite a recommendation from the Labour Court that they should do so."
In addition there is a further article in An Phoblacht entitled.
McGuinness tells ICTU conference – workers cannot be asked to pay price for crisis not of their making
This article outlines points made when the Joint First Minister (stupid feckin title to be using) made at the ICTU conference in Tralee.
In the article it states.
McGuiness told delegates that his concern about the economic downturn was the effects it has inflicted on the lives of ordinary people throughout Ireland: “Effects which you as trade unionists, and myself as a political representative, are all too painfully aware. The recession cannot, and must not, be used as an excuse to drive down terms and conditions of employment for ordinary workers. Ordinary workers cannot be asked to pay the heaviest price for a crisis that is not of their making.“It is their lives and futures and indeed that of their children and grandchildren that we must focus on improving. And while we work to address the employment and banking crisis we must ensure that the most vulnerable in our society continue to be protected”.
The above two articles push the message that I feel Sinn Féin need to be fully behind. Namely Sinn Féin is a party that supports the interests of the working people of this country and that Sinn Féin will stand with the trade union movement in ensuring that it is not just working people that have to pay for the current economic crisis.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sinn Féin supporters the workers! Or do we?
The media in the south today have been full of the industrial action taken by electricians who are members of the TEEU. The constant message seems to be how greedy and stupid these men are in taking such action at a time like this. Yet we all know that people do not go on strike for nothing and clearly the electricians have grievances that need to be addressed.
All day I have waited for Sinn Féin to issue a statement attacking the media response and showing our support of the workers, but none has yet appeared. I have waited for the leadership to say that the electricans have a right to protect their pay and working conditions, that workers need to fight back against the attacks on them by the government and employers etc. None of this is rocket science, but rather what any left wing party should say.
The Socialist Party have a long piece on their website saying why the electricians should be supported. The SWP have a large piece as well, but where is the Sinn Féin statement?
If we cannot even get off our arses and support the electricans in a natioanal strike, then is it any suprise that other left wing parties made gains at the last elections and we did not.
Anyway for those who wish to know why the electricans are striking below is a leaflet distributed to members of the TEEU explaining what is happening and asking workers to support the current strike action.
CALL TO ACTION
National Strike
Implementation Date - Monday 6th July 2009
BACKGROUND
The last pay increase applied to contracting electricians was on the 1st April 2007 - € 21.49. This increase is based on the rates of pay in 16 companies employing maintenance electricians’ using an arrears reference period from 1st September 2005 to 1st September 2006. The net effect of this is that the current rate of pay for contracting electricians is up to 4 years behind everyone else in the Irish economy.
The TEEU’s attempts to have the agreed rate of €22.5 4 (4.9% increase) applied from the 1st April 2008 were frustrated by some employers using the law courts; this has since been resolved in favour of the TEEU. However, since then the employer bodies ECA & AEC I have refused to apply the
agreed pay terms.
The increase due under the agreement from the 1st April 2009 is * €1.44 per hour giving a new hourly rate of €23.98(6.37 % increase) but the employers have again refused to implement the terms of our
agreement.
WHY STRIKE NOW, IS IT JUST ABOUT PAY?
NO. The employer bodies are pursuing a 10% pay cut in the 1st of April 2007 rate of €21.49 and if they were to succeed this would reduce the rate to €19.34 and would equate to a pay reduction of 21.2 7 % in real terms.
IS THAT AS BAD AS IT GETS ?
NO. The employer bodies are pursuing significant changes to our agreement that include:
Analogue agreement: The abolition of the existing analoguesystem.
Qualified Electricians: Employing people in the industry to do electricians’ work and who do not have qualifications that satisfy the employer, will be paid 25 % less than the agreed electricians’ rate.
Travel Time: Travelling time and bus fares to be abolished.
Overtime: No overtime will be paid until after 39hrs have been worked in a week.
Shift Pay: A major reduction in shift pay.
Country Money:
● Hours of work may be altered at the employers’ discretion.
● The employer could exercise the option of renting accommodation.
● Visiting home allowance to be abolished.
Tools: Members to supply significant amount of own tools:
● Cordless Drill & 2 batteries
● Digital Multimeter
● Compensation for loss of tools partially abolished.
* The rate and percentage specified is our calculations that were submitted to the ENJIC and they are not yet agreed .
Apprentices:
● Rates to be reduced to: 2nd Year – 40%, 3rd Year – 60%, 4th Year – 70%
● No pay increase if an exam is failed.
● Pay reduced by 10% if transport is provided and used outside of working hours.
Spare time working: Workers found to be engaged in nixers, foxers or homers etc would be liable to immediate dismissal.
Mobile phones: Mobile phones may not be used for calls or texts during working hours without prior agreement. Infringements would carry a penalty of a deduction of 15 minutes pay.
Future basis of the Agreement: The current three signatories to the agreement would have their names removed i.e. the TEEU, AECI & ECA and each electrician will be required to sign an individual contract of employment.
WHAT IS THE UNION DOING ABOUT ALL THIS?
The union has already balloted its members for official strike action; we have been to the Labour Court which recommended that the employers sit down with the union to negotiate an appropriate pay increase in the current economic climate, which the employers have refused to do.
While we do nothing, the employers are attempting to undercut each other by putting pressure on our members to either take a pay cut or work a number of hours each week without wages. This foolish tactic by them is to undercut compliant companies, drive down wages in the industry and this can have only one result; reducing wages down to the national minimum wage and destroying the competiveness of the industry.
The union is calling on all contracting electricians to back the call to action on the 6th July 2009. It is only by united action that our agreement can be retained into the future and restored for any members who have so far been affected by cuts of any description.
WHAT NEXT?
The TEEU is engaged with the employer bodies at the Electrical National Joint Industrial Council (ENJIC) pursuing a resolution of the current dispute. The employers need to get the message, not just from the union’s negotiating team but from every member on every site that they are in breach of our Registered Employment Agreement and that it must and will be restored .
For further information please attend at your next branch meeting
_________________
Eamon Devoy
General Secretary Designate.
June 4, 2009.
All day I have waited for Sinn Féin to issue a statement attacking the media response and showing our support of the workers, but none has yet appeared. I have waited for the leadership to say that the electricans have a right to protect their pay and working conditions, that workers need to fight back against the attacks on them by the government and employers etc. None of this is rocket science, but rather what any left wing party should say.
The Socialist Party have a long piece on their website saying why the electricians should be supported. The SWP have a large piece as well, but where is the Sinn Féin statement?
If we cannot even get off our arses and support the electricans in a natioanal strike, then is it any suprise that other left wing parties made gains at the last elections and we did not.
Anyway for those who wish to know why the electricans are striking below is a leaflet distributed to members of the TEEU explaining what is happening and asking workers to support the current strike action.
CALL TO ACTION
National Strike
Implementation Date - Monday 6th July 2009
BACKGROUND
The last pay increase applied to contracting electricians was on the 1st April 2007 - € 21.49. This increase is based on the rates of pay in 16 companies employing maintenance electricians’ using an arrears reference period from 1st September 2005 to 1st September 2006. The net effect of this is that the current rate of pay for contracting electricians is up to 4 years behind everyone else in the Irish economy.
The TEEU’s attempts to have the agreed rate of €22.5 4 (4.9% increase) applied from the 1st April 2008 were frustrated by some employers using the law courts; this has since been resolved in favour of the TEEU. However, since then the employer bodies ECA & AEC I have refused to apply the
agreed pay terms.
The increase due under the agreement from the 1st April 2009 is * €1.44 per hour giving a new hourly rate of €23.98(6.37 % increase) but the employers have again refused to implement the terms of our
agreement.
WHY STRIKE NOW, IS IT JUST ABOUT PAY?
NO. The employer bodies are pursuing a 10% pay cut in the 1st of April 2007 rate of €21.49 and if they were to succeed this would reduce the rate to €19.34 and would equate to a pay reduction of 21.2 7 % in real terms.
IS THAT AS BAD AS IT GETS ?
NO. The employer bodies are pursuing significant changes to our agreement that include:
Analogue agreement: The abolition of the existing analoguesystem.
Qualified Electricians: Employing people in the industry to do electricians’ work and who do not have qualifications that satisfy the employer, will be paid 25 % less than the agreed electricians’ rate.
Travel Time: Travelling time and bus fares to be abolished.
Overtime: No overtime will be paid until after 39hrs have been worked in a week.
Shift Pay: A major reduction in shift pay.
Country Money:
● Hours of work may be altered at the employers’ discretion.
● The employer could exercise the option of renting accommodation.
● Visiting home allowance to be abolished.
Tools: Members to supply significant amount of own tools:
● Cordless Drill & 2 batteries
● Digital Multimeter
● Compensation for loss of tools partially abolished.
* The rate and percentage specified is our calculations that were submitted to the ENJIC and they are not yet agreed .
Apprentices:
● Rates to be reduced to: 2nd Year – 40%, 3rd Year – 60%, 4th Year – 70%
● No pay increase if an exam is failed.
● Pay reduced by 10% if transport is provided and used outside of working hours.
Spare time working: Workers found to be engaged in nixers, foxers or homers etc would be liable to immediate dismissal.
Mobile phones: Mobile phones may not be used for calls or texts during working hours without prior agreement. Infringements would carry a penalty of a deduction of 15 minutes pay.
Future basis of the Agreement: The current three signatories to the agreement would have their names removed i.e. the TEEU, AECI & ECA and each electrician will be required to sign an individual contract of employment.
WHAT IS THE UNION DOING ABOUT ALL THIS?
The union has already balloted its members for official strike action; we have been to the Labour Court which recommended that the employers sit down with the union to negotiate an appropriate pay increase in the current economic climate, which the employers have refused to do.
While we do nothing, the employers are attempting to undercut each other by putting pressure on our members to either take a pay cut or work a number of hours each week without wages. This foolish tactic by them is to undercut compliant companies, drive down wages in the industry and this can have only one result; reducing wages down to the national minimum wage and destroying the competiveness of the industry.
The union is calling on all contracting electricians to back the call to action on the 6th July 2009. It is only by united action that our agreement can be retained into the future and restored for any members who have so far been affected by cuts of any description.
WHAT NEXT?
The TEEU is engaged with the employer bodies at the Electrical National Joint Industrial Council (ENJIC) pursuing a resolution of the current dispute. The employers need to get the message, not just from the union’s negotiating team but from every member on every site that they are in breach of our Registered Employment Agreement and that it must and will be restored .
For further information please attend at your next branch meeting
_________________
Eamon Devoy
General Secretary Designate.
June 4, 2009.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)