Archive for the ‘Trade Unions’ Category
Receivers at Clery’s in Dublin
A wake up call for anyone who believes government spin that we are making progress out of the recession
There has been speculation “on the street” for over a month about the imminent appointment of receivers to the Clery’’s department store on O’Connell Street and this evening RTE reports that a receiver has indeed been appointed to the company, Guiney and Company Limited, which owns the iconic department store on O’Connell Street.
RTE reports the receivers saying that the store will remain open and it “will be business as usual” but the industry has been that a receivership will allow Clery’s to give notice to the various concessions which operate in the store.
Clery’s has had a long and chequered history, including a period in which it was owned by notorious Dublin businessman William Martin Murphy. It has been in the Guiney family since 1941, survived recessions in the 1950s and 1980s but overplayed its hand in the 2000s when it got into the property development game.
It is…
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Will this be the ICTU position on the Austerity Treaty?
The paper below on the Fiscal Compact (Austerity) Treaty, dated 12th April, was prepared for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions executive by General Secretary David Begg following the ICTU executive committee meeting of 9th March.
It seems that the blackmail clause is necessary for David Begg too. In a paper which is 80% a useful demolition of the Treaty from a social democratic point of view, an excuse that the wording does not really copper fasten austerity and, especially, the projected inaccessibility of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) for a second bail out following a rejection, leads to the conclusion, encapsulated in the final sentence:
“While the treaty is wrong from our economic and social perspective it becomes hard to oppose it unless a satisfactory alternative to the ESM can be advanced.”
It appears that his will be the leading proposal to go before the relevant ICTU executive meeting for deciding a Congress position on the Treaty.
The email that brought in the paper had the subject heading, “Is this travesty just going to go unchallenged?”
–ooOoo–
Several Trade Unions Opposing Household Tax
THE SECOND-LARGEST trade union in the State has urged its members not to pay the household charge.
Unite yesterday called on its 60,000 members not to register for the charge ahead of the March 31st deadline.
Unite was among several trade union groups which yesterday voiced their opposition to the €100 household charge.
“We are urging people not to register and will stand beside those who are willing to show courage and resist the charge,” spokesman Rob Hartnett said at a press conference.
The Dublin Council of Trade Unions welcomed the campaign against the charge and supported “efforts of the organisers to encourage people not to register and not to pay”, Des Derwin of the umbrella body noted yesterday.
The executive of the council took up the position at its February meeting, he said. The body represented most trade unions in Dublin but not all unions have taken up this position, he added.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0321/1224313641895.html
Dublin Council of Trade Unions: a campaign against austerity; no to the Fiscal Treaty ; non-payment of the household and water charges.
Motion from UNITE passed at the DCTU delegate meeting on Tuesday 28th on austerity, the fiscal compact and the household and water Charges.
It calls for a united campaign against austerity, for the trade unions and the ICTU to oppose the Treaty and for support for the household and water charges non-payment campaign.
SIPTU NEC calls for suspension of proposed Household Charge
From SIPTU this morning:
17th February, 2012
SIPTU NEC calls for suspension of proposed Household Charge
The National Executive Council (NEC) of SIPTU has called on the Government to suspend the proposed Household Charge on the basis that it is unfair and regressive.
At its monthly meeting today (Friday, 17th February) the NEC unanimously supported a motion stating that;
“The Household Charge as currently proposed by the Government is a flat tax which is unfair and regressive in that it subsidises wealthy people at the expense of middle and low income families. The NEC supports the principle of a fair and progressive property tax which is proportionate and which recognises that wealthy households can afford to pay more than those with modest earnings while those on lower incomes should be exempt. Read the rest of this entry »
“Be Patient and Never Give up the Struggle” An interview with Tommy McKearney
International Viewpoint has published a stimulating interview with Tommy McKearney,
http://www.tommymckearney.com/Site/Blog/Blog.html
Tommy McKearney - A Patient Revolutionary Socialist
We hope soon to carry a review of Tommy’s recently published book
Goodbye Armalite, Hello Ballot Box?
Tommy welcomes the United Left Alliance Project :
Q: In late 2010 the United Left Alliance came together to contest the February 2011 general elections in Ireland, winning five seats. What is you assessment of the ULA?
TM: The ULA is a positive and progressive development. The fact that organizations of the left have come together at any time is good and that these groups are doing so at this time of capitalist crisis is heartening and encouraging. The ULA has also given some needed visibility to the left through its articulate and high-profile spokespersons such as Richard Boyd Barrett and Joe Higgins.
Asked about Ed Moloney’s “Voices From the Grave” and the British state attack on the Boston College Belfast Project, Tommy says : Read the rest of this entry »
Anglo Bond Carnival: Dublin Council of Trade Unions urges unions and union members to support
The Dublin Council of Trade Unions has circulated the following letter to its delegates and affiliated trade unions:
19th January, 2012.
To each DCTU delegate, General Secretary or Senior Official
Dear Colleague,
A portion of the unsecured debt amounting to €1.25 billion will be handed over to ANGLO IRISH/IBRC bank on Wednesday 25th January 2012. How much budget pain could this sum solve?
This event should not pass withuout a protest.
A group called Occupy Anglo/IBRC, a loose offshoot of Occupy Dame Street are organising such a protest.
IT WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY 23rd JANUARY FROM 7 am to 5pm AT ANGLO IRISH BANK, ST. STEPHEN’S GREEN AND WILL CONTINUE ON 24th AND 25th JANUARY.
This will be a peaceful protest outside the bank and will include talks, teach-ins and music.
We urge all members to participate at some point during these three days.
Yours sincerely,
Sam Nolan
Correspondence Secretary
Letter ends
[Facebook page of Carnival organiser: http://www.facebook.com/events/280892235299369/]
United Left Alliance leaflet on Vita Cortex
Distributed at the SIPTU Vita Cortex protest, Dáil Eireann, Thursday 12th January 2012
cf. http://siptuactivist.wordpress.com/
TEXT of leaflet:
VITA CORTEX: SOLIDARITY CAN WIN
The slogan outside the Vita Cortex factory says it all: €2.5 million for three company directors. No redundancy pay for 32 workers with 847 years service.
Vita Cortex is a company that was asset stripped by its owner Jack Ronan. He is involved in a web of of companies and has claimed that money for the redundancy should come from one that is controlled by NAMA. For their part NAMA disagrees. meanwhile workers, who have put in 40 years service in some cases, had to occupy over Christmas just to get basic redundancy payments.
The workers initial demand was for 2.9 weeks redundancy pay for every year’s service. That modest sum was the going rate throughout the Vita Cortex group. But the company wants to treat workers like disposable hankies and just throw them out the door. Read the rest of this entry »
Tomás Ó Flatharta 