Archive for the ‘Trade Unions’ Category
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 »
Keep Sunday Pay and Overtime Rates! Support Dáil Motion, Wednesday June 22, 6.30pm
The United Left Alliance will be putting a motion to the Dáil on Wednesday 22nd June. Come to the protest at the Dáil during the debate and vote at 6:30pm
Kenny-Gilmore Government Robs the Poor
UNITED LEFT ALLIANCE
Keep Sunday Pay and Overtime Rates!
RESIST MINISTER BRUTON’S ATTACKS!
Protest at the Dáil 6:30pm Wed 22nd June
The Fine Gael Minister, Richard Bruton, is planning to attack the earnings and conditions of low-paid workers. Read the rest of this entry »
United Left Alliance “A Work in Progress” – Steps Towards a New Party
The Irish election returned five TDs for the United Left Alliance, with 2.8 per cent of the first preference votes. But this victory for the Left is only part of a bigger picture of political change, writes Brendan Young, in an article commissioned by Scottish Left Review. Republished here with kind permission of the author and SLR.
This article is also published on the Irish Left Review Site :
United Left Alliance A Work In Progress – Steps Towards a New Party
Joe Higgins TD - Socialist Party and the United Left Alliance
Described as a sea change by commentators, the biggest shock of Ireland’s recent general election was the collapse of the vote of Fianna Fáil (FF), the State’s largest party; from 41.5 per cent in 2007 to just 17.4 per cent this time. FF has governed in Ireland for 61 out of the 79 years since it was formed in 1932 and has won 14 out of the 19 general elections. Yet it now has only one TD (member of parliament) in Dublin – down from 13. Its first preference vote in Dublin was only 12.5 per cent, whereas the United Left Alliance, on its first outing, got 7.1 per cent. What stands out is the loss of support for FF among working class voters – confirming what has already been happening in local elections. Read the rest of this entry »
UNITE Union Calls for a Left Vote in the Irish General Election
Statement for immediate release
Sunday, January 9th 2011
UNITE CALLS ON MEMBERS TO VOTE LEFT
The UNITE trade union, the second largest union in the Republic of Ireland has called on all working people to vote for a left wing government in the general election likely to be held in March.
“Workers should use their vote in the upcoming general election to bring about a left-wing government for the first time in the history of the state,” said Jimmy Kelly, Regional Secretary of Unite the union.
UNITE is an affiliate member of the Labour Party, and is encouraging the party to look left for coalition partners rather than to the old order of Fine Gael.
Tomás Ó Flatharta 