Workers in Ireland endure the weakest trade union rights in Europe, having no legal right to access or be represented by a union in the workplace. Invariably, many employers take advantage of this, leaving workers and their representatives vulnerable and exposed to unfair treatment.
With your support the Respect at Work campaign has made progress by securing signed pledges by 89 elected TDs from across the political spectrum, including the current Minister for Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment, Mr Peter Burke, to enact legislation that:
- Promotes collective bargaining
- Protects workplace representatives
- Ensures the right to access a union at work
This autumn, Minister Burke will publish an Action Plan on Collective Bargaining to outline how he intends to keep his promise. It is critical the action plan provides binding rights and protection for worker representatives, organising access and collective bargaining.
Employers’ representative bodies are already lobbying government seeking to retain the status quo, advocating there is no necessity to change the law. The irony is, they are comfortable availing of professional representation for themselves but deny workers the same rights.
Employers also downplay the scale of union busting that is evidently taking place. Denial of unethical practices by some employers seeking to undermine trade union formation, is an endorsement of unscrupulous behaviour.
It would be morally wrong if there was any attempt by politicians to row back from their word because of the hypocritical position of employer representative bodies.
In response, we have organised a petition to Minister Burke, demanding he backs strong legislation and honours the commitments made to workers, by putting strong protective legislative rights in plac
You can play your part in making the rights a reality, by mobilising members to sign the petition and by sharing with colleagues, friends and family encouraging them to do likewise. The more signatures we have, the harder it is for the Government to ignore us.
I attach for your convenience a copy of the details. Scan the QR code or click on the link Respect at Work to sign the petition.
