SIPTU still seeking assurances on employment standards

SIPTU is still holding out for Government assurances on the protection of employment standards before it will agree to support the next round of social partnership talks.

The trade-union movement decided to defer a decision on entering the talks earlier this year as a result of Irish Ferries' move to replace its workforce with cheaper Latvian labourers.

The decision was driven by SIPTU, Ireland's largest trade union, which is demanding assurances from employers and the Government that such job displacement will not be allowed to take place.

The ferries dispute was resolved earlier this week, but SIPTU said yesterday that it still needed to see the outline of an agreement on employment standards before it would agree to enter new partnership talks.

Negotiations on a successor deal to Sustaining Progress are unlikely to start until mid-January at the earliest.