Thousands to march in unions’ protest

THOUSANDS of workers representing more than a dozen of the most powerful trade unions in the country will march on the Dáil this Thursday, leaving on a knife-edge almost two decades of industrial relations stability.

After 18 years of social partnership credited by many as crucial to Ireland's economic success proposed talks on a new national pay agreement have been stalled by unions increasingly angered at the Government's failure to protect workers' rights.

Failure to reach a new agreement would see Ireland thrust into the almost-forgotten world of national stoppages a hugely damaging prospect for the economy.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin have already warned that a return to the industrial relations chaos of previous decades would be disastrous.

But recent scandals at Irish Ferries and Gama saw the country's largest union, SIPTU, take a dramatic stand last week when opting out of planned partnership talks and demanding a clear indication from Government on how jobs displacement and workers' rights would be addressed.

A concessionary letter promising action from Mr Ahern failed to head off SIPTU's decision, and gave the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) little choice but to follow suit and pull out of talks.

SIPTU president Jack O'Connor has called on the Government to show how it intends to translate the aspirations in Mr Ahern's letter into practical measures, while ICTU general secretary David Begg said unions needed to see a blueprint of how employment rights would be protected.

Mr O'Connor, speaking on RTÉ Radio yesterday, said these were "highly complex issues" that could not be resolved in the context of partnership talks, and therefore had to be sorted out first.

Although Mr Ahern has indicated he is willing to engage with ICTU to "clarify" his commitments, he is likely to await the outcome of Thursday's march before making any move.

The march was originally planned by Irish Ferries workers in protest at the company's plan to outsource their jobs to cheaper non-national employees.

However, the issue has become a touchstone for the future of partnership and more than 12 of the largest unions in the country have agreed to participate.

In a statement yesterday, Mr O'Connor urged people to participate, saying the Irish Ferries case offered "a glimpse of the neo-liberal nightmare" to come for all workers if the EU Services Directive was implemented.

Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy is keen to push through the directive to liberalise services within the union and remove protectionist barriers in a bid to boost the European economy.

But Mr O'Connor warned: "The proposed directive will allow employers to transport workers from one end of the EU to the other and impose the 'going rate' in the member state with the poorest conditions applicable. This represents a complete repudiation of the European social model in the name of greed."