ICTU raises the stakes for new pay deal

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) will today ask member unions not to make a decision on entering negotiations on a new national agreement until the Government provides clarification on provisions to protect employment rights.

The move comes after SIPTU, by far the largest union in ICTU, yesterday voted to defer its entry into talks until the Government provides specific commitments about legislative protection for terms and conditions of workers.

Following a meeting of ICTU’s executive last night a spokesman confirmed delegates at today’s conference would also be asked to defer entering talks.

The spokesman said ICTU would now seek clarification on commitments made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in a letter this week which outlined the Government’s intent to address numerous employment rights issues in the next partnership deal. Mr Ahern’s letter said the best way to improve protections was for unions to stay within the social partnerships framework but after yesterday’s SIPTU vote, president Jack O’Connor said the union would need further details explaining how the Government would implement any of the measures Mr Ahern spoke of.

“I believe that the Taoiseach meant what he said when he drafted that letter. I believe that he meant what he said when he condemned the action Irish Ferries proposed to take. But I think that the Government and the Taoiseach are presented with a challenge into how they can give practical effect to their public statements,” he said.

Mr O’Connor also warned delegates that deferring entering talks should not be taken lightly.

“Think long and hard before you vote for this motion because it could mean that we could be out of social partnership.

“There would be plenty of forces that would like to see us out of the talks and it could be a long time before we get our feet under the table again,” he said.

While Mr Ahern responded by saying partnership was impossible without SIPTU, Mr O’Connor said the cause of workers’ rights would be far more difficult to achieve outside partnership. “It is our analysis that partnership is the best way to do it...We’re not going to say that it’s impossible to do it otherwise but it’s very very difficult indeed.”

Meanwhile General secretary of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) Owen Wills welcomed SIPTU’s decision saying his union also wanted “a firm basis” for talks.

“It is now clear that while the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is anxious to address the problems of gross exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers and protect the wages and conditions of unionised workers, he has not be able to clarify so far how this can be done,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein MEP Mary Lou McDonald yesterday said she would raise the Irish Ferries dispute with EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy when she meets the Internal Market Commissioner.

“We are calling for a directive which would deal with ships operating in European waters under flags of convenience and for minimum labour standards to be set. I also want to ascertain how culpable the Irish Government was in allowing the previous Ferries Directive to lapse last year,” she said.