SIPTU gains 15,000 non-national members over 18 months

THE country’s largest union has gained 15,000 members from the growing number of foreign nationals working here in the last 18 months.

SIPTU general secretary Joe O’Flynn said the issue of exploitation of foreign workers and evidence of falling pay rates in certain sectors must be addressed in the upcoming talks on a new social partnership agreement.

The union will hold a special conference next Tuesday at which the national executive will recommend to delegates that it should enter these negotiations. The Government invited the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to talks a fortnight ago, but the support of SIPTU with its 200,000-plus members would be vital for the strength of the wider union movement.

Mr O’Flynn said that a large number of SIPTU’s non-national recruits have come from the construction and services sectors to secure representation and employment rights.

He was commenting after a TNS/MRBI poll found that almost four-in- five adults believe that people coming here from the 10 EU accession countries should need work permits.

The same survey, in yesterday’s Irish Times, found that 70% believe that no more non-national workers should be allowed come here or that their numbers should be reduced.

“These figures show more of a concern... that migrant labour should not be abused to drive down pay and conditions,” Mr O’Flynn said.

But6, he said the question of work permits for migrant workers, as recently raised by Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, would only arise if the national pay talks failed to achieve the protections for this group being sought by the union.

“I think he was saying that, if the Government is not prepared to act in an open economy such as ours in terms of strict labour law enforcement, then you would have to look at a permit scheme to protect both migrant labour and Irish workers,” Mr O’Flynn said.