Largest union backs new national pay agreement

THE country’s biggest union, SIPTU, has voted by almost three to one to accept the new national pay deal.

Following a month-long nationwide ballot, 72% of members voted in favour of Towards 2016 to secure 10% wage increases over the next 27 months.

The union’s 200,000 members join the 56,000 public service workers from the Impact union in support of the agreement.

Joe O’Flynn, SIPTU general secretary, said members were happy to support the agreement because of the assurances on exploitation, job displacement and working standards.

“Members have clearly decided in favour of the proposals on the basis of the substantial progress achieved on measures to combat exploitation, the threat of displacement and the proper enforcement of labour standards as well as the wider social agenda,” he said.

“The pay terms will protect workers’ living standards over the lifetime of the agreement.”

With more than a quarter of a million of the country’s workers prepared to back Towards 2016 it is likely to be ratified by the Irish Congress of Trades Union next month.

SIPTU, which holds around 20% of voting power at ICTU, will cast its votes in favour of the agreement at the special Congress conference on September 5.

Impact holds 10% of the votes. Business federation and employers representative IBEC is also expected to ratify the deal.

Under Towards 2016 workers will get a 10% pay increase for workers, in four phases, over 27 months.

It includes a range of measures designed to underpin employment standards and combat exploitation of workers. The employment standards provisions in the deal include fines of up to €250,000, and possibly prison, for employers who flout labour laws.

And there is also a section setting out 10-year targets in the areas of social provision and macroeconomic policy.

The Public Service Executive Union and the National Union of Journalists announced this week their members had voted by big majorities to accept the agreement.

Mr O’Flynn said his negotiating team insisted issues of exploitation, displacement and proper enforcement of labour standards were adequately addressed during the talks.

“Our concerns in this area were highlighted by the events surrounding Gama and Irish Ferries and we held firmly to the view that only when sufficient progress was made on these issues could we proceed to consider the rest of the talks agenda,” he said.

Mr O’Flynn also accepted that the pay rises would run ahead of inflation.

“The result is a significant endorsement of our union’s campaign to highlight and combat exploitation and for a threshold of decency in employment standards in this country,” he added.