Deadline for former union staff on sit-i
The workers, six of whom have been let go by the Building and Allied Trade Union in the past four months, took over the offices on Sunday night. They claim that as paid-up members of the union they are entitled under an 1871 act to remain there.
The dispute between the union and its staff began when two staff were made redundant last May. The union claimed it was making the cutbacks due to a downturn in the construction industry.
The staff let go were members of the Unite trade union and they and fellow Unite members mounted a picket outside the BATU offices claiming they should not have been made redundant under the last-in, first-out process.
As the action continued, BATU officials decided that four other protesters should be sacked due to their “behaviour”.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has tried to intervene in the dispute but according to BATU chief Paddy O’Shaughnessy that process “has hit the wall”.
The striking former workers have called for Mr O’Shaughnessy to resign and also for the union to open its books to an auditor.
However, Mr O’Shaughnessy said he has the full confidence of the union executive and he has no intention of stepping down. He also said the finances were in order, that the union was audited up to December 31 and the accounts were approved by executive council.
Last night, one of the men occupying the BATU headquarters, Daniel O’Connell, said they were entitled to be there and would remain until they were either removed by gardaí or the senior management of the union stepped down.
“We represent a majority of rank-and-file BATU members who are sickened by the actions of the general secretary and others and by their failure to build the union at a time when construction workers are under ferocious attack,” he said.
“The strike, which has gone on now for four and a half months, has brought into sharp focus how out of touch the leadership are. Members are also very angry that the general secretary has refused to co-operate with the call by union trustees for a full audit of the union’s finances following concerns of financial irregularity.”
