TEEU urges pay deal support

ONE of the country’s top unions has urged its 45,000 members to accept the proposed national pay deal.

The executive of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) said the advances in employment rights, the need to protect jobs and maintain competitiveness were the main reasons to back it.

The draft wage agreement was finally hammered out by employers and unions last month after missing several deadlines set by the Government.

It provides for a pay increase of 6% for all workers to be rolled out over 21 months.

TEEU general secretary Owen Wills said: “The outcome of our recent negotiations on a new national agreement with Government and employer bodies has been as much about resolving our concerns on employment rights issues as resolving the pay question.

“Ultimately, failure to address the non-pay issues can undermine trade union organisation and our ability to secure decent pay and terms of employment in the longer term.”

Both IMPACT and Mandate have urged their members to accept the deal.

TEEU said the agreement included important employment rights, such as anti- victimisation laws to prevent union activists and organisers being penalised and the protection of agency workers from exploitation.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has also recommend acceptance of the agreement.

“The NUJ is pleased at the commitment to grant negotiating rights to freelance journalists... following a 10-year campaign,” said secretary Séamus Dooley.