Unions attack IBEC at protest march

Union members marching in protest over statutory redundancies heard speakers criticise the employers' body IBEC.

Senator Joe O’Toole, President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said: “There is a single message that must go out here today – IBEC better call their members into line to accept the properly achieved recommendations of the Labour Court.

“At times I think it would be easier doing business with the Sopranos than it would be with IBEC.”

Des Geraghty, president of the union SIPTU, said: “I believe this demonstration today has shown that there is still a nerve of solidarity that extends right through our movement.

“Even when there is a plea that a company cannot afford to pay there is no justification for the employers not supporting our demonstration that we have an improvement in the statutory redundancy.”

The action follows disputes at the Irish Glass Bottle Company, where more than 300 workers lost their jobs when the company closed in July.

A spokesman for Ardagh plc, the company which owns the company, said disputes arose when it could not afford the original recommendations made by the Labour Court.

He said the original offer made by IGB was approximately two and a half weeks pay per year of service.

Unions were also seeking a solution to disputes at Peerless Rugs, Blackthorn Shoes and Roscommon Precision Casting.

The rallies were organised by four trade unions: SIPTU, BATU, the TEEU and UCATT.