unite works ireland march 15

UNITE WORKS! GET ORGANISED & STAY INFORMED

MARCH 2015

String ofsuccessesshows howUnite is organisingto win...

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RyObI NI WatER

IRISh LIFE

JJ RhatIGaN

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WINNING FOR WORKERS

Page 4

2 March 2015 UNITE WORKS

Unite Works is a quarterly publication produced by Unite the UnionEditors: Donal O’Cofaigh (Belfast) [[email protected]] & Alex Klemm (Dublin) [[email protected]]

Design and Editing: Brazier Media; E: [email protected]; Printing: College Hill PressDesigned, edited and printed by trade union labour

10 reasons to join UniteAn injury to one is the concern of all

You can earn more – workers inunionised workplaces earn between five and eight percent more.

You could get more holiday – Unitehas won better holidays for many of itsmembers in places where it organises.

You are less likely to be sacked –trade union members are half as likely to be sacked than non-union members.

You get more and better training –Unite has fully trained learning reps to ensure you update your skills.

If you do get injured you can get better compensation – Unite regularlyhelps members and their families each yearthrough its legal help.

You are less likely to be discriminatedagainst than non-union colleagues –Unite constantly campaigns for tougher anti-discrimination laws.

You are less likely to be injured –unionised workplaces have trained healthand safety reps to ensure employers meettheir responsibilities.

You will get better maternity or paternity leave – workers in unionised workplaces enjoy better leave than just the legal minimum.

More job security – The union challenges job cuts and campaigns whenworkplaces are under threat of closure.

Be part of an organisationthat champions fairness –Unite challenges injustice atwork and in our communities.

3UNITE WORKS March 2015

REGIONAL OFFICEBelfast

Unite the union, 26-34 Antrim Road, Belfast, BT15 2AA T: 02890 232381

F: 02890 329904 / 748052

Jimmy Kelly, Regional Secretary

District offices in Northern Ireland

(when calling from the ROI, 048 can be used to replace 028)

BallymenaUnite the union,

The Pentagon, 2 Ballymoney Road Ballymena BT43 5BY T: 02825 656216F: 02825 646334

Londonderry/DerryUnite the union,

56/58 Carlisle Road, Londonderry BT48 6JP

T: 02871 220214F: 02871 366025

PortadownUnite the union,

29a William Street, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 3NX

T: 02838 358987/332124F: 02838 362026

Republic of Ireland HEAD OFFICE

(International dial 00 353 when calling from UK)

DublinUnite the union, Unite House,

55-56 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1 T: 01 873 4577 / 6611063F: 01 873 4602 / 6611738

District offices in the Republic of Ireland

Dundalk Francis Street, Dundalk, Co Louth

T: 042 933 4338F: 042 933 4837

LimerickUnite the union,

11 Pery Square, Limerick T: 061 310 244F: 061 310 262

Waterford Unite the union,

Keyzer Street, Waterford T: 051 875 438F: 051 878 401

UNITE

THE UNION WORKSVIEWMARCH 2015

Welcome to the first issue of your brand new magazine.WORKS will be published four times a year, covering stories from

across the Ireland Region. This new initiative comes at a time when our union is powering ahead – winning for workers [see Iec chair liam Gallagher’s overview of some recent successes on page 4] in a range of sectors, and campaigning on the issues that matter to you outside the workplace.

Workers are under attack in both parts of the island. The economic crisis and theausterity response adopted by governments in Dublin, Belfast and Westminster hasdepressed workers’ living standards not only as a result of wage cuts and increasedtaxes and charges, but also as a result of cuts to the public services on which we all depend.

Unite argues that a sustainable recovery must be wage led, and that is one of the reasons we are actively campaigning for a Living Wage North and South – a new threshold of decency.

Where Unite is organised in workplaces, we have not only been defending ourmembers against attacks on their terms and conditions – we have also won a range ofpay increases which have put money in our members’ pockets, and in the tills andcash registers of local businesses.

The message is clear: the best way for workers to advance their interests is to join aunion – and the greater our density in a workplace, the better our chances of securing agood deal for workers. And success doesn’t just mean more money or better terms forour members – it means more members, which helps breed future success.

The proof of Unite members fighting back can be seen across the country – fromRhatigan workers in lucan to pensioners in Waterford crystal. It can be seen in Irish life, in the Northern Ireland Health sector, in NI Water, and in the gathering momentum for a public sector strike on march 13th against the austerity measures enforced by the Stormont House agreement.

While workplace organisation is crucially important, Unite’s mission goes far beyond that. We must help organise members and non-members alike to strive for asociety that places equality, dignity and respect at its centre. A society very differentfrom the one we have now, where poverty, unemployment and low pay are endemicNorth and South.

That is why we have been centrally involved in the outstandingly successfulRight2Water campaign in the Republic, and in the People’s NHS campaign in Northern Ireland which seeks to keep the NHS out of TTIP.

These two campaigns have two very important features in common: they are aboutpreventing the commodification of the basic services on which we all rely. And they are about Unite working in equal partnership with other trade unions, civil society organisations and individuals to defend our rights.

As trade unionists, we already know from our workplaces that we are stronger together. Now we need to bring that solidarity, organisation and determination home – into our communities. Unite in the community is being rolled out across theisland; for further information on how you can get involved contactUnite’s Regional community coordinator Albert Hewitt [[email protected]].

I hope you enjoy reading your new magazine. Please share it withcolleagues, family and friends, and help us grow our union in 2015.

DearMember,DearMember,

Jimmy Kelly,Regional Secretary

Jobbridge 6 ttIP 7 NI health strike 10 dunnes 12 corpo tax 13

campaigning for youand winning for you...


By Liam GallagherChair, Irish Executive Committee

Picture: Phil Rogers (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly speaks at a social function in the Dockers Club following the unveiling

UNITe Regional SecretaryJimmy Kelly and SIPTUGeneral President Jack o’connor recently bravedwintery conditions to unveilan impressive wall muralcelebrating the industrial,maritime and social heritageof north Belfast’s docklands.

Up to 300 people gatheredon Pilot Street in the heartof Belfast’s historic Sailor-town to watch the unveilingceremony on January 30.

The mural, part of theShared History InterpretiveProject (SHIP), was princi-pally sponsored by THeHeritage lottery Fund butthe initiative was also

backed by Unite, UNISoNand SIPTU.

SHIP spokesperson BrianQuinn told Unite Works:“SHIP carried out over a yearof painstaking but enjoyableresearch before we finallycame up with the finishedwork. While it may be com-pleted, the work and educa-tional benefits that will flowfrom it are only beginning.”

The mural, measuring32ft by 12ft, is made up of 58images drawing on maritimeand industrial themes, withside panels featuring tradeunion badges as well as trib-utes to James connolly,Winifred carney, Jim

larkin, William mcmullenand John Quinn – who allplayed key roles in the his-tory of the area in the early1900s.

Brian Quinn said it washoped the mural would actas a valuable educationaltool for locals and visitorsalike and that SHIP is plan-ning to run “educationaland informative talks” at thesite. SHIP has also pub-lished a booklet on themural.

He added: “We are certainthat visitors to the muralwill learn, at least a tiny bitof the massive rich historyof this area of Belfast.”

Belfast docklands historycelebrated in new mural

Organising to win...

Measuring 384 sq ft, the Pilot Street mural is packed with historical detail from the local area

NI NI RoI

WHeN workers organise and act together,workers win – that’s what unions are allabout.

And Unite members north and southhave had a few recent hard-won victories tocelebrate...

In the Republic, almost a thousandUnite members in Irish Life are celebratinga pay rise after almost 94% had voted forindustrial action at the beginning of 2014following a unilateral decision by the com-pany to freeze pay and increments. In-stead, the pay of most members willincrease by between 5% and 7%, with payincreases backdated to April 1st 2014.

A group of Unite members workingon a JJ Rhatigan construction site outsideDublin took industrial action in protest atbogus self-employment and poverty pay.After five long months on the picket line,the labour court found that their rightshad been breached and recommended thatthe company compensate the workers tothe tune of €100,000.

meanwhile, in Northern Ireland,Unite members in Ryobi won a 3% pay deal,as well as improvements to their terms andconditions, on the back of a ballot for indus-trial action. This action followed a ‘100%campaign’, and again shows the importanceof high density.

And the power of threatened or actualindustrial action was again demonstratedwhen NI Water workers – the worst paidutility workers in the UK – started a work torule in December over the proposed intro-duction of higher employee pension contri-butions. Following tough negotiations,Unite and the other unions secured a dealwhich is being put to members later thismonth. While details of the deal are confi-dential, media reports suggest that workerswill receive a pay increase in compensationfor the proposed pension changes, and willalso receive an increased on-call allowance.

These are just four cases out of manywhere workers drew a line in the sand andworked together to defend their terms andconditions – fully supported by their union.


I dig being in UniteI WoRK as an archaeologist, aprofession that up until July2014 was not unionised in Ireland. Since the recession hit,there has been a race to the bottom in terms of pay and conditions in the commercialindustry, with numbers em-ployed down by 80%.

my union involvement beganin July 2012 when I heard abouta colleague who had been dis-missed for revealing that a veryvaluable archaeological site wasabout to be destroyed withoutfull excavation. Along with colleagues, I launched a socialmedia campaign which played asignificant part in having whathas been described as “the mostimportant wetland archaeologi-cal site in europe” fully exca-vated.

That social advocacy cam-paign helped deal with the archaeology – but it didn’t helpthe archaeologists.

MOMENtUMTo try and improve the advo-

cacy for archaeologists’ pay andconditions I set up a closedFacebook page called Represen-tation for Irish Archaeologists.This closed forum quicklygained momentum and now hasover 480 professional archaeolo-gists interacting as members.

Using this a platform, we setup a petition to encourage theInstitute of Archaeologists ofIreland (IAI) to act on crisis inpay and conditions. As a resultthe IAI commissioned a “Work-ing Group” to address pay issuesand make recommendations.

I was co-opted on to thisgroup as a non IAI member toresearch, survey and interviewIrish archaeologists. This reporthighlighted the stark conditionsof archaeologists in the commercial sector, many in precarious jobs earning belowthe living Wage. It bench-marked archaeologists againstother sectors, and included recommended pay rates. Thisdocument was endorsed by IAImembers.

The issue now was that theIAI couldn’t enforce the recom-mended pay rates as it would bepotentially anti-competitive.The only organisation that could

was a union. It was at this pointthat I contacted Unite. Thedrive to organise and enforceour demands began through social media, meetings (both

local and regional), emails, telephone calls, texts, articles inarchaeological magazines, blogposts, posters, t-shirts, word ofmouth, and stands at archaeo-

logical events. After over a yearof campaigning, we now haveour own Archaeological Branchwith over 60 members. I have atwofold role, as Branch Secre-tary and Workplace Representa-tive, and we are activelypursuing a Registered employ-ment Agreement to ensure implementation of the recommended pay rates by thesummer.

We have informally met withthe employers, and respondedto their concerns for both theircompanies and the industry as awhole, gaining their support.We have also met with politi-cans with regard to implement-ing a Registered employmentAgreement.

ORGaNISEdUnite has helped us raise our

current situation on nationaltelevision as well as placing interviews in the print media.Becoming organised has notonly allowed us to becomeaware and self-sufficient, buthas also enabled us to lend pub-lic and financial support toother Unite campaigns such asthe White Ribbon campaign toend violence against women –and we were proud to stand insolidarity with the JJ Rhatiganworkers battling for a livingwage.

Social media has been instru-mental at every stage of ourcampaign. The nature of ourprofession, where people canwork in isolation from eachother and are not always in em-ployment, makes internet con-tact vital.

Social media can also be usedstrategically, whether throughonline petitions and surveys ofwages and conditions, or by producing eye-catching visualimages to raise awareness.

Using the Internet for advo-cacy constantly requires newideas to update and freshen-upwebsites, as well as a constantstream of blog and social posts.Hard results still require face-to-face negotiation and oldfashioned pressure from mem-bers, but effective use of socialmedia is a vital tool in union organisation.

MEMbER’S VIEW JEAN O’DOWD, ARCHAEOLOGIST

You can follow Unite Archaeology on Twitter [@UniteArch] or checkout their website [http://unitearch.wix.com/unitearchaeology]

Jean O’Dowd, whose stock in

trade is excavating artefacts from the past, used

up-to-the-minute social media

platforms to drivehome the need for

archaelogists to getorganised

IT JUSTCLICKED


By Laura DugganUnite Youth activist

RoI

#WorkMustPay is a joint campaign againstJobBridge formed in late 2014. made up ofUnite Youth Dublin, cWU Youth commit-tee Ireland, connolly Youth and Sinn FeinYouth, the campaign aims to eliminate un-paid internships through the use of picketsand discourse in order to challenge the ac-ceptability of employers taking on unpaidlabour instead of providing even the basicrespect of a minimum wage.

The government has proven unresponsiveto polite reservations, academic criticismand political protest against the use of so-called ‘labour activation’ schemes. A changeof tactics was therefore well overdue. In-stead of lobbying politicians and hoping fora change in policy, #WorkMustPay activistsdirectly challenge any employer who profitsfrom the use of free JobBridge labour.

Peaceful protests, chants and leaflets areused to encourage such employers to takedown JobBridge adverts, take on no furtherinterns and commit to the basic respect of afair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. So far thecampaign has gone from strength tostrength with a number of victories.

Some may say it is unfair to target busi-nesses that are only making use of a fullylegal and government-approved pro-gramme, but we must recognise that some-one under 25 years old receives only €150 a

taRGEtING JObExPLOItatION

week through this scheme. This represents aworking wage of €3.75 an hour, and there isnothing fair about trying to make thatstretch to cover rent, food, transport, med-ical costs and any other expenses.

The use of unpaid internships has elimi-nated job opportunities, eroded the value oflabour, exploited the unemployed and cre-ated a ‘try before they buy’ attitude frombusinesses towards future workers - with noguarantee they will do the latter.

#WorkMustPay hopes to create an envi-ronment where this practice becomes lessacceptable, reducing the number of wagepaying jobs being turned into internships.

The campaign has called for a generaldemonstration on march 13th outside theDepartment of Jobs. All trade unions, polit-ical parties and groups will be invited to at-tend and voice their opposition to all formsof exploitative internship schemes.

To find out more about the campaign,please visit www.workmustpay.com.

Under 25s receive only€150 a week through

the scheme – thatequates to working

wage of €3.75 an hour

The hiddenhuman costof unpaidinternships

#WorkMustPay activists stage a picket outside a recruitment agency in December

We stand on the shoulders of our

grandmothers – and never more so than

when looking back on our achievements

as women and organised workers

Celebrating our achievements

Highlighting our struggles

Voicing our demands


WHeN we started our campaign few people had even heard of the TTIP – in-deed, the name of the trade deal itselfseems designed to be off-putting to thepublic. We worked with our supporters,gaining huge support from Unite’s DavyKettyles, in building a campaign to raiseawareness of this issue.

In the past six months, our campaign hasreceived huge levels of support from thepublic whether we were collecting signa-tures in hospital lobbies, canvassing door todoor or leafleting.

In area after area we have been over-whelmed by the strength of support for theNHS and the strong opposition to anythreat of privatisation.

In addition to this grassroots organisingand awareness building, we have been actively lobbying key political leaders inNorthern Ireland. We have now securedsupport from almost all parties in NorthernIreland: Sinn Fein, UUP, SDlP, Alliance,Greens, PUP, UKIP and NI21. Some leading

ttIP threat to our NhSUnite Works talked to the Rev Chris Hudson, spokesperson for the People’s NHS campaign in Northern Ireland. He outlines below how the group is raising awareness of the threat to theNHS from the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks between the US and EU

NI

public representatives of the DUP are verysupportive and we are hopeful that they willfully endorse our campaign so that all majorparties in Northern Ireland stand behindthe NHS.

POLItIcaL UNaNIMItyWe seek political unanimity for the call

that Prime minister David cameron use hispowers, as a member of the eU Trade coun-cil, to demand that health is excluded fromthe TTIP negotiations and ensure that thepublic sector ethos of the NHS is pro-tected.”

TTIP is billed as the biggest bilateraltrade deal ever negotiated and aims to bringtogether the United States and europeanUnion in a single market. But the deal has adark side.

Should a US private healthcare companysupplying the NHS consider its interests arethreatened by changes to government pol-icy, TTIP would allow them to sue in secretcourts, potentially for billions of pounds.

In area after area wehave been overwhelmedby the strength of sup-

port for the NHS and thestrong opposition to anythreat of privatisation

Collecting signatures for anti-TTIP petition at RVH, Belfast

Rev Chris Hudson,centre, with

People’s NHS supporters.

The group is leadingthe charge locallyagainst the TTIP

trade deal’s involvement in the

health sector

NO SALE

Covered for all eventualities with UniteAs a member of Unite, you not only enjoy great workplace representation – you can also avail of a range of legal and otherservices, which include our panel of solicitors taking forward any accident at work/outside of work and a free will service.

In the Republic, you can telephone our legal helpline – 1800 303 603 – to obtain an initial free consultation on any non-work-related legal matter, and in Northern Ireland you can contact 0800 709007.

Unite also works with our affiliates to offer members great deals on insurance and other services. For more information go to www.unitetheunionireland.org and navigate to the Join Unite tab.

Alternatively, if you have a specific query you can get in touch with Patricia Burns – [email protected].


NI

FOR the first time most households inrelative poverty (52%) in Northern Ireland are working households. We havethe lowest level of private sector pay inthe UK. And 24% of part-time workershere would like to have a full-time jobbut can’t find one.

The fact that a job is not a route outof poverty is a stark fact to face. Thereare lots of reasons for this and lots ofpotential solutions – introducing a livingwage to Northern Ireland is one ideaworth exploring.

The Living Wage is an estimate of the wage that would provide a full-time worker with a basic, but ade-quate, standard of living. It currentlystands at £7.65 per hour, compared tothe national minimum wage (NMW) of£6.31 for people for those aged over 20,a difference of £1.34. In 2012, almostone quarter (23%) of employees inNorthern Ireland were paid below theLiving Wage.

Recent research by Oxford Economicsfor NICVA found that, using datafrom 2012 – the most recent yearfor which all the necessary data isavailable – the Living Wagewould have added £209m (lessthan one per cent) to theNorthern Ireland wage bill.

This would have led to aloss of 1,200 jobs, but cre-ated 2,400 jobs – a netgain of 1,200.

In addition, reduced need for in-worksocial security payments like tax creditsand increased taxation revenue wouldhave improved the public finances by£83m. On the negative side some firmswould pass higher costs on to customers,creating inflation. But the bottom line isthat the Living Wage could be imple-mented without serious detriment to theeconomy.

Fifteen years ago the New Labour gov-ernment introduced the NMW. Critics ve-hemently argued that it would imposeexcessive costs on employers, cause firmsto fail, and create unemployment. Todayit is accepted that businesses adaptedand the dire consequences predictedfailed to materialise.

While a sudden and substantial rise inthe NMW would not be advisable – com-panies need support and time to adapt –let’s be clear that action is required. Theidea that employers will voluntarily paytheir staff a Living Wage when economic

conditions recover is simply not

credible – if that was the case therewould have been no need for a statutoryNMW. The Living Wage campaign in London has targeted specific employerswho are sufficiently profitable to paytheir staff a Living Wage, but given thescale of low pay a more ambitious ap-proach is surely merited.

As an enormously influential purchaser of goods and services, theNorthern Ireland government could leadthe way. There is a debate as to the scopeto include Living Wage clauses under EUprocurement law but Greater LondonCouncil requires its contractors to paytheir staff a Living Wage – to date with-out legal challenge.

And locally the Department of Culture,Arts and Leisure recently persuadedsome of its contractors to pay its staffthe Living Wage. The Living Wage is un-doubtedly desirable. There is a growingevidence base that it is also economicallydoable. To borrow a phrase, let’s reallymake work pay.

Lisa McElherron is Head of Public Affairs for the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA). Below she sets out the economic and social benefits of a Living Wage...

£7.65/hr€11.45/hr

Both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic, Unite has been to the forefront in campaigning for a Living Wage. In the Republic, Unite is represented on the Living

Wage Technical Group which last year calculated the Living Wage as €11.45 per hour.


Unite estimates that there are 300,000 earningbelow the hourly Living Wage of €11.45. However,this doesn't capture all employees in the low-paid

trap. The Living Wage is both an hourly and weeklyfigure. There are 150,000 employees who

are 'precariously' employed – they want towork extra hours but can't get them.

Even if they get €11.45, they can't get aweekly wage to provide them with an ade-

quate living standard. And workers withchildren would need an even higher wage to live on.So it would not be an exaggeration – and probably

still an under-estimation – to estimate that over halfa million workers are on wages that do not providethem a living income – Unite research department

Shocking reality...

Pictures: PlayPennies (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0); majorosmosis (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0); b.e.n. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

RoI


Unite members took their grievances

over pay to the seat of government

at Stormont

PAY UP

Pictures: Unite the union

NI

UNITe members joined col-leagues in the GmB for a 12-hourstoppage on January 29 that af-fected services across the North-ern Ireland Health and Socialcare sector.

It comes after workers stagedtwo four-hour stoppages lastyear. The action was taken be-cause of Stormont Health min-ister Jim Wells’ refusal to followthrough on the IndependentPay Body’s recommendation fora 1% cost-of-living pay increase.

Following the offer made bythe english Department ofHealth in January, Northern Ire-land remains the only regionwhere the NHS pay dispute hasnot been resolved.

Rather than engage positivelywith health unions, the NIHealth Department has fol-

lowed the failed strategy of theTory Health minister whosought to confuse pay incre-ments with a cost-of-living rise.

over the past number ofyears, NHS workers have facedservice cuts and recruitmentfreezes with those staff remain-

ing in post shouldering heavierworkloads.

Health workers’ pay has beeneroded by 15% over the past fouryears, while their pension con-tributions have increased 3% inthe last three years. This has notbeen to cover costs but is being

fed directly into Treasury coffersto pay for the bankers’ bailout.

one striking health workertold Unite Works: “We are strik-ing for fair pay which is core to agood and effective service – butwe’re also standing up for thehealth service, for our friendsand families that need it; for aservice that cares about peoplenot pounds.”

During the January 29 action,Unite and the GmB put in placeemergency cover to ensure thatif a major incident occurred,union members on the picketline would respond immedi-ately.

If the Health Departmentdoes not move, workers will beforced to further escalate theiraction to win fair pay.

health workersescalate FairPay campaign

Snow problem: health workers braved icy conditions during the 12-hour stoppage

Unite members on the RVH picket line on Grosvenor Road


VINdIcatEd! RoI

moRe THAN five months afterworkers at the JJ RhatiganKishoge site decided theyweren’t going to put up withbeing paid less than the mini-mum Wage on a government-funded project, the labourcourt agreed that their rightshad been breached – and rec-ommended that JJ Rhatigan &co pay compensation to thetune of €100,000.

Although Unite membershave accepted the recommenda-tion, at the time of going topress the company was still con-sidering its position.

Labour Court calls on JJ Rhatigan & Co tocompensate workers after 5 month dispute

JJ Rhatigan workersholding the line during the long

drawn out dispute

UNITED

Picture: Claudia Darley

With the ball firmly in theRhatigan court, Unite Regionalconstruction officer Tom

Fitzgerald spoke to Unite Worksabout what the dispute – andthe favourable labour courtrecommendation – means to theworkers concerned and the con-struction sector as a whole.

He said: “It’s been a long fivemonths. As well as picketing inall weathers, our members havebeen subjected to abuse andbeen dragged into court – butthey never once doubted theircause. They were being paid lessthan €5 per hour – which is lessthan the minimum Wage andless than a third of the agreedindustry rate – to work on a tax-

payer funded project.”Tom Fitzgerald explained:

“Basically, JJ Rhatigan used acomplex web of sub-contractingto force workers in bogus self-employment and poverty pay.

“While this was a particularlyglaring example, it is by nomeans unique. The over-use of‘subbies’ is a common ploy usedby employers to drive downwages and conditions – andthen walk away from their responsibilities.

“Unite is determined to en-sure that construction jobs aredecent jobs.”

Picture: Mandate

www.fairshop.ie


RoI

DUNNeS stores workers in a store near youlook set to take industrial action over thecompany’s failure to the terms of a labourcourt Recommendation issued in Novem-ber.

The company has ignored the recommen-dation that it sit down with the workers’union, mandate, to discuss a range of issues,including the need for so-called ‘bandedhour contracts’ which would give Dunnesworkers security of hours and earnings.

As mandate Assistant General SecretaryGerry light pointed out recently, the combi-nation of low pay and flexible hours meansthat many Dunnes workers cannot afford toprovide a basic standard of living for them-selves and their dependents.

REPRESENtatIONHe said: “many of our members cannot

access mortgages or loans because of inse-curity of hours due to low-hour contracts.Dunnes workers want to have their right totrade union representation vindicated, par-ticularly when it comes to disciplinary hear-ings and collective bargaining.

“Key to all of this this is the fact they don’tfeel respected by their employer.”

expressing solidarity with mandate mem-bers in Dunnes, Unite Regional SecretaryJimmy Kelly said last week that the growthof precarious work is one of the biggestchallenges facing the trade union move-ment. He told Unite Works: “This is a veryimportant dispute at a time when the use of

Unite backs dunnes workers

low-hours contracts is one of the biggestchallenges facing the trade union move-ment. Unite is fully supportive of theDunnes workers and of their union, mandate.”

‘Many members can’taccess mortgages

or loans because of low-hour contracts’

Mandate’s Gerry Light, centre, with union’s Dunnes activists outside Labour Court hearing last November

Pict

ure:

Man

date

www.dunnesworkers.com

BRAKe failure is a serious hazard on any form of transport –and drivers, passengers and pedestrians deserve the very bestin road and vehicle safety technology.

obviously, public transport companies like Translink haveto ensure that their vehicles are inspected daily to check forgeneral road-worthiness as well as air leaks which are the firstsign of brake failure.

But these daily checks take up a lot of time and manpower.And that’s what Unite members Harry and Bobby connorhad in mind when they designed the extra Foot – an award-winning (and VoSA-approved) multifunctional brake pedalapplicator which also helps the driver to check brake lightsand air leaks before taking to the road.

Translink is the first public service body to install the extraFoot in every vehicle – improving an already robust safetyrecord, while raising the company’s safety reputation to a newlevel.

michael Dornan, who chairs Unite’s Belfast bus drivers’section, told Unite Works: “Translink’s decision to install theextra Foot shows their commitment to the wellbeing and pro-tection of drivers, passengers and other road users. The extraFoot is a step towards greater road safety – it’s the gold stan-dard.”

Unite duo helpTranslink go that Extra Foot

NI

Harry Connor holds the VOSA-approved Extra Foot device. Pictured with Michael Dornan


3 REaSONS NOt tO cUt cORPO tax NI

Pict

ure:

Dav

e Du

gdal

e (C

C BY

-SA

2.0

)

FoR NeARlY 15 years now the economicdebate in Northern Ireland has been domi-nated by policy of cutting corporation tax.

For its proponents, the economics of thispolicy are quite simple. cutting corporationtax will give more money to firms operatingin Northern Ireland so that they can investand expand. A lower rate of corporation taxwould also attract badly needed Foreign Di-rect Investment into Northern Ireland pro-viding higher skilled and better paid jobs.

The true picture is quite obviously muchmore complex, and the trade union move-ment has for many years now raised consis-tent and valid objections to this policy.

MORaL ObJEctIONThe objections can be broadly placed into

three categories – moral, fiscal, and practical. Firstly, the moral objection to this policy is that corporations need to pay tax,it’s only fair. Were we to cut corporation tax,we would be permanently sacrificing taxrevenue that could have delivered forschools, doctors or nurses. We would betaking money from public services to give to private companies with no agreed orspecified benefit to wider society.

That brings us to the second set of objec-tions, fiscal. Unlike the experience of theRepublic of Ireland, Northern Ireland willhave to pay the cost of cutting corporationtax up front. The block grant from West-minster which funds public services inNorthern Ireland would be cut by about£300m-£400m every year. To try and save£300m from public expenditure every year

ANAlYSISBy Paul MacFlynn

NERI economist

would be a mammoth task at the best oftimes, but in the current period of austerity,it could be catastrophic. Furthermore, unlike the Republic of Ireland, if the cut incorporation tax delivered a boost to thewider economy, Northern Ireland would notbenefit through increased tax revenues likeincome tax, national insurance or VAT. Allof that benefit would flow right back toWestminster.

even more alarmingly, if a company thatcurrently operates in manchester or leedsdecides to move to Northern Ireland inorder to take advantage of our corporationtax, we would have to compensate Westminster again for any loss of revenue.

PRactIcaL ObJEctIONThe final objection is practical. To the ex-

tent that a 12.5% corporation tax rate playedany role in the resurgence of the Republic ofIreland economy in the late 1990s, it was asupporting one.

many other factors – including educationand skills, as well as investment in infra-structure – played a much bigger part.comparisons with the Republic in the late1990s are further misleading because theglobal economic climate was so markedlydifferent, and we would be gravely mistakento think such achievements could be replicated north of the border.

cutting corporation tax is not the answerto Northern Ireland’s economic problems.We need a mature debate about how to invest in our economy and build innovative,high-skilled and productive industries.

RoI

IN A few months Irish citizenswill be asked to vote in a refer-endum which, if passed, willprovide the right to marry toeveryone. The wording of theproposition is simple and unam-biguous, “marriage may be con-tracted in accordance with thelaw by two persons without dis-tinction as to their sex”.

When my partner acceptedmy marriage proposal 16 yearsago, she did so knowing, as Idid, that our lifelong commit-ment had no legal protectionsor status at that time.

It was one of the most pro-found moments of my life; theperson whom I loved deeplyagreed to spend the rest of herlife with me, to share my joysand sorrows, to look after me asI would her. When civil partner-ship was introduced we enthusi-

astically seized the rights andresponsibilities afforded us inthe first state recognition of ourrelationship. on a sunny warmday in April 2011 we had a fabu-lous celebration with family andfriends.

The reality is however that thelegal rights and responsibilitiesof our civil partnership are not,unlike the marriages of mybrothers and sisters, protectedby the constitution.

our relationship does nothave the same value or worth inthe eyes of the constitution –the founding document of ourState.

What this means is that thelegislature can amend civil part-nership legislation at any stage,even remove it entirely and sendus back to square one.

If the people pass the upcom-

ing referendum, for the firsttime, lesbian and gay peoplewith be treated equally in theconstitution.

marriage is good for society,it’s good for couples, it’s goodfor families. It is precisely be-cause of the value society placeson marriage that lesbian and gaycouples would like the opportu-nity to commit themselves pub-licly to each other on an equalbasis to their brothers, sisters,neighbours and friends.

The referendum is aboutchoice; currently I don’t havethis choice. I’m asking you to af-ford me this choice.

Sandra Irwin-Gowran is Director ofEducation Policy with GLEN – Gayand Lesbian Equality Network. Sheis in a civil partnership and has twochildren and a dog!

The referendum is about choice; currently I don’thave this choice, I’m asking you to

afford me this choice

a chance to change history andsay ‘yes’ to Marriage Equality...


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Picture: NIO (CC BY 2.0)

Keynote speaker: General Secretary Len McCluskey

THe third Irish Policy conference is sched-uled for may 11th and 12th in Dublin’s crokePark conference centre. Keynote speakerswill include Unite General Secretary lenmccluskey and renowned social justicecampaigner Fr Peter mcVerry.

The theme of this year’s conference isUnite – Making a Difference. As well as arange of motions on issues from industrial

policy to women’s and minority rights, dele-gates will be hammering home the messagethat “the island of Ireland needs a wagerise’”

members will be able to follow the confer-ence live on Twitter and Facebook using thehashtag #UniteConf15, and you can alsocheck out the dedicated section on the Re-gion’s website, www.unitetheunionireland.org

Croker date in May forIrish Policy Conference

UNITe members in PublicTransport, education and otherpublic services will be ballotedfor strike action against the impact of the £872 millionworth of cuts to public servicescontained in the 2015-2016Budget – the harshest austeritypackage ever imposed on North-ern Ireland.

In January, the public weretold the Stormont House dealgave us an extra £2 billion over10 years but the reality is not apenny of this will go to fundingpublic services.

Unite has consistently arguedthat cuts do not equal savings –and these proposals are a case inpoint. Plans to cut 20,000 pub-lic sector jobs – or one in 10 ofthe entire workforce – will exacta cost in reduced consumer demand, a reduced tax take andincreased social welfare expen-diture.

And, in the short term, £700million will have to be borrowedto fund exit payments for theworkers being made redundant.And that does not even take intoaccount the social cost of fur-

13MARCH

ther squeezing our already over-stretched public services.

Two-thirds of the ‘extra’money being trumpeted is infact a loan that will have to berepaid through selling off publicassets such as Belfast Harbourand/or privatising public serv-ices like NI Water, as well as ourbus and rail services!

The sweetener for the dealwas that the long-term ‘savings’from the mass redundancy pro-gramme would allow corporatetaxes to be slashed in a race-to-the-bottom for global ‘tax

haven’ status in the hope thattax-dodging multinationals willemploy a few locals while theyare here. [Read Paul macFlynn’sarticle on page 13 to see why this sweetener will leave a bitter aftertaste]

Unite has instead called onthe Stormont executive to growour economy by borrowing toinvest in the basics. We need toinvest in education; in our en-ergy, transport and water infra-structures; and in productiveindustries – the very things thatwill be undermined by ‘slashand burn’ policies.

SOLIdaRItyWe cannot sit idly by and

allow gains which were hard-won by the workers’ movementto be dismantled in an un-winnable race-to-the-bottom.

march 13 is an opportunity forworkers, communities and thewider public to help defend ourpublic services. As trade union-ists grounded in the principle ofsolidarity, we know that attackson public sector wages and pen-sions are an attack on all work-ers’ wages and pensions.

NI

All smiles following end of cross-party talks, but the Stormont House deal enforces a £872m cut to public services

Strike to defeat austerityTHe FIGHT for equality is partof the bedrock of the trade unionmovement – and equality at workand in society is a key priority forUnite.

Whether it is the right ofyoung workers to equal treat-ment at work, or the fight ofwomen to make choices abouttheir fertility, or the rights of peo-ple with disabilities to access allareas, or the rights of ethnic mi-norities to live in their communi-ties without fear – our union is atthe forefront of the equality fight.

Unite activists are playing a key role in a range of equalitycampaigns, including the TradeUnion campaign to Repeal the eights Amendment in the Republic, and Northern Ireland’s grassroots Reclaim the Agenda campaign.

our equalities committees –such as Unite Youth Ireland, theRegional Women’s committeeand the Regional Disability committee – actively push theequality agenda both inside andoutside our union.

The region’s BAem committeeempowers and supports Black,Asian and ethnic minority members to enable them totackle racial discrimination in theworkplace and society.

You’ll find information aboutour campaigns in Unite Works,on our website www.unitethe-unionireland.org and on our NI and RoI Facebook pages. If you’d like to get involved, dropme a line at [email protected]

By Taryn TrainorRegional Women’s & Equalities Officer

Unitefightsforequality


UNITe has joined with SIPTUand the TeeU to sponsorthe Supporting Qualitycampaign, which en-courages unionmembers, theirfamilies andfriends to sup-port quality andbuy union-

made goods and services produced inIreland.

The choices we make at the check-out have both an economic and ahuman impact. economically, sup-porting union-made brands producedin Ireland filters through to their sup-pliers and sub-suppliers, generatingbillions of euro in taxes to fund the serv-ices on which we all depend.

In human terms, supporting union-madebrands means supporting decent work. Asunion members, the euro in our pocket allowsus to support other union members and theirfamilies. It also allows us to send a very clearmessage to companies: providing decent jobs is

a selling point. Gerard copse, aUnite shop steward in Bally-

gowan, had this to sayabout the campaign:“Here at Ballygowanwe’re proud of making aquality Irish product.And as union members, we know thatour wages don’t just go to support our-selves and our families – the pay packetsthat flow into our local community and

help support local shops and businesses. ‘MaKES SENSE’

“And that means supporting the jobs ofother workers. Supporting Quality makessense for all of us”.

Unite will be promoting the SupportingQuality campaign and related products and

services to our members and their families –and, with your help, we will be on the constantlookout for brands that can be added to thecampaign and to our members’ shopping lists.

The Supporting Quality campaign gives us allan opportunity to vote with our pockets for de-cent jobs.

‘As union members we know our wages don’t just support ourselves and our families – the pay packets flow into our local community, help support locals shops and businesses’

www.supportingquality.ie

RoI

QUaLIty cOUNtS!

Waterford tributeas Walter bows out...AFTeR nearly 30 years as an officerwith the ATGWU and Unite – latterlyas Regional co-ordinating officer –Walter cullen retired last year. Butretirement has not meant a quiet lifefor the former Waterford Glass cutter,who has spent the last few months

Pictures: Unite

Walter, centre, with Dungarvan Unite members

Walter is presented with a crystal bowl by Pat Cody, left, and a 1913 Lockout coin by Tommy Hogan & Jimmy Kelly

By Taryn Trainor

assisting Regional Secretary JimmyKelly in teasing out the final detailsof the landmark Waterford crystalpension settlement.

In early February, a capacitycrowd of friends, family, former colleagues and Unite members gath-ered in Waterford’s Granville Hotelto thank Walter for his years of serv-ice to the union and to Waterford.

Presentations on the night fit-tingly included a commemorative1913 lockout coin presented by Wal-ter’s close friend Jimmy Kelly and acrystal bowl made by four formercrystal workers, presented by Patcody, chair of the RI/17 carrick-on-Suir Branch.

Walter was also delighted to receive a presentation by Sean Kellyof a vase made by Tony Hayes of theIrish Handmade Glass company.

Tony is the son of renownedcraftsman Tom Hayes, whose piecesare still treasured around the world.

THe community pillar of the Right2Watercampaign has been crucial to its success.

Based in Dublin’s South Inner city, theSpectacle of Defiance and Hope has partici-pants from across the capital and across thecountry. Spectacle has perfected the art ofcreative protest since austerity took hold,and their ‘ministry of Thirst’ placards tookcentre stage in the huge october 11 and De-cember 10 Dublin Right2Water protests.

Spectacle’s John Bissett, who sits on the

Right2Water steering group, told UniteWorks: “With deprivation levels having dou-bled since the onset of the crisis, workingclass communities throughout Ireland haveborne the brunt of austerity policies.

“When water charges were announced lastyear, it was clear that people simply had nomore to give. Whether you’re talking aboutover 100,000 people thronging o’connellStreet on october 11, or a few hundred peo-ple meeting at the crumlin Shopping centre

as part of the local demonstrations called byRight2Water on November 1 – people haveexperienced the potential of collective actionto effect change. And that’s very empower-ing, especially for communities who havepushed to the margins by successive govern-ments.” So will John be out at the nextRight2Water protest on march 21?

“Absolutely, Spectacle is already mobilis-ing for what we hope will be the biggestprotest yet.”

RoI

Protesting the Ministry of thirst

unite works ireland march 15

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