UCD Staff and Students Strike and Picket

dublin | workers issues | news report Thursday September 07, 2006 13:03 by UCD Solidarity

Siptu members in UCD have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action over the issue of employment contracts and the right to a pension.

Siptu has made a call for support of the strike and picket being undertaken by its members in UCD on Monday the eleventh of September. Siptu explains that more than one third of staff in UCD are on a Fixed Term Contract, which is an extraordinarily high figure for a public institutions.
There are valid reasons why some of those staff are temporary. An academic may be on sabbatical leave or a staff member may have taken maternity leave and SIPTU acknowledges that a contract can be issued in these circumstances.

But, unfortunately, matters have gone beyond this and, in our view, casualisation and abuse of contract staff is occurring in UCD.

Six years ago, on 27 June 2000, the Governing Authority of UCD
approved an agreement that had been concluded between SIPTU and UCD management.

This agreement involved three principles:

1. "fixed term contract staff are not treated in a less favourable
manner to a comparable permanent worker."

But UCD is not paying proper pension entitlements to this staff. This is clearly in contravention of the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act 2003.

2. "fixed term contracts will not be used to avoid giving employees
security of employment."

UCD management have kept people on contracts for many years ? in one case since 1981 ? and not given these staff a permanent contract.
Currently SIPTU has 20 cases before the Labour Relations
Commission and we expect many more will go there.

2. "Fixed term contracts will apply in the case of vacancies
arising from a temporary absence" ? they would be limited to certain defined circumstances.

Over the last two years, UCD management are replacing permanent jobs with temporary contracts. Existing staff have to work harder to cover for this disruption.

SIPTU members balloted by an 82 percent majority to take action on these issues.

We want management live up to their own policy and the law by
providing contract staff a pension; and ensuring that all who are
entitled to a permanant contract, receive a contract. Pickets will be placed on all entrances to UCD on Monday 11th September and we would ask for your support in not passing them.

Bring banners, placards, leaflets and slogans.