Trade unionists urge workers to Vote no to pay deal .

national | worker & community struggles and protests | press release Monday September 29, 2008 21:34 by Trade unionist - Grassroots trade unionists conference

Open meeting to plan campaign against deal.

Trade unionists across all unions are today being urged to reject the proposed national pay agreement.

Following a conference of over 70 activists and union shop stewards a campaign is now being launched for the biggest no vote. The conference was organised by a number of trade union activists from both the private and public sector and addressed by Jimmy Kelly, regional secretary of Unite, one of Ireland’s largest unions. Kelly stated that the deal was an “effective pay cut which does not address any of our unions concerns on pensions, union recognition, or low pay.”

The conference also heard from public service workers representing nurses, teachers and the Dublin Fire Brigade. A number of speakers rejected attempts to scapegoat public sector workers as been somehow responsible for the economic crisis. They warned that emergency services where already deteriorating as a result of cut backs and management policies. One speaker pointed out that the recent OECD report showed that far from a bloated and inefficient public service we were spending less proportionally than a decade ago. Frontline staff like nurses and fire fighters saw first hand the effects this had in delivering a service to an expanding population,

The conference unanimously called on workers to reject the deal because:

• Proposed pay increases are less than inflation
• Public sector workers will get no pay increase for almost a year
• The needs of the lower paid are not addressed by this deal
• The deal delivers nothing on union recognition.

Many unions set out a number of “deal breakers” before the talk started. The deal fails to deliver on these deal breakers and leaves workers facing substantial wage cuts. A proposed 11 month pay pause for public service workers is a savage attack on thousands of lowly paid workers who are already struggling to cope with massive hikes in food and fuel bills and mortgage repayments.

The conference agreed to hold a further meeting on Monday Oct 6 Th to co ordinate a campaign for a no vote in workplaces across the country. The meeting will take place in the Teachers Club, Parnell Sq., Dublin, at 730. It is open to all interested in maximising a no vote across all unions and workplaces. Some workplaces are expected to begin voting on the deal in a matter of weeks.

This statement is issued by the following on behalf of those who attended the conference: (They attended as individual union activists and are speaking in a personal capacity; their union affiliation does not indicate that union’s position on the proposed national pay deal)

Jimmy Kelly. UNITE.
Des Derwin, SIPTU
John Kidd SIPTU
Kieran Allen SIPTU
Eddie Conlon TUI
Niall Smyth INTO
Bernard Lynch ASTI

For Confirmation Ph Eddie Conlon 087 6775468
Owen McCormack 087 2858388