The Republic of Ireland held its general elections last week Friday, 29 November 2024. But no matter the final results and coalition talks, the next Irish government will face an urgent task: stopping union busting.<\/p>\n
In April 2024, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) carried out an online survey<\/a> among more than 150 union officials<\/strong>, most of them primarily engaged in collective bargaining and industrial relations. The aim of the survey was to gather information about their experiences with barriers to their efforts at organising, bargaining or representing.<\/p>\n The survey not only showed that it has become increasingly difficult to secure union recognition, especially in the private sector, but also highlighted employer\u2019s wide arsenal of tactics and actions against unions. It distinguishes between four categories of employer\u2019s anti-union tactics:<\/p>\n Fear about actual or perceived reprisals also constitute a common barrier to organising, bargaining and representing.<\/strong> The long-established fear tactics \u2013 such as the isolation of union activists, the reduction of promotional prospects or poor performance ratings \u2013 have been complemented by newer forms of employer\u2019s power and control over union representatives, such as control over working hours or working arrangements like remote working).<\/p>\n Irish workers deserve respect at work<\/strong><\/p>\n Another damning report launched by the Respect at Work campaign<\/a> exposes the scale and human cost of union busting activity across Ireland. The research, carried out with the support of academics from Queen\u2019s University, Belfast, interviewed 159 workplace representatives from the four unions and UNI members that make up the campaign: SIPTU, the Financial Services Union, the Communications Workers\u2019 Union and Mandate.<\/p>\n \u201cOur priority is making collective bargaining in the general election. Have we succeeded? Yes!\u201d<\/p>\n As over 250 candidates in Ireland\u2019s election today have pledged to improve workers\u2019 & union rights, \u2066@EthelBuckley<\/a>\u2069 summarises the massive success of \u2066@respectatworkie<\/a>\u2069. pic.twitter.com\/2vfXZtVLaQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UNI Europa (@UNI_Europa) November 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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