Earlier this week the High Court struck out a law providing for certain minimum pay and entitlements for electricians.
The National Electrical Contractors of Ireland (NECI), claimed that a Sectoral Employment Order issued last year by the government, and which offered certain protections to electricians, was a breach of their constitutional right to shaft their employees every which way. It was a statement that resonated with the worst instincts of Thatcherism.
The High Court sided with the bosses, in a judgement that has left employees cruelly exposed to the vagaries of the economy and the greed of employers.
The judgement of the court will not apply only to our electrician colleagues. Its effects will be felt right across the mechanical engineering and construction industry.
Already the trade union Connect is to ballot 20, 000 of its members. Its General Secretary has warned employers of “war” in the event of workers’ terms and conditions being adversely affected.
The Dublin branch of the Independent Workers’ Union offers solidarity to all workers facing a pay meltdown as a result of the High Court’s reactionary judgement.
Tomorrow, Saturday @ 1100, there will be a public protest by workers from across the construction industry. The venue is the Convention Centre in Dublin. The IWU will be in attendance and calls on others to exercise their constitutional right to democratically register their dissent from measures designed to enable exploitative employees and disadvantage employees.
Anyone turning out tomorrow is advised to take all measures to ensure Covid-19 is not spread. All public health measures should be observed including social distancing.
From Member of the Dublin Branch IWU
ReplyDeleteDublin IWU joins its voice to all trades workers, organisers and unions affected by the attack on the SEOs in calling for a protest at the National Convention Centre at 1100 tomorrow.
We are dismayed and angered that the electrical contractors have disgracefully exploited this time of unprecedented economic disruption caused by the coronavirus to take this malicious action to the High Court to try and strike down the SEOs that underpin the wages and conditions of electrical workers and so many other workers in the construction trades.
We find the timing of this attack on our pay and conditions to be shamelessly cynical and opportunistic in taking advantage of a time of national crisis, when we all need to pull together, to advance their narrow, destructive interests at the expense of workers in the electrical and construction trades. The pay of the ordinary working people of this country, that we spend on the necessities of life for ourselves and our families is the basis of consumer demand in this economy and malignant attacks like this scandalous court action are not only an intolerable injustice against us, but can only strangle the recovery we need in its cradle. We condemn utterly this vicious and cowardly attack on workers at a time of national crisis and demand that the new government take immediate action to reverse this socially destructive coup.
This is a very ominous development and hopefully somebody with the insight of Gerry Corbett will outline the dangers for working people much like he did in regard to the Programme For Government.
ReplyDeleteThe Dublin branch would have serious issues with Connect given how it treated its members who are now with the IWU, but where a trade union is moving in a progressive fashion to whatever limited extent I think it is incumbent on us to welcome that. There is a pressing need to avoid left sectarianism.