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2004

Economic boom failed to lift all boats

Date Released: 15 Oct 2004

Ireland's economic boom has not been a rising tide to lift all boats, declared SIPTU General Secretary, Joe O'Flynn.

"Workers in the traditional manufacturing sector got very little from the Celtic Tiger" he said. "Instead, their jobs are under a continuous threat from former Eastern bloc countries and Asia - particularly China.

"Many workers have recently lost their jobs as a direct result of competition from the Far East and elsewhere and many more are working in a very uncertain climate. SIPTU has condemned the absence of any meaningful support from Government in identifying and addressing the challenges facing vulnerable industries. I sincerely hope that the newly appointed Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, will be more favourably disposed to working with us to save as many threatened jobs as possible - than was his predecessor.

"Competition is not just global of course. In many situations throughout Ireland, competition is on our own doorstep. In local authorities, the privatisation of services has become a major threat to established rates of pay and conditions of employment. In the private sector there are many employers - whose workers are in unions - paying decent rates of pay and conditions, trying to compete with employers whose workers are unorganised and therefore often exploited. This is why we must tackle unfair competition by organising workers.

"SIPTU has recently established an Organising Unit which will focus on organising workers in employments where we already have members and in those employments where staff have no professional representation at all.

"I am also calling on Minister Martin to take a more favourable attitude in his review of the Social and Community Employment schemes.

"The Government's failure to sustain these schemes at an acceptable level has had a disproportionate effect on the underprivileged and marginalised sections of our communities. CE schemes play a vital role in many disadvantaged areas. A role that goes far beyond providing work experience for the scheme workers - important though that is. The programme has a unique function in providing services and facilities which would simply not exist if the schemes were not in place.

Referring to Bertie Ahern's remarks on ruling out tax cuts in the December Budget, Mr. O'Flynn said his Union would seriously question its continued involvement in social partnership should the Government fail to honour the tax commitments indicated to the trade unions during the negotiations on Part Two of Sustaining Progress.

Mr. O'Flynn was speaking at the SIPTU South West Regional Conference which was attended by over 400 delegates in the Brandon Hotel, Tralee.





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