Skip to content
2006 Conference

Why a conference about trade unions and the community sector?

Breakthrough

The ICTU achieved a major breakthrough for the community sector during the recent social partnership talks - Towards 2016.  As a result, the Department of Finance has agreed to discuss pay and conditions of the community sector with the unions,  Up to now the Government has refused to take responsibility for employment issues in the community sector.

Trade Unions and the Community Sector

SIPTU and IMPACT are the main unions organising in the community sector. Where employees are unionised, major progress has already been made.

  • Community Training Centres have secured benchmarking and pay increases
  • Pensions and pay increases have been achieved for local training initiatives and homeless agencies.

A Community Sector/Trade Union Campaign Group has been set up involving activists and officials from SIPTU and IMPACT.

The aim of this group is to increase trade union membership in the sector.  The group will also act as advisors to SIPTU and IMPACT in their discussions with the Department of Finance.

Questions the Conference will address
  • What are SIPTU and IMPACT's plans for organising the community sector?
  • How will unions promote the community sector's best interest to Government?
  • What is the most appropriate form of unionisation for the community sector?
  • What is the best way of increasing union membership within the community sector?

The conference provides a unique opportunity for an exchange between the community sector and trade union leaders about the eneds of the sector and about how co-operation is the best way of achieving a better future for employees in the sector

Presentations will be made by David Connolly, Chair, Community Sector/Trade Union Campaign Group and workers in the community sector outlining their priority employment issues such as pay, pensions, training and organising themselves.

David Begg, General Secretary of the ICTU, Jack O'Connor, General President, SIPTU and Shay Cody, Deputy General Secretary, IMPACT will respond.

Grainne Healy of the Equal at Work Project will chair the session.

All employees in the community sector - whether union members or not - are invited to attend this conference. 



Previous and Next: 2007 Conference | Equal at Work