Claims of worker victimisation on a state-funded construction project on the North Quays in Waterford City highlights the need for Government action on a new EU Directive which necessitates effective legal protections for trade union activists, according to SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Greg Ennis.
He said: “Our members are extremely concerned about reports of the victimisation of trade union activists on construction sites across the country. This weekend the Mail on Sunday featured a major report outlining claims of victimisation of trade union activists working on the new transport hub on the North Quays in Waterford.
“These SIPTU members lost their employment, they believe, for simply highlighting issues of non-compliance with our national labour laws. Their case will now be taken to the Workplace Relations Commission. However, they have already lost their jobs in a manner which exposes the lack of legal protection there is for trade union activists who are only trying to ensure that labour laws are adhered to.
“We have fears of widespread non-compliance with the Sectoral Employment Order for the industry in terms of the underpayment of wages, lack of sick pay and pension provision and other issues on several sites across the country. However, as the law currently stands in Ireland there is little protection for workers sacked for union activity.
“That our legal protections for trade union activists and activity are so weak is a concern not only for us in Ireland but also the wider European Union. The Government needs a sharp wake-up call on this issue and must transpose into Irish law, effectively, the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages by the deadline of mid-November 2024.”
He added: “This key new piece of EU legislation correctly recognises that low pay in our economies can only be effectively tackled by empowering workers to engage in collective bargaining with their employers. To do this union activists must have adequate protections from penalisation and a right to access workplaces to ensure there is compliance with our labour laws.
“The Directive must be transposed in Ireland in a meaningful manner which will necessitate new laws to protect trade unionists as they carry out workplace activity.”