{"id":13654,"date":"2024-04-30T17:25:05","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T15:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/this-1-may-irish-unions-build-membership-and-campaign-for-respect-at-work\/"},"modified":"2024-05-08T10:28:44","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T08:28:44","slug":"this-1-may-irish-unions-build-membership-and-campaign-for-respect-at-work","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/this-1-may-irish-unions-build-membership-and-campaign-for-respect-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"This 1 May, trade unions across the island of Ireland build membership and campaign for respect at work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around this year\u2019s International Workers\u2019 Day, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) holds Ireland\u2019s first-ever Trade Union Week<\/a>. The week from 29 April to 6 May will be \u201cthe largest mobilisation of trade union members in decades\u201d with coordinated events taking place in workplaces and local communities across the island of Ireland.<\/p>\r\n

A UNI Europa delegation will join and support Irish members at the May Day March in Belfast, Northern Ireland<\/strong>. For decades, May Day there has symbolised unity amidst turmoil, standing as the sole cross-community parade during the conflict and continuing to unite all sectors of society to this day.<\/p>\r\n

UNI Europa Regional Secretary Oliver Roethig said<\/strong>: \u201cWe are proud to be joining our Irish comrades on their May Day parade. That\u2019s how we show the unity of our movement across borders. We support the fight for real say and more pay on the whole island of Ireland and indeed across the whole of Europe.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

A new charter for workers\u2019 rights in Ireland<\/h4>\r\n

At the same time, four ICTU trade unions and UNI members \u2013 SIPTU, FSU, CWU and Mandate \u2013 launched their campaign Respect at Work<\/a> fighting to improve workers\u2019 rights in Ireland<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

Ireland is one of the world\u2019s wealthiest countries. But workers\u2019 lives are getting harder every year. One in five workers in Ireland, over 420,000 people, are classified as low paid. More than 345,000 workers earn less than the Living Wage. And they work longer hours and have fewer days off than the European Union average.<\/p>\r\n

This is because Ireland has some of the weakest legislation on workers\u2019 rights in Europe<\/strong>. For instance, it is one of only two countries in the EU, alongside Cyprus, where there is no recognition in legislation that protects workers representatives against dismissal. It means that employers in Ireland can and do unfairly dismiss workers representatives for engaging in trade union activity.<\/p>\r\n

An EU Directive for social progress<\/h4>\r\n

In 2024, The EU minimum wage directive mandates that the Irish Government must pass a new law about workers\u2019 rights to improve collective bargaining coverage in the country. In Ireland, only 34 per cent of workers are covered by a collective agreement, when the EU directive\u2019s goal for every member states is 80 per cent.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Therefore, the Respect at Work campaign demands new legislation to:<\/p>\r\n