Unions Call for Day of Action
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The Budget explained €1.9bn Fadmsiclsyd Icnscdocsmdec sSd upplement — Ccodsmcmdsucndsitcidess €1.3bn Your Rights feel the pain €1.1bn €700m Page xxxxxxxx Page xxxxxxxxx Page 16-17 Page 18 Page 19 Vol. 11 No.9 December 2012 ISSN 0791-458X Unions call Employers breach for Day of minimum Action wage rule By Scott Millar Half of the workplaces in - spected by the National Em - Congress is planning a series of major ployment Rights Agency national demonstrations early in the new (NERA), between January and year in protest at the austerity October 2012, for compliance programme imposed on Ireland by the with the National Minimum European and IMF authorities. Wage were found to be pay - The proposed demonstrations, to be held in ing under the €8.65 hourly Dublin, Cork, Galway, Sligo, Limerick and rate. Waterford, will take place during Ireland’s EU During this period, NERA con - Presidency and in advance of the planned ducted 1,064 inspections for com - payment of €3.1 billion on the Anglo-Irish pliance with the National Promissory Note. Minimum Wage Act and in 530 it The Congress demonstrations are calling for found that employers were not an alleviation of the country’s debt burden, meeting their legal responsibili - which would ease the pressure on the Irish ties. Government to implement stringent austerity The inspections resulted in the measures. recovery of €264,835 in unpaid Congress General Secretary David Begg said: wages, along with 56 District Court “Perhaps the biggest single problem we face is convictions for non-compliance d the debt – the debt of private banks and spec- n a l with the minimum wage require - e r ulators that was foisted onto the citizens of I l ment and other offences and 34 l this country. That debt is a millstone and it is a c prosecutions for breaches of o t difficult to see how we can extract ourselves o h Labour Court orders. P from this crisis without action on this key : e Among the company’s con - r issue.” u t victed was the Kildare based con - c i Plans for the demonstrations follow the P tract cleaner, Barty O’Brien Ltd. At publication of Budget 2013 which saw a a hearing in Kilcock District Court further €3.5 billion taken out of the economy Over 20,000 marched in Dublin against austerity and for jobs and growth policies on Saturday 24th November on 9th November the company through measures that included cuts in child See page 8 pleaded guilty to one count of pro - benefit, the respite care grant and the aboli- duction of a false and misleading tion of the standard PRSI allowance. document and 13 counts of under - Despite some cutbacks being unavoidable payment relating to cleaners who due to the stringent conditions imposed on Play the Liberty received an hourly rate of just €7 the Irish Government by the EU/ECB/IMF Time to Care – while working on HSE contracts, troika, SIPTU believes the Budget measures crossword and among them the cleaning of Naas should be adjusted to alleviate their impact on Home Helps’ hospital. workers and vulnerable groups. win two nights Head of SIPTU’s Legal Rights In the wake of the budget, SIPTU General campaign in a Fair Hotel Unit, Tom O’Driscoll, said: “The President, Jack O’Connor, wrote directly to the fact that NERA have found in in - Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, calling on him to in- Page 20 Page 31 spections that there was only 50% tervene personally to bring forward the meas- compliance with the National Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 O R G A N I S I N G F O R F A I R N E S S A T W O R K A N D J U S T I C E I N S O C I E T Y • W W W . S I P T U . I E • J O I N O N L I N E 2 Liberty In this month’sLiberty DECEMBER 2012 16 Liberty NOVEMBER 2012 Offshore millions traced to obscure locations Page 7 Workplace committee — BD shows how it’s done Page 9 Poignant message at Anti-Austerity protest in Dublin on Saturday 24th November (Picture: Derek Speirs) Taking on walk — away bosses Page 10 Full reversal of Home Help cuts needed Statements from the Tá - O’Connor, said: “These statements ings and demonstrations. naiste, Eamon Gilmore, and by Labour Ministers are a positive The most recent action by the Minister of State for Older development. However, the urgent campaign was a march to the con - People, Kathleen Lynch, indi - need of both clients and workers is stituency office of Minister for Liberty View Liberty cating a reversal of the cuts to a full reversal of the 1.1 million Health, James Reilly, in Swords, Co. Home Help services, have Home Help hours cut by the HSE in Dublin, on Saturday, 1st December. Page 15 been welcomed by SIPTU. 2012. We need immediate action At the centre of all these activi - In a post budget statement, on behalf of the elderly and vulner - ties has been the campaign’s mes - View Minister Lynch welcomed the com - able in our communities who have sage that cutting over one million mitment to restore Home Help already suffered too much.” hours of Home Help services to services while in a circular to The promised restoration comes elderly and vulnerable clients Labour Party members the Tánaiste after months of intense campaign - throughout the State is morally un - Know your rights – highlighted “the fact that the ing by Home Helps as part of the acceptable, will damage their well- returning to work budget for Home Help and home SIPTU ‘Time To Care’ campaign. Ac - being and will have an adverse after injury care packages has been restored for tions have included lobbying TDs, impact on the economy. 2013." securing support from county For more on the Time to Care Page 24 SIPTU Organiser, Darragh councils and holding public meet - Campaign see page 20 Continued from page 1 — Unions call for Day of Action Co-ops – ures curtailing pension tax relief no doubt that with a degree of po - this country that they wouldn't for top earners from January 2014 litical will and determination all have to pay a wealth tax and they a working future to July 2013. the technical arrangements to cur - wouldn’t pay a tax on top in - Page 29 This, he said, would generate an tail pension tax relief for top earn - comes”, he said. additional €125 million of tax rev - ers can be put in place from the 1st The refusal of Fine Gael to in - enue in 2013 which could be de - July 2013,” Jack O’Connor said. crease the Universal Social Charge ployed to off-set measures that “The inconvenient truth is that by 3% for those earning over impact on low income families. if you want a truly fair budget then €100,000 per annum illustrated “People will not accept the im - you have to elect a government of the difficulties in securing a fairer Playing on the position of measures detrimental Labour and the parties of the Left.” deal for working people from a to the most vulnerable at the flick “60% of the people who went Government dominated by a right Left: Livorno of a switch while those affecting out to vote in the last general elec - wing party, he argued. Page 30 the top earners proceed at such a tion voted for the parties or indi - leisurely stroll. I have absolutely viduals who guaranteed the rich in Continued from page 1 — Employers breach minimum wage rule Minimum Wage from January to Centre (MISC) of SIPTU has recov - NERA subsumed into a new Work - October 2012 is a further manifes - ered €4.7 million for union mem - place Relations Commission and tation of a shocking trend whereby bers whose employers have the emphasis will change from one employers are deliberately targeting breached legislation. of inspection to compliance, accord - Liberty is dedicated to providing a platform for progressive news and views. labour standards and legislation. Among the recent MISC suc - ing to proposals from the Depart - If you have any ideas for articles or comments please contact: Many are using the crisis as an ex - cesses was the awarding by the Em - ment of Jobs, Enterprise and [email protected] cuse for blatant exploitation.” ployment Appeals Tribunal of Innovation.” Liberty is published by the Services, Industrial, Professional & Technical Union, In the year to September, NERA €48,000 to a Dublin based security He added: “The Inspectorate had Liberty Hall, Dublin 1 recovered €697,135 in arrears and guard for unfair dismissal. some clout but the planned intro - SIPTU General President, Jack O’Connor • Vice President, Patricia King • unpaid wages for employees for Tom O’Driscoll added: “NERA duction of ‘compliance officers’ in - General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn breaches across the employments has performed well since its incep - stead of an ‘inspectors’ signifies an Production: SIPTU Communications Department, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, rights spectrum. In the period from tion but it’s clear that more re - ideologically driven softer approach Tel: 01 8588217 • Email: [email protected] January to October 2012, the Mem - sources are necessary for effectual that can only lead to greater delin - bership and Information Services inspections. There are plans to have quency by errant employers.” SIPTU Head of Communications, Frank Connolly • Journalist: Scott Millar • Design: Sonia Slevin (SIPTU) & Joe Mitchell (Brazier Media) • Publications Assistant, Deirdre Price • Administrative Assistant, Karen Hackett Advertise in Liberty Produced, designed, edited and printed by trade union labour To advertise in Liberty, contact the Communications Department on 01 858 6372 or email communicationsdepart- Printed and distributed by The Irish Times, City West, Dublin.