4 February 2010 Edition

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Nuacht na nOibrithe

90 meat plant jobs chopped

THE QK Meats plant, in Naas, County Kildare, has shut down its operations, axing 90 jobs, after workers resisted demands to have their wages slashed in half.
SIPTU Branch Organiser Adrian Kane said that bosses wanted pay cuts in the region of 50%.
“The workers quite literally couldn’t afford such savage cuts and have steadfastly refused to accept the company’s unjustifiable demands.”
QK Meats closed last Friday, 29 January. Suggestions of redeployment for some workers across the wider Queally group have been described by SIPTU as “limited”.
Adrian Kane added:
“The union has sought recognition at the plant over a considerable period of time. The company, regrettably, has refused all reasonable attempts by SIPTU to engage in negotiations over pay and conditions of employment.
“It has also refused to implement a Labour Court recommendation which provided for basic pension and sick pay cover and overtime rates in line with industry norms.
“Unfortunately, the company was more interested in devoting large amounts of money and energy to legal battles than responding to the very genuine grievances of its largely Brazilian workforce.”
SIPTU said that the company had refused to respond to letters outlining the workforce’s concerns.

 

Dublin City councillors back work-to-rule against cuts

SINN FÉIN on Dublin City Council has backed an Opposition motion passed at this week’s monthly meeting of the capital’s local government authority expressing solidarity with council workers involved in industrial action against wage cuts.
The motion was passed by 23 to 4, with only Fianna Fáil councillors voting against.
The motion reads:
“This council expresses its solidarity with the workers of Dublin City Council engaging in a work-to-rule starting on 25 January.
“The aim of the work-to-rule is to reverse the 17% average pay cut implemented in 2009. The pay cut and the current embargo on recruitment mean that Dublin City Council workers are currently working harder for less.
“Public sector workers are being unfairly singled out to foot the cost of bailing out the banks. Every cent of the €4 billion savings in Budget 2009 has been poured into the banks.
“We pledge our full support to the workers of the council in their work-to-rule and any ensuing strike action and recognise that any reduction in service from Dublin City Council staff is the fault of the current Fianna Fáil/Green Government.”

 

Focus on Youth

 

Young people from Dublin Focus on Youth campaign protest for their future outside the Dáil last Wednesday calling for no further funding cuts to vital youth services. They ask "Disposable Youth? Is my future not worth 12 euro a week". €12 is the amount it costs for City of Dublin Youth Service Board funded projects to deliver services to nearly 34,000 each week  


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