Labour Court backs Coca-Cola workers

COCA-COLA should honour last week’s ruling by the Labour Relations Court last week in favour of workers fighting for equality in redundancy packages from the wordwide multinational, Sinn Féin has said.
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh said:
“The Labour Court made two recommendations – that the company offers workers the same redundancy package as two years ago, and that it conducts a feasibility study on the number of jobs that can be kept in Dublin.
“Sinn Féin is calling on Coca-Cola to accept both these rulings so workers remaining with the company can return to work and those who wish to accept redundancy packages can do so.
“Coca-Cola remains a hugely profitable company and this is the least they can offer their workers after choosing to ‘outsource’ at a time when it will be hard for anyone to find a new job.”

Worldwide dockers back Dublin Port strikers

DOCKERS across the globe have pledged their full support to colleagues in Dublin Port who have been in dispute with Marine Terminals Ltd for more than three months over enforced jobs cuts and unilateral changes in conditions.
Dublin’s striking dockers are members of SIPTU and the dispute has been likened to the days of 1913 and attempts by employers to impose their will by force of money, power and the law against SIPTU’s forerunner, the Irish Transport & General Workers’ Union. Pickets have been injuncted by the Dublin High Court from naming and shaming strike-breaking scab labour brought in to undermine their struggle and their jobs.
In the face of intransigent management and the law, the dispute has won widespread active support and sympathy amongst the Docklands communities on both sides of the River Liffey, in East Wall and Ringsend.
At a conference in Cork last week, the International Transport Federation warned port and dock employers that workers “will not be beaten back to the days of bad conditions”.

Bank staff strike

A PLANNED one-day strike by Bank of Ireland life assurance staff (scheduled to take place as An Phoblacht goes to press on Wednesday) has won the backing of Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights Martin Ferris TD.
The strike by members of the Unite trade union, is in response to Bank of Ireland’s refusal to implement a Labour Court recommendation at the start of June that they honour an agreement to implement agreed pay increases.
Deputy Ferris said:
“The refusal of Bank of Ireland to pay the agreed increases is inexcusable, as is its arrogant decision to ignore the decision of the Labour Court.
“The workers in question have already been subject to an effective cut in their earnings and are entitled to the increase.”
“The refusal of the bank to honour the agreement is particularly unacceptable in light of the fact that they have been effectively saved by the state and that it now chooses to ignore the agreed mechanisms to resolve disputes of this matter between employers and trade unions, something which Unite has already done and indeed in doing so deferred an earlier mandated strike action.
“It is now incumbent on the Government to ensure that the Labour Court ruling is adhered to and that the agreed increase is paid immediately.”