Unions

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Hootanany

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Unions warning of consequences of tough budget:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1207/breaking1.htm

Jack O'Connor, president of Siptu, warned this morning that a campaign of resistance would follow a budget that "attacked workers and the most vulnerable people" while those most able to pay were insulated.

Speaking on RTÉ' Morning Ireland , Mr O'Connor said: "All the indications from the comments emanating from Government sources are to the effect that they will impose another pay cut on top of the pay cut that was imposed on the public service last March."

"It will be a matter for the trade union movement and workers generally to respond to that."

It also emerged yesterday that the reductions in the public sector pay bill will be proportionately larger for those on higher incomes.

While the Government has said the average cuts in public sector pay will be between 5 and 6 per cent, those on higher salaries of €100,000 or more can expect cuts of more than 7 per cent while those on the lowest salaries will have cuts below the average. That means that Dáil deputies will be among the cohort whose salaries will fall by €7,000 or more.

Professionals such as doctors, lawyers and engineers providing services to the State are also expected to have their fees reduced by 5 per cent.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin last night confirmed that the Government would differentiate between lower and higher earners in the public sector.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Week in Politics , he outlined how the cuts would be applied. “Obviously we will be looking at a tiered approach in relation to it.”

Mr Martin also said that the budget would be tough, but would show the economy was moving in the right direction. “It will generate confidence that Ireland has the capacity to deal with the severe problems facing us and that the Government has the resolve to meet those problems face on,” he said.

Separately, the Government confirmed yesterday that the latest report of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration will be incorporated into Mr Lenihan’s budget speech on Wednesday. The group has recommended significant pay cuts including a cut of 20 per cent, or €57,000, in Mr Cowen’s salary, reducing it from €285,000 to €228,500.

So, the unions are making noises over nothing? Higher earners will be most affected, but they still feel they have to "protect the pay of the ordinary worker"?

Long Onion

I'll give a recent example of why I feel that the Unions, in their current form, need to be consigned to the scrap heap.

I have a number of friends working for a large Banking institution. Recently, the employer moved to bring in a DC pension scheme to replace the existing DB one, reduce the accrual rates and/or cap the final penionable salary for those who wished to stay on the existing DB scheme and do away with a long standing profit sharing arrangement.

In return, they were offering a 10% cash lump sum payable in December and an across the board 10% salary increase from January along with an enhanced system of employee offerings. New contracts were issued for employees to consider which contained a number of standard flexibility clauses and one clause which purported to nullify any existing collective bargaining agreements reached in the past.

The Unions went ballistic and my friends told me that they were bombarded with daily e-mails from the Union telling them that they should not sign the contracts that by doing so they would be open to dismissal, the Bank could change their T's & C's at will, that they could be transferred at will anywhere in the Country, that the Bank were acting in an illegal manner.

They recieved a mail one day from the unions telling them that there had been an overwhelming majority of staff who had opted into legal action against the bank and that no-one would be signing up to the new contracts. As the deadline for the new contract approached, the e-mails became more frequent and were supplemented by text messages (some of which made very outlandish claims)

The da after the deadline, the bank issued a communication to the lads telling them that the take up of the new contract was 92% - no-one has heard from the union on this matter since.

It seemed to me that the union was actually pursuing it's own agenda regardless of what the members felt, they gave the impression right up to the dealine that their course of action was inline with the vast majority of members when in reality it was reflective of only 8% - they then faded into the background never to be heard from again on the matter.

I was shocked and apalled to hear about this and now am of the belief that the unions are no different in structure and action than the government - they simply decide what they believe is for the good of the members and then scare them into falling in line - for shame.

Hootanany

They will do themselves no favours if they strike again my sons school is off again for 2 days Mon / Tues this week for in service days or is it Newry days