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- Issued on Behalf of Unite
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- Tuesday February 4th, 2008 mo Mrs
UNION CAMPAIGNS FOR ‘NO’ VOTE IN EURO ROW OVER WORKERS RIGHTS
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- Ireland’s second largest trade union is to campaign for a no vote in the Lisbon treaty referendum. The position was confirmed after a weekend meeting of the Union’s executive m Dundalk, It will encourage its near 70,000 workers m the Republic of Ireland to reject the government supported treaty,
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- Condemning the government’s lack of action on workers rights and its seeming desire to railroad the treaty through without providing commitments on what It will mean, Unite regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly said, “Our role is to took out for the rights of our members. This government is full of empty promises and sleight of hand when it comes to dealing with the issues that matter to workers. Bertie Ahern loves to talk a good game but look at his government’s record.”
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- “They opposed Europe on the Agency Workers Directive which is a cornerstone of fair treatment for the lowest paid and least regarded workers in Ireland,”
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- They ignored the Supreme Court ruling in the Ryanair case on rights to representation, leaving workers exposed in a similar manner to that which was the case 100 years ago.”
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- They buried their heads over mandatory pensions, ignoring the fact that one million people are heading towards poverty in old age,”
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- “We support a Europe that will make a difference to workers rights, The next phase of European integration has to deliver that difference, and has to force the Irish government into less talk and more action. Rejecting this treaty will make it crystal! clear that we need to see concrete evidence on workers rights, not just empty promises,”
