A recently introduced initiative, named ‘Respect to Work’, is geared towards the formation of trade unions for employees in the State, particularly focusing on the prosperous financial and technological sectors. The campaign urges the Government to insist on legislative regulation allowing workers to establish a trade union at their place of employment. Although workers are constitutionally granted the right to join a union, there exists no law mandating employers to acknowledge such trade unions.
Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin, an official from the Communications Workers Union (CWU) which represents employees within the postal, telecoms and tech industries, identifies the issue as severely pronounced in the tech sector. Eminent multinational tech corporations in operation within Ireland, including but not limited to Meta, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and Google, fail to permit union formation. According to Ní Bhrógáin, these tech companies have shown no inclination towards union engagement despite large-scale layoffs in the past 18 months. Their disinterest in unions seemingly serves their interests well.
In the US, a strong culture of unionisation exists where companies are mandated to acknowledge a union if the majority of workers desire them. Despite being regarded as positive employers, the recent job cuts evidence that workers often don’t realise the necessity for assistance until it is required.
According to Gareth Murphy, the Financial Services Union’s Head of Campaigns, a stark contrast exists between the heavily unionised Irish banks and foreign-owned banks. These entities resist union organisation and ignore communication efforts. These banks are staunchly anti-union, hindering our members’ right to individual representation and promoting fear of victimisation. Much of our membership remains discreet due to fear of harassment and potential retribution from their employers.
The launch of the Respect to Work campaign is strategically aligned with the obligatory adaptation of an EU directive on minimum wages and collective negotiation, which the Government is obliged to integrate into law by November of the current year.
The mandate urges nations with fewer than 80% of their workforce engaged in collective agreements to implement new strategies to foster negotiation between labour unions and employers. The rate of unionisation in Ireland currently exceeds the EU average at 34%, but it significantly trails behind Nordic countries where over half of the labour force is unionised.
Ethel Buckley, who not only acts as the campaign’s spokeswoman but also serves as the SIPTU deputy general secretary, emphasised the critical need for the government to uphold the integrity of the directive rather than dilute its influence, rendering it essentially pointless for the vast majority of workers.
“We believe it’s overdue to safeguard workers rights to partake in collective bargaining, and to shield workers and their union representatives from prejudiced and disruptive actions including attempts at union dissolution,” she argued.