Unite to coordinate on strikes after finance minister fails to deliver pay and grading review

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Unite the union NI

School support staff in Unite prepare to recommence strike action

Unite’s members in education have responded with disappointment and anger after being informed by the education minister that the Northern Ireland executive has adopted a budget that fails to provide the funding needed for the long awaited pay and grading review for school support staff.

The decision comes despite the department of finance having accepted the department of education’s business case for the review. The national joint committee, the body which sets pay for education workers in Northern Ireland, first instructed the pay and grading review should be delivered six years ago in 2018, to address equality and low pay concerns.

Unite members employed by the education authority have taken strike action repeatedly over the last two years about the issue.

Unite represents education workers across a variety of low paid positions including classroom assistants, bus drivers, bus escorts, catering, admin and other school support staff. Pay rates in 2023-24 for workers who provide personal care to special educational needs children, including on occasion having to conduct medical and life-saving procedures, can be as low as £11.92 an hour.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is disgraceful that low paid education workers are being told that there’s no money to fund a pay and grading review needed to deliver pay equality – six years after the NJC instructed it to be delivered.

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Tara Mines: Unite says Boliden must commit to long-term future following agreement

Posted on April 17, 2024 by unitetheunion

Unions secure core pay for remaining workers, improved voluntary redundancy terms

Unite, which represents craft and staff grades at Tara Mines, today (Wednesday) said that the proposed agreement negotiated last night at the Workplace Relations Commission represents a significant improvement on the scheme proposed by Tara Mines owner Boliden in January. The union said that, if the agreement is accepted by a ballot of workers, the company must commit to the long-term future of Tara Mines.

The proposed agreement stipulates that all redundancies will be voluntary where they arise, and unions have secured redundancy terms of five weeks per year of service capped at two years – a significant improvement on the company’s original proposals. The voluntary severance process is expected to take approximately one month.

Unions have also secured core pay for the remaining workforce, with bonuses and other payments to be negotiated.

Commenting, Unite regional officer Brian Hewitt said:

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Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham pledges resources to grow union in Ireland

Posted on April 16, 2024 by unitetheunion

Collective bargaining key to transferring money from shareholders’ hands to workers’ pockets

April 16th: Addressing Unite’s seventh Irish Policy Conference in Malahide this morning (Tuesday), the union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said that the forthcoming opening of a new Limerick office and the redevelopment of Transport House in Belfast will help drive Unite’s continuing growth throughout the island of Ireland.

“We are just a matter of weeks away now from the opening of the new Limerick office and of course the redevelopment of the Belfast office – and we will continue investing resources in the growth of our union in Ireland.

Highlighting recent victories won on behalf of Unite members in Ireland – including the achievement of union recognition in Seagate in Northern Ireland, and the recent Supreme Court decision vindicating the right of Unite mechanical members in the Republic to take industrial action – Ms Graham said:

“No-one can guarantee victory, but what we can guarantee is a real fight – a campaign that leaves no stone unturned and makes sure employers know Unite will not back down.

“Our industrial wins have protected working class people from the worst impacts of a crisis they did not create but were expected to pay for.

“And the fights continue: throughout Ireland and Britain, we currently have over 300 live disputes, including Translink and over 50 ballots for action, like the one at Balcas Timber in Enniskillen over pay.

“And there are more disputes to come. Today, I am committing that we will bring all resources of our union to fight tooth and nail. Not just a press release. Not a platitude without substance but an industrial, political campaign that will bring maximum pressure.

“Collective strength is the key to pushing employers back. And collective bargaining is still the tried and tested method of driving up pay; the key driver to get the money out of shareholders hands and into the pockets of workers”, Ms Graham concluded to a standing ovation.

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Workers at Balcas Timber Ltd (Glennon brothers) to ballot for strike action in pay dispute

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Unite the union NI
Balcas workers on the picket line 2019

Workers reject below inflation pay increase offered by company whose latest accounts reported a dramatic surge in profits.

Unite the union has today notified management at Balcas Timber Ltd, a wood-mill and Combined Heat Power plant employing approximately 280 at Killadeas, Co Fermanagh of its intent to conduct a strike ballot of the workforce. The strike ballot will open on Tuesday 16 April and remain open for three weeks closing on Tuesday 7 May.

The workforce are paid as little £10.68 an hour, which is only now being increased to £11.44 an hour to comply with national minimum wage legislation.

Balcas is a highly successful company and is operating close to full capacity to meet the surge in demand for timber products. The company’s latest accounts (2022) reported turnover had increased by 7.6 per cent while operating costs fell. As a result, profits leapt to £19.4 million an increase of 190 per cent. The company is wholly-owned by the Longford headquartered Glennon Brothers Holdings Ltd, the second biggest timber manufacturer in the UK.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Balcas and Glennon brothers are highly successful and profitable companies operating. They can easily afford to provide a fair pay increase. Their failure to do so is a cynical attempt to further boost profits at the expense of workers’ wellbeing.

“Unite always focusses on the jobs, pay and conditions of its workers and the Balcas workforce can be certain of the total support of Unite.”

The workers at the wood mill submitted a pay claim seeking a cost of living pay increase to maintain pay differentials with the legal minimum, the introduction of a sick pay scheme and a one day increase in holiday entitlement.

Unite regional officer for the workforce Gareth Scott said: “Working in a saw mill is a tough and challenging job and the pay these workers receive just doesn’t reflect that reality.

“Management needs to recognise the mounting severity of this industrial dispute – it can only be resolved if management returns to the table with a pay offer that meets our members’ expectations.”

ENDS…

For further information or to arrange an interview contact Donal O’Cofaigh, Unite Campaigns, Comms & Press (NI) tel. 07810 157926.

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Family of Matthew Campbell deserve answers and justice

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Unite the union NI

Court judgement highlights need for health and safety legislation to be strengthened for increased incidence of extreme weather events

Unite the union welcomed this afternoon’s sentencing hearing at Newry Crown Court of Health and safety failings admitted by Newry, Mourne and Down district Council and Lagan construction at the Gullion Forest site, where Matthew Campbell was killed in 2018 during Storm Ali.

Mr Campbell was a member of Unite and the union has been supporting his family to obtain answers and justice on his death.

The union has challenged the failure of the Health and Safety Executive NI to conduct an investigation into the incident.  

Unite regional secretary Susan Fitzgerald has remained in close contact with the family since the death of Mr Campbell, she said:

“Today’s sentence is the closest that the family of Matthew Campbell has been able to come to obtaining any accountability for the loss of their son. Matthew’s death is a horrific loss and could have been avoided, he should never have been sent out to work in a forest in the middle of an extreme weather event.

“Unite will be taking forward our campaign for new legislation to protect workers’ health and safety in extreme weather events. With climate change these are becoming increasingly common and we cannot continue to have institutional failure when it comes to the protection of workers.

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