May Day lesson is that progress must be fought for says union’s Irish Secretary

May 1st: Speaking in Dublin ahead of International Workers’ Day, Unite’s Irish Secretary Susan Fitzgerald warned workers that fundamental rights will not be gifted by government without a fight.  Referring to the need to transpose the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages – which requires governments to promote collective bargaining – by 15 November, Ms Fitzgerald said that the trade union movement should not accept anything less than full collective bargaining legislation and statutory union recognition.

A recent University College Dublin (UCD) study found that 44 per cent of non-union workers would vote to establish a union in their workplace – and that figure rises to over half for women and around two-thirds for young workers aged 16 to 24.

Pointing to the recent vote for union recognition by Seagate workers in Northern Ireland, Ms Fitzgerald said:

“While collective bargaining laws in Northern Ireland are still heavily weighted against workers, the fact is that workers in Seagate outside Derry had a path towards union recognition and collective bargaining, while workers 100 miles down the road in Dundalk do not have that right – despite the fact that workers would vote to establish a union in their workplace if they could.

“Ireland is a European outlier when it comes to the right of workers to negotiate collectively through the union of their choice.

“Governments do not gift rights – they must be fought for.

“Unless we demand a robust package of rights, the government will introduce minimal legislation giving bosses a nod and a wink to carry on with their low wage, low rights model.

“The government is facing a general election within a year. This May Day, we must put the government and opposition parties on notice: 150 years after the birth of Jim Larkin, Irish workers cannot accept anything less than full collective bargaining rights and union recognition”.