Despite Jones being forced to drop High Court action against shop stewards, company refuses to engage meaningfully with Unite

Embassy had supported opening of Jones’  new Swedish office

Trade union Unite, which represents construction workers throughout Ireland, this week met with senior officials at the Irish Embassy in Stockholm.

At the meeting Unite raised concerns surrounding the support given to Jones Engineering by the Embassy for the opening of Jones’ new Swedish office in Gävle.   

Unite has been in dispute with Jones since 2023, when union members took industrial action in pursuit of a claim for ‘travel time’ restoration. Instead of engaging with Unite to resolve the issues in dispute, Jones Engineering pursued the union and – in an unprecedented move – individual named shop stewards through the courts.  Despite being forced to drop its High Court action against Unite and three named shop stewards, the company still refuses to engage meaningfully with the union.

Speaking after the meeting, Unite regional officer James McCabe said:

“We welcomed the opportunity to meet with senior officials at the Irish Embassy in Stockholm.  At the meeting we stressed the importance of ensuring that all Irish companies receiving government support for operations abroad conform to the highest standards, including respect for labour and trade union rights.  This is particularly important in a country such as Sweden where around 88 per cent of workers are covered by collective agreements”.

Unite and the international union federation BWI have submitted an OECD complaint regarding Jones Engineering’s conduct to the Irish National Contact Point pursuant to the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct.