Irving Oil referred to the WRC over unilateral plans to change remote work arrangements

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Unite the union NI

Unite stands ready to deploy the full range of industrial actions needed to reverse threatened management changes

Unite has referred Canadian-owned company, Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery Ltd which operates an oil refinery in Whitegate, County Cork to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The union’s action follows a series of unilateral decisions by management to curtail flexible working policy arrangements in place since 2022.

Last May and without any prior consultation with the workforce, the employer announced a cut to the popular flexible work policy which included hybrid remote working provisions. In so doing, the employer failed to cite objective reasons for such changes as is provided for in the relevant legislation and by the WRC Guidelines. In recent days, management notified employees of its intention to impose further unilateral curtailments on hybrid remote work provisions and that flexible working arrangements, which allow for variable start and finish times, are also to be abolished.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Irving Oil is guilty of riding roughshod over employment rules and treating its workers with contempt.

“Unite will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that its members are properly treated and that the attacks on their working conditions are reversed.”

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Unite staff at Central Bank welcome confirmation that involvement in Israeli government bonds will end

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Unite the union NI

Decision by central bank leadership follows workers registering their opposition to Central Bank role

The Unite committee representing staff working in the Central Bank has issued a statement expressing “revulsion” at the position workers have been placed in through the Bank’s role in the approval of Israeli government bond prospectuses. The statement was issued in response to yesterday’s announcement by the Central Bank that it is no longer to be involved in the approval of Israeli government bond prospectuses, the function now transferring to Luxemburg.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the workers statement notes that: “The Bank’s role in approving Israeli government bond prospectuses is an affront to our values as public servants and incompatible with the principles on which the Central Bank should stand.”

Unite deputy regional secretary Tom Fitzgerald, added: “No worker should ever be put in a position where they suffer a conflict of conscience due to their employer’s role. This is not a question of abstract politics. It is about ethical standards and public service values.”

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School support staff still on temporary engagement forms despite ministerial commitment to end practice

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Unite the union NI

Union calls for use of temporary engagement forms in Northen Ireland to be restricted and all school staff working temporary for four years to automatically made permanent

Unite has revealed statistics showing that 1,315 school transport and catering workers continue to be engaged on temporary forms by the education authority. Of that number, 267 have worked for more than four years in their roles despite Stormont’s own fixed-term workers’ regulations, which guarantee that after that a set period, workers are entitled to a permanent employment contract.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said, “Hundreds of school transport and catering staff are being denied basic employment rights and job security while being forced to work on temporary engagement forms .

“School support workers deserve better and this practice should be ended. As a first step those working more than four years on temporary forms must be automatically given permanent contracts and the rights that go with them.”

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Jones Engineering: OECD finds Unite complaint merits further consideration

Posted on August 19, 2025 by unitetheunion

Complaint related to treatment of workers following 2023 dispute

Unite welcomes OECD offer of mediation

August 19th: Unite today welcomed the decision by the Ireland National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises that a complaint submitted by Unite and the global federation Building and Woodworkers International in respect of Jones Engineering and its American parent company Cathexis merits further consideration. The decision is available here.

The complaint centres largely on the treatment of union members by Jones following a 2023 trade dispute surrounding the union’s claim for restoration of the first hour of ‘travel time’.

The OECD Guidelines include a range of industrial relations provisions including a prohibition on discrimination against employees due to their trade union activity or the use of reprisals.

Welcoming the finding that Unite’s complaint merits further consideration, the union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said:

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Industrial action at Dale Farm could lead to milk shortages

Posted on August 11, 2025 by unitetheunion

Drivers and engineers vote overwhelmingly for industrial action

Unite warns strike will impact milk collection and multiple Dale Farm sites in Northern Ireland

Trade union Unite has announced strike action at dairy producer Dale Farm group beginning on Wednesday 20 August.

Engineers and drivers at multiple Dale Farm production sites will participate in the initial three day strike action. A further three day strike is scheduled for the following week escalating to a five day strike the week after. In the absence of a resolution, all-out strike action will commence from the fourth week.

Drivers and engineers voted in a formal ballot with majorities of 90 and 89 per cent respectively for strike action in support of their pay claim. Pay for Dale Farm workers is lower than it is for industry comparators in Northern Ireland.

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