Lockout at Allegro
The union is willing to agree change but we are not going to sell
our souls
James Connolly
| |
One hundred and twenty Marine Port and General Workers Union
members were locked out of their work last Friday 3 October at
the Allegro distribution company in Sandyford, Dublin.
The workers were struck off the payroll for refusing to sign a
new contract of employment which would have meant a dramatic cut
in earnings. Employees would have to put in an extra 500 hours
work a year to maintain their present earnings.
MPGWU Branch Secretary Michael Corcoran told An Phoblacht that
``The union is willing to agree change but we are not going to
sell our souls''. Corcoran said he believed that the agreement
management were introducing was prompted by demands from Tesco
who wanted Allegro to cut its charges to them or lose Tesco
contracts for supplying goods to Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices.
Allegro attempted to bring in drivers from the Six Counties to
move goods from their Dublin Depot, but they would not work when
they realised workers had been locked out. Drivers brought in
from Liverpool left the lorries on the Naas Road and returned to
Britain. We contacted Allegro about the dispute but they would
make no comment.
The MPGWU claim that Allegro management carried out a range of
pressurising and intimidatory tactics on workers prior to the
lockout. These included setting up a strike breaking distribution
network from the Six Counties using Dukes Transport as well as
sending letters to workers homes demanding that they sign the new
contracts or lose their jobs.
The MPGWU believe that there has to be movement on both sides,
but Allegros' lockout seems designed to deliberately create an
unnecessary crisis for themselves and their workers.
Last chance to say No?
Freedom, Security and Peace. No, this is not a new twist on the
Sinn Féin slogan but the new gloss that the EU is using to cover
up the cracks in its flawed plans for a military super state.
One of the last official acts of Ray Burke in office was to start
the process of yet another chapter in our descent into being part
of this European military superclub. He signed on behalf of
26-county citizens what is called the Amsterdam Treaty.
The Treaty is the result of 18 months of negotiations where EU
governments wrestled with the realities that the EU they had
created was really an exclusive club more tuned to the demands of
international business than the needs of its citizens.
The Amsterdam Treaty is a botched attempt by EU leaders to
overcome its obvious deficiencies. The new Treaty asserts that
the EU is founded on ``the principles of liberty, democracy,
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms''.
On paper this sounds good as does the proposal to make all EU
member states abolish the death penalty, but the Treaty also
contains commitments extending current proposals to have a
European police force Europol controlled by the EU's secret
unelected K2 security committee.
No account is taken of the corruption and bias of some EU police
forces that would make up Europol, notably the British police and
the RUC. The treaty would also oblige member states to allow
political extraditions.
The Treaty also requires member states to participate in the EU's
military activities and participate in what the Treaty calls
``joint actions'' and again affirms the role of NATO subsidiary the
WEU.
The Amsterdam Treaty contains some hopeful assertions on
employment, social policy, environment and public health. However
the real question is why were these commitments not in any of the
previous three treaties.
Next year 26-County voters will have one last chance to vote No
to the EU Superclub and say yes to a real people's Europe not a
military superstate. Six County voters will not even get that
chance.
Coalition's broken promise
The heady days of last June might seem like an age ago but
retired 26-County public service workers have been counting the
days. It is now four months since Bertie Ahern and Mary Harney
pledged themselves to restore the link between public service pay
and public service pensions.
For decades increases in public service pay meant corresponding
increases in the pensions of retired public service workers. Last
week public service pensioners marched on Leinster House to
remind Bertie and Mary of their forgotten promise, because four
months on since taking office the pensioners have heard nothing
from the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrat Government.
Related article:
National Gallery strike
``Art-ache for gallery staff'' was the headline on the fliers given
out by striking SIPTU members at Dublin's National Gallery this
week. The SIPTU staff are taking industrial action against the
Gallery management who they say are refusing to re-employ three
workers who had been hired last year on a temporary basis.
The three workers were initially employed to provide holiday
cover for existing staff and were then kept on until Christmas
1996. They were then let go on the basis that there was no
funding available.
However in 1997 the National Gallery proceeded to interview and
employ temporary staff. The previous temporary workers applied
and got interviews only to be told afterwards that they ``had
failed the interview''. The full-time workers were concerned that
the treatment of the part-time workers was unfair. They say that
``Temporary workers should not be treated in such an off-hand
manner. We believe that if a worker was satisfactory last year
then s/he should be given the work this year''.
To highlight this injustice and their own long-standing claim for
increases under the Programme For Competitiveness and Work, the
SIPTU staff have organised a series of one day stoppages at the
National Gallery.
The pickets have been successful with building workers employed
on constructing the Gallery's extension walking off site when the
pickets were put in place. The Gallery itself is almost empty and
the normally packed restaraunt has given their workers a half
day. SIPTU have filed proceedings at the Labour Court but claim
that management have so far refused to go. The next one day
stoppage is 14 October.
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