Council backs bill to restore power to unions

Dublin City Council has backed a motion by Independent Councillor Cieran Perry that supports a restoration of powers to labour unions in Dublin.

The Council gave their backing to the Fair Employment Bill 2022, which was drafted by the Trade Union Left Forum.

First proposed by Perry in October 2022, the bill serves as a replacement for the 1990 Industrial Relations Act.

The bill “guarantees a right of union access to all workers, a right to union recognition, full collective bargaining, and an end to the voluntary nature of the Irish industrial relations system,” and was first launched in June 2022.

It has the backing of the Trade Union Left Forum, who welcomed Perry’s motion.

“This is a very necessary piece of legislation that will create a level playing field between workers and employers,” they said.

Now official policy of the Irish Congress Of Trade Unions, ICTU said the law “should be reformed to restore rights which legislative regime which would allow trade union and industrial action for workers, for issues that concern workers across society and, across employers, and for effective solidarity to workers in dispute”.

“It is hard to believe in this day and age that we don’t have those rights in a first world European country,” Perry said when he was proposing the motion.

Perry noted that the Industrial Relations Act banned support strikes, political strikes, sit-ins, and introduced the 7-day notice period.

He said the act was the “worst dilution of workers right in the history of the state; partly as a result, union density remains at an all-time low which is resulting in bogus self-employment, the gig economy and minimum pay.”

Labour Councillor Declan Meenagh said “at the end of the day, workplace democracy and organising is how we achieve things, how we achieve a better society.”

Meenagh highlighted the response of the trade union to the Dublin riots, with the Irish Congress Of Trade Unions solidarity rally outside the GPO the Monday after the riots an example of “how relevant and how much of an asset trade unions are to our democracy.”

“Of course as a member of the Labour Party, I back this motion.”

Green Party Councillor Janet Horner said “I think we can see the value of unions for a whole range of reasons.”

“We know that our society is stronger and more united for the presence of trade unions.”

“We know that they play a crucially important role in standing against hate and division right now, she said.

Sinn Féin Councillor Máire Devine said the act was brought in to take power away from trade unions “who were seen to be getting above their boots, the workers demanding rightful rights – how dare they?” she remarked.

The Fine Gael group on Dublin City Council said they were “delighted” to back the motion.

While Dublin City Council passing the bill is largely symbolic, Perry hopes that the legislation will make its way through the political system.

“We need just to progress the legislation now in the big house rather than our house,” he said.