European Week of Protest and Solidarity – Belfast Protest June 24, 2010
Posted by Garibaldy in Campaigns, The Left.1 comment so far
EUROPEAN-WIDE WEEK OF PROTEST & SOLIDARITY – BELFAST PROTEST
NO CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES
Protest: 5-6pm Thursday 24 June
European Commission Office, 74-76 Dublin Rd, Belfast
ENDORSED BY: THE WORKERS’ PARTY -FIRE BRIGADES UNION – I.N.T.O. NORTHERN REGION – SOCIALIST PARTY – ORGANISE – SAVE MID-ULSTER HOSPITAL – WE WONT PAY CAMPAIGN – YOUTH AGAINST RACISM plus many others
NO CUTS TO BAILOUT THE BANKS – DEFEND JOBS, WAGES & SERVICES
The Dockworkers Strike… Labour Court Ruling now available. October 17, 2009
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For more details see here.
Support the Dublin Port Workers – Protest Action Monday 24th August August 22, 2009
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May Day – Dublin Council of Trade Unions April 29, 2009
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‘Housing for Need not Greed; Tenants First Action Plan for Sustaining Homes and Communities’ April 25, 2009
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Campaigns, Housing.3 comments
‘Housing for Need not Greed;
Tenants First Action Plan for Sustaining Homes and Communities’
Monday May 11th (10am to 1pm)
Liberty Hall (SIPTU buildings), Dublin 1
10am: Outline of policy document for the regeneration of, and building and sustaining communities and homes. Speaker: Brian Dillon (Nexus and Tenants’ First)
10.30am: Social housing and communities: Anne Speed, (Head of Equality and Campaigning, SIPTU)
10.45am: Fr. Pat Cogan (Managing Director, Respond! Voluntary Housing Association)
11am: Action for local communities and community organisations on new policy and cut-backs in community services. John Bissett (author of Regeneration: Public Good or Private Profit) & Rory Hearne (Regeneration Worker Dolphin House)
11.30-1pm Open discussion and summary
Read the Tenants First policy document see: www.stmichaelsestate.ie or www.dicp.ie For more information contact: tenantsfirst365@yahoo.ie or C/O: Dublin Inner City Partnership, 16-17 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin 7, 01 8721321. Tenants First is a network that brings together people who are working on and involved in public housing issues in their local communities. It is made up of representatives from local authority tenants associations and anti-poverty groups working locally with tenants.
Thanks to John O’Neill of the ISN for forwarding this.
HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT April 4, 2009
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HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT
Protest outside City Hall, Parliament Street, Dublin 2 on Monday 6-7pm
As regeneration projects grind to a halt in Dublin, over 5,000 families are being left around the city living in run down and often unsafe conditions – uncertain about their future.
Tenants First – an organisation that promotes the voice of tenants in regeneration area – is organising a protest on the eve of the budget to make sure that these families and individuals are not forgotten.
Please come and support the residents of Ballymun, St Michaels Estate, O’Devaney Gardens, Dominick Street, Croke Villas, St Theresa’s Gardens, Dolphin House and all other areas of regeneration.
MONDAY, 6TH APRIL @ 6 -7 PM OUTSIDE CITY HALL
If you need further information please contact Emma on 01 883 2159
Please circulate this information
[Thanks to John O’Neill for forwarding this information]
Banning Cluster Bombs… May 28, 2008
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Campaigns, International Politics.4 comments
Thanks to soubresauts for forwarding this…
Dear friends,
In the next 72 hours, 109 countries are negotiating to ban cluster munitions — weapons that, like land mines, kill children long after wars have ended. Immediate pressure is needed — click to send your message:
BAN CLUSTER BOMBS
Final negotiations are underway right now in Dublin, Ireland on a treaty to ban cluster bombs. Arms manufacturers are pushing governments to riddle the treaty with loopholes and delays — and the final text will be decided in the next 72 hours.
Cluster munitions don’t just kill during war. They scatter small, shiny, unexploded “bomblets” on the ground that hold their deadly charge for years. When children pick them up, they are often maimed or killed. Most governments agree that these weapons should be outlawed, but back-room pressure is rising to undercut a strong ban.
If enough of us act before the treaty is signed on Friday, we can drown out the weapons merchants and convince our governments to ban cluster bombs once and for all. Click below to send a message, and then forward this email to friends and family:
The treaty to ban cluster munitions is the result of an inspiring, years-long campaign by citizens from around the world — with victims and survivors of cluster bombs leading the way. One spokesman for the effort, Branislav Kapetanovic, lost his hands, legs, and some of his hearing and eyesight in a cluster-bomb explosion in his native Serbia. He is now in Dublin, pushing for the treaty — but he took a moment to sent this message to the Avaaz community (you can see a video on the the Avaaz site):
Cluster bombs are one of the most dangerous weapons of today. The majority of their victims are civilians, affecting millions worldwide. They have absolutely no place in a conflict situation.
This week governments have gathered together in Dublin to outlaw this dangerous weapon. This is a historic meeting of the international community. Some governments are trying to undermine and weaken the treaty with loopholes and exceptions. They are trying to position the arms trade over the importance of lives of people like me.
Rich governments don’t always listen to victims, but they will listen to you — their citizens. Please send a strong message to your government now that calls for a treaty with no exception, no loopholes, and no delays.
Advocates like Kapetanovic have faced down enormous odds to reach this point, the brink of victory. Now, as citizens around the world, we can do our part, and raise a massive cry as the negotiators spar over the final text of the treaty. Watch the video, check out a map of countries that produce or use cluster bombs and send a message to your leaders, all from this link:
here
In 1997, the people-powered International Campaign to Ban Land Mines won a victory for humanity, earning a Nobel Peace Prize by ending the barbaric practice of laying mines in conflict zones. It would not have been possible without the efforts of thousands of ordinary people. This week, we can take the next step towards a more just, more peaceful world — a world safer for children, and for generations to come.
With hope,
Ben, Pascal, Ricken, Galit, Graziela, Paul, Iain, and Veronique — the Avaaz.org team
PS: You can learn more about this issue at the Stop Cluster Munitions coalition website here:
And here are some news articles about the state of the negotiations:
and
_______________
ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means “voice” in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.
Reports on SIPTU Agency Workers Meeting. November 27, 2007
Posted by guestposter in Campaigns, Unions.1 comment so far
Just to give this a slightly greater prominence than the comments section… two reports on the meeting from John O’Neill and D_D.
When the SIPTU leadership decide to launch a campaign they do so with style. The meeting was well organised starting with a short film of a SIPTU member who was an agency worker on a building site outlining the various forms of exploitation that agency workers are experiencing. Then there was an intro to the campaign from SIPTU followed by speakers from other unions endorsing the campaign. The meeting then asked for speakers from the floor representing Political Parties and all were given 2 minutes, PBP, SF, LP, RSF, WP all got to speak. Despite assurances from Fine Gael that they would send two representives to the meeting and a speaker they didn’t attend.The meeting was then opened to the audience with about 20+ people making short contributions. The meeting finished with a 10 minute contribution from Jack O’Connor about the importance of the campaign.Some points made at the meeting I noted were.;
If employers are allowed to continue abusing workers through Agencies this will role back all the victories won by the labour movement in the last 100 years.
There are 520 employment agencies in Ireland with a population of 4 million, Poland has 700 with a population of 40 million.
The Government along with Germany and the UK, have bloked the introduction of EU legislation to give some protection to workers employed through Agencies.
Employers are attempting to introduce Agency terms and conditions as the norm.
In workplaces where agency workers and directly employed workers both working there is the potential for conflict and division.
AW’s listed issues like only receiving 16 days leave per year, being sacked for taking annual leave, being paid flat rates for overtime, no job security despite lengthy terms in a job.
There is a need to educate workers of the implications for everyone if agencies are allowed to ignore workers rights.
One or two personal criticisms I would have of the meeting; I sensed a reluctance to get on the streets and organise demonstrations from JO’C and that the unions were not willing to allow this issue to be made a deal breaker in Partnership.
John O’Neill
A very good summary of the meeting by John. It is Hungary (not Germany), Britain and Ireland that have no legislation to protect Agency workers. (Though Germany may have been involved in some recent blocking action, I don’t know).
There is lots more on the Campaign on the SIPTU website (siptu.ie) including a PDF of a leaflet, a ‘What you can do’ bit and various statements. (Look under Campaigns & Current Issues). As John remarks, it’s important that the campaign assumes real substance, good and all as the words so far have been. There is a good pamphlet available from Liberty Hall and the Union have just produced an updated briefing document. The pamphlet includes the excellent policy on the issue adopted by the NEC of SIPTU. I reproduce that below.
contributed by D_D.
SIPTU Policy on Agency Workers
The potential for exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers and the parallel undermining of well established standards through the use of Employment Agencies has been evident for some time.
The absence of dedicated statutory protection facilitates the circumvention of progressive employment legislation such as the Protection of Employment (Part-Time Work) Act 2001/Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term work) Act 2003.
Some progress was achieved in the T2016 Agreement. This provides for the enactment of legislation to regularise the situation to some degree, e.g. entitling such workers to the protection of Registered Employment Agreements, etc. However, the principle of equal treatment remains to be won.
This will entail a determined industrial/political campaign.
It is critically important that we maintain a disciplined progressive industrial policy towards the issue in every workplace.
Where possible we should seek to resist the introduction of agency workers and seek to have all new workers employed on regular contracts of employment by the beneficial employer.
Where this is not achievable we must seek to ensure that Employment Agency workers are subject to a collective agreement specifying terms and conditions of employment including but not limited to:
* Clearly restricting the circumstances in which ‘agencies’ would be employed, (e.g. to cater for temporary or fluctuating demands, etc.) and specifying a maximum period beyond which the worker must become a direct employee.
* Providing for equal pay with directly employed workers performing the same or similar work or work of equal value.
* Entitling workers employed by ‘Agencies’ to the right to trade union representation. (In so far as possible they should also provide for trade union induction on commencement)
We must also vigilantly apply ourselves to the task of organising all ‘agency workers’ in unionised workplaces.
This must extend beyond simply recruiting these workers into our Organisation. It also entails ensuring that the workers concerned elect shop stewards (or representatives on Union Section Committees were appropriate). This is particularly important in the case of non-Irish workers.
It is important that the regular workforce understand the need to organise agency workers and the threat unorganised, under paid and maltreated workers pose to their own terms and conditions of employment.
Furthermore it is important to ensure that open lines of communications are maintained between the regular workforce and agency workers and that they are not ghettoised and alienated from other workers or union structures.
Regional Secretaries/National Industrial Secretaries will provide support on the implementation of this policy.
Adopted by SIPTU’s National Executive Council on Thursday May 31, 2007
SIPTU Members Forum on Agency Worker Rights on Monday 19th November November 17, 2007
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Campaigns, Unions.27 comments
Just a quick note for all as are interested and sorry for the short notice. SIPTU is holding a Members Forum on Agency Worker Rights this Monday (19th November) in Liberty Hall Dublin at 6.00 p.m.
The accompanying leaflets have the details, but it’s worth noting that, as the leaflet states, “Today Agency Workers, Tomorrow All Workers”.
A telling point is that the leaflet is available in English, Polish, Latvian, Russian, Lithuanian, Slovakian. A sign of the times. Good to see SIPTU engaging on this issue.
Anyone concerned about the erosion, or more often the complete lack, of workers rights should attend.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 