Most of you may have already seen SIPTU General Secretary Jack O’ Connor walk off the ‘Tonight with Vincent Brown Show’ while live on air. While this made for good television and Vincent Browne may have come out the winner, the implications for employers which do not currently recognise unions in the workplace could be far reaching.
We know that the trade union movement are pushing hard for recognition. This coupled with the current dispute in Dunnes Stores and the upcoming General Election, will make it very probable that such legislation could be enacted.
The format that this could take, no one knows yet. However it would be very popular among the electorate as a ‘vote catcher’ by all parties, thus making agreement at the Oireachtas very probable. Currently it is a matter for each individual employer to decide if they wish to allow union recognition in the work place.
Should you wish to preserve this principal I would suggest to each of you, where possible, you should influence your government representatives to vote against such a principal being introduced into our constitution. This could have a devastating effect on how we do business in Ireland, especially as this is one of the principals under which we attract foreign direct investment to our shores.
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