SIPTU has voted not to go into partnership talks unless it gets more solid assurances on the Government's proposals to tackle job displacement and exploitation of migrant workers. Only one out of 400 delegates voted against the motion.
The executive of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions will meet this evening to consider the implications of the SIPTU decision.
Earlier SIPTU said that Ireland could turn into an 'exploiters' paradise' if the Government does not introduce measures to prevent a descending spiral in pay and conditions.
SIPTU president Jack O'Connor was addressing his union's delegate conference, which met to decide on whether to go into the new partnership talks.
ICTU is due to hold a conference today where delegates of all affiliated unions are due to give their collective decision on whether to sign up to the new round of talks on a national agreement.
Mr O'Connor outlined to delegates a letter from the Taoiseach indicating his commitment to stopping the so-called race to the bottom in employment standards. Mr O'Connor welcomed the Taoiseach's comments but said the union needed further clarification on how those aspirations would translate into practical measures.
He said the issues raised by jobs displacement and exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers were so fundamental that they needed to be addressed away from the long list of topics on the partnership agenda. He said the trend towards exploitation was so pernicious that eventually even decent employers would be forced to adopt such practices just to stay in business.
Delegates were debating a motion whereby SIPTU would withhold support for partnership talks until it received more solid assurances from the Government on how employment standards would be protected. Mr O'Connor said adoption of the motion before conference could mean that social partnership would die, but 'so be it'.
THE General Secretary of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), Owen Wills, welcomed SIPTU's decision to defer entering talks on the new national wage agreement.
Mr Wills said his union wishes to establish if a firm basis exists for talks with the Government and employers that will adequately address issues such as job displacement and protection for workers from unscrupulous employers engaged in 'race to the bottom' practices.
The TEEU is the country's largest craft union representing almost 40,000 members. Its delegation will be voting for deferral of any talks at tomorrow's special delegate conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in Dublin. Mr Wills said that his union had decided to await the outcome of contacts between ICTU, SIPTU and the Government to see if adequate progress could be made.
Mr Wills said while it was clear that the Taoiseach is anxious to address the problems of gross exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers and protect the wages and conditions of unionised workers, he has not be able to clarify how to do this.
'These issues are absolutely fundamental for the survival of social partnership. We need to know much more about what the Government proposes to do and if its measures are feasible. In the circumstances it would be premature to enter talks on the wider agenda involved in a new national agreement', he said.
