Stobart, SIPTU, Tesco and the retired Assistant Garda Commissioner

[PaddyJoe]

Curious industrial relations story going on here. Why would a transport company hire a retired assistant garda commissioner to oversee a ballot of its workforce?

A transport company which supplies Tesco supermarkets and which is facing a one-day strike this week has called in a retired assistant garda commissioner to supervise a secret ballot of its workforce.
The highly unusual move, which will be overseen by former assistant garda commissioner Martin Donnellan, will ask workers at the Stobart Ireland (http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Ireland) firm if they support a Siptu strike on Thursday.


http://www.independent.ie/national-news/transport-firm-hires-exgarda-for-strike-vote-3024327.html

Yesterday's Irish Times had a story involving the same company:

TWO FORMER employees of a haulage company, who were fired after being accused of encouraging unlawful industrial action, have been awarded more than €260,000 in compensation by the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Desmond Ward, Oberstown, Naas, Co Kildare, and Michael Carroll, of Rathmuc, Kildare town, were awarded €122,304 and €138,632 respectively by the tribunal after it found that they were unfairly dismissed by their employer Stobart (Ireland) Limited, based in Distribution Centre, Tolka Quay Road in Dublin Port.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0218/1224311978349.html

[PaddyJoe]

Martin Donnellan works for TEC Security:

TEC Security Services offers a full security consultancy solution. TEC Security is fully insured and is provided to give expert advice on an extensive variety of security problems to aid you in reducing the risks to your business and staff.
TEC Security Services takes great pride in its successful undertaking of the most difficult assignments where absolute attention to detail, commitment and responsibility is required.
We have a strong client portfolio across all industry sectors in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France & Spain and offer the same professional service to both small and larger businesses
So now we have private security companies being hired to put pressure on workers not to take industrial action?
Nice.

[Tuogid]

So now we have private security companies being hired to put pressure on workers not to take industrial action?

The Gardai are not more than a private security company, whose remit is to protect the assets of the elites.

[C. Flower]

Curious industrial relations story going on here. Why would a transport company hire a retired assistant garda commissioner to oversee a ballot of its workforce?


http://www.independent.ie/national-news/transport-firm-hires-exgarda-for-strike-vote-3024327.html

Yesterday's Irish Times had a story involving the same company:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0218/1224311978349.html

Surely the workers are not obliged to take part in this ballot and should not do so?

I recall that Libertas had strike breaking written in to its Memorandum and Articles as an objective. No sign of Ganley on the Board?

[Allroad]

Some unusual practices from a British company determined to dominate the haulage industry over here.

[PaddyJoe]

Some unusual practices from a British company determined to dominate the haulage industry over here.
Indeed. They seem to have previous form when it comes to unusual industrial relations policies:

In May 2007 the Stobart Group was the subject of controversy when it reportedly offered bonuses to its Carlisle-based drivers to work in Livingston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livingston,_Scotland) in Scotland, to transport goods for Tesco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco) who were in dispute with their distribution centre drivers and facing disruption to their supply chain. The Stobart drivers refused to cross the Livingston picket line.[41] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stobart_Group#cite_note-40)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stobart_Group

[PaddyJoe]

Sean O'Rourke is going to cover this on the News at One in a bit.

[PaddyJoe]

Less than half the drivers voted in Stobart's 'ballot'. 58 voted against strike action representing 37% of the total number of drivers.

The company described the vote as "independent and transparent" and urged SIPTU to call off the strike.
However, SIPTU Official Karan O'Loughlin accused Stobart of intimidating and coercing drivers to participate in the "hastily arranged ballot".
The union pointed out that over half the relevant workforce had not taken part in the ballot - and that those opposing industrial action represented only 37% of the total number of drivers.
SIPTU has complained to the Health and Safety Authority about Stobart Ireland phoning workers to instruct them to return to work to vote after they had finished their shifts - claiming this breaches their legal entitlement to uninterrupted rest periods.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0221/stobart.html

[PaddyJoe]

Update:

SIPTU MEMBERS AT transport company Eddie Stobart are due to take further industrial action tomorrow over grievances about working hours and health and safety issues.
This will be the drivers second work stoppage following what the union calls the haulier’s “continued refusal” to engage with representatives.

http://www.thejournal.ie/eddie-stobart-drivers-in-24-hour-strike-391028-Mar2012/

[fluffybiscuits]

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/driver-torched-cumbrian-truck-giant-stobart-s-lorries-1.937948?referrerPath=news


Look what this bloke did, obviously he didnt like his job....