O'Connor Calls For New National Agreement

[C. Flower]

Jack O'Connor, highly-paid SIPTU fulltimer, wants a new National Agreement.

After a decade of Partnership, the prospect of having to work at negotiations, or, god forbid, lead a strike, is clearly appalling.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...0.html?via=rel

[disability student]

Jack O'Conner, highly-paid SIPTU fulltimer, wants a new National Agreement.

After a decade of Partnership, the prospect of having to work at negotiations, or, god forbid, lead a strike, is clearly appalling.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...0.html?via=rel

No wonder is he so out of touch with the people like ourselves?

[Newsy]

Jack O'Conner, highly-paid SIPTU fulltimer, wants a new National Agreement.

After a decade of Partnership, the prospect of having to work at negotiations, or, god forbid, lead a strike, is clearly appalling.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...0.html?via=rel

He is such a leech......

As thousands upon thousands have been put out of work by the awful dealings of the banks/gov., o'connor's silence on the issue is truly appaling.

[Ah Well]

Hark, the Beard speaks!!!

No, not Jurry ... the other one

[Baron von Biffo]

Jack O'Conner, highly-paid SIPTU fulltimer, wants a new National Agreement.

After a decade of Partnership, the prospect of having to work at negotiations, or, god forbid, lead a strike, is clearly appalling.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...0.html?via=rel

Perish the thought. Partnership had noble beginnings with its idea of everyone contributing to get us out of the last recession. Unfortunately history has shown that the only ones contributing were the workers while their employers were creaming it and shunting their money off shore to dodge tax.

The current leaders of our unions have shown themselves to be incapable of protecting their members. No worker should support a national agreement until they are replaced by a new generation of more focussed and less compliant leaders.

[C. Flower]

I've just noticed that I misspelled O'Connor as O'Conner.

*big freudian slip*

[homer]

Most employers, especially those trying to run smaller firms, are definitely not "creaming it" and do not have any money left to shunt anywhere.

Many are being put thru the hoop by their bank trying to raise working capital.

[Baron von Biffo]

Most employers, especially those trying to run smaller firms, are definitely not "creaming it" and do not have any money left to shunt anywhere.

Many are being put thru the hoop by their bank trying to raise working capital.

We heard that before too.

[Arnold Layne]

Most employers, especially those trying to run smaller firms, are definitely not "creaming it" and do not have any money left to shunt anywhere.

Many are being put thru the hoop by their bank trying to raise working capital.

Well, my case may be the exception to the rule, but here goes it.

I worked for a SME and the father & son were definiitely creaming it. I saw claims for kitchen appliances that were never in the canteen.

I attended a meeting where a Minister of State listened to their woes and promised to see what he could do, eventhough his department had already granted €250K through the WDC, of which he was also in charge (and also based in his village of residence in Conemara)

I have seen the same SME make me redundant and still owe me 2 months of pay after 6 months. The same SME that has all employees on 3 day weeks to avoid paying PRSI & tax.

But lets all pray for the owners of SMEs, because they can blame the recession and the financial crisis for their own ineptitude!

[Newsy]

I worked for a SME and the father & son were definiitely creaming it. I saw claims for kitchen appliances that were never in the canteen.

And homer...

Most employers, especially those trying to run smaller firms, are definitely not "creaming it" and do not have any money left to shunt anywhere.

There are examples of employers diddling the state and those who don't. Those who are ******** the system, SHAME on them. I have heard of examples where the employer has reduced 'some' of them employees wages and left their own and those they 'favoured' alone.

I have my own business......even during the so-called 'tiger' years, it was such a struggle.....still is.

I have no doubt there are other employers that are fair, as fair as they can, with their employees......such employers would put own money into business to keep it afloat.

[Baron von Biffo]

Well, my case may be the exception to the rule, but here goes it.

I worked for a SME and the father & son were definiitely creaming it. I saw claims for kitchen appliances that were never in the canteen.

I attended a meeting where a Minister of State listened to their woes and promised to see what he could do, eventhough his department had already granted €250K through the WDC, of which he was also in charge (and also based in his village of residence in Conemara)

I have seen the same SME make me redundant and still owe me 2 months of pay after 6 months. The same SME that has all employees on 3 day weeks to avoid paying PRSI & tax.

But lets all pray for the owners of SMEs, because they can blame the recession and the financial crisis for their own ineptitude!

Another little stunt that I've heard a few times now is where a member of staff is made redundant and a short time later their old job is being done by a member of the owners family who had lost their own job.

The first such case I heard of involved an accounts technician who was laid off only to hear from former colleagues that the bosses daughter was now in the job. The daughter had been working for a firm that went into receivership.

The disgruntled former employee was so angry that a detailed report of a VAT scam in the firm was sent to the Revenue.

[disability student]

[quote]

Another little stunt that I've heard a few times now is where a member of staff is made redundant and a short time later their old job is being done by a member of the owners family who had lost their own job.

The first such case I heard of involved an accounts technician who was laid off only to hear from former colleagues that the bosses daughter was now in the job. The daughter had been working for a firm that went into receivership.

Not surprising as i recall an enginering firm in South east of Ireland where a guy asked me out to sort his employment situation. So i went there and had a meeting with them. It was clear as a bell that they wanted my friend out in many subtle ways. He worked 28 years for them and all he got was pittance from them. They were dodgy especially the directors who wanted to availed of the director's loans with little interest. That was the height of it.

Few months later, got text message from a friend as he was laid off for good. He was replaced with a new replacement- employee with lower wages hence lower redundancy in the event of closing down. I told him go to the Equality tribunal and eventually, he won the case against them. So much for SME's as there are some chancers out there especially director's as i don't want to tar all SME's business with the same brush ok.

The disgruntled former employee was so angry that a detailed report of a VAT scam in the firm was sent to the Revenue.

That same firm that i have had dealt with, they were using (farm) diesels for their vans/cars etc instead of of the normal diesel's.

[DCon]

Jack has not been in the headlines for a while. He is aiming to change that

esponding to “the enormous coverage in the media to calls for a five year pay freeze”, SIPTU General President Jack O’Connor said this morning, “I have been urging throughout the last year that a national agreement is the only way forward for this country.

“But this is not what these calls for pay freezes are about. They are about more of what we have been hearing from the Government and employers for almost two years. It is all about the sacrifices workers are going to make and nothing about what will be done to help them.

O’Connor questioned “the veracity of suggestions that pay here is out of kilter with European competitors. These assertions are not borne out by Eurostat and other credible institutions”. He questioned, “The efficacy of pay cutting and pay containment as a recipe for economic recovery. Again citing the example of Germany, he pointed out that, “While Germany protected employment and unit labour costs increased by 5.4 per cent, their exports have risen by up 30 per cent. In Ireland unit labour costs have fallen by 4.4 per cent, yet to no apparent advantage.”

http://www.siptu.ie/PressRoom/NewsRe...,11930,en.html

He seems confused. Germany is a massive economy with world-class export companies. Ireland is a small economy reliant on FDI.

[C. Flower]

Jack has not been in the headlines for a while. He is aiming to change that

http://www.siptu.ie/PressRoom/NewsRe...,11930,en.html

He seems confused. Germany is a massive economy with world-class export companies. Ireland is a small economy reliant on FDI.

O'Connor seems to be locked into the past in the same ways as Cowen and Lenihan. Its gone past being merely worrying.

Having said that, the idea, put about energetically by the E.S.R.I. back in 2008, that wage cuts will make Ireland competitive, and is the solution to the crisis, won't wash. It's adding deflation to deflation, in the same way as in the boom everything they did added to overheating.

[Baron von Biffo]

JHe seems confused. Germany is a massive economy with world-class export companies. Ireland is a small economy reliant on FDI.

Yet any time vested interest groups here want to lash workers they cite rates of pay in other EU countries. Are we to take it that references to German pay can only be made if they are being used to demand pay cuts here?