SIPTU has given a cautious welcome to today’s statement that Tara Mines is to reopen in the second quarter of 2024. However, the union has said that any further delays “would not be acceptable,” citing the previous reopening in 2001. — John Regan, SIPTU Sector Organiser, said: “The tentative date given by Tara Mines today is a positive development. However, it could mean June 2024 for the first worker to return through the gates.

Ireland is not full. We don’t have an immigration problem. We have a capacity problem. — And that’s because of a decade of enforced austerity and low public investment after our financial crisis. We have chronic housing shortages, critical infrastructure gaps and public services near breaking point. Rightly, Ireland has acted in solidarity with Ukrainians fleeing war. In addition, the number of people seeking asylum in…

SIPTU members have expressed their solidarity with the victims of the vicious attack on Parnell Square in Dublin yesterday and, in particular, of the young girl and childcare worker who were so badly injured. — SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, John King also commended the extraordinary courage and commitment of first responders on what he described as a dark day and night for Dublin. He said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and all those hurt in yesterday’s horrific attack. It was truly a dark day…

SIPTU representatives have condemned the Tara Mines management for its “abject failure” after weeks of negotiations failed to agree a facilitation process. — Workers at Tara Mines have been temporarily laid off for 130 days, which the union describes as a “national scandal.” Some 2,000 workers have been affected by the move including 620 direct employees of New Boliden at the mine. The union says that management at the site had originally…

Irish Equity and Ged Nash TD hosted an information meeting in the Oireachtas today to call on the Government to support the Labour Party’s amendment on improving conditions in the audio-visual industry. The meeting is part of the union’s campaign to “level the playing field” for Irish performers, ensure that there is not a two-tier system and bring the law governing performer contracts in line with relevant copyright legislation.

SIPTU has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis that the Government intends to introduce pay-related Jobseeker’s Benefit but says the approach proposed is “nowhere near good enough.” — Under the terms announced by the Minister, a reduction in benefit would apply after just three months. The proposed scheme would see benefit being applied at 60 percent of average earnings (max €450 per week) for a period of three months, then reduced to 55 percent (max €375) for a…

‘Americonned,’ the breakthrough US documentary about income inequality, had its Irish launch in front of a packed house in Liberty Hall at an event also including a Q&A with its director, Sean Claffey. — The documentary charts the rise of neoliberalism in the United States from the Reagan era through the 2008 Financial Crash and into the stark divides of contemporary politics, placing the blame for growing social unrest squarely at the door of anti-worker policies.

We are entering a period of increased uncertainty: with geo-political instability, climate change, and artificial intelligence automation as well as interruptions to trade. — Our response must be to build a resilient economy — one that can withstand shocks and exploit opportunities despite wider risks. These shocks and risks can be external, arising in other parts of the globe. Or they can be homegrown like the recent housing crisis. A resilient economy is built…

Greg Ennis has been elected as SIPTU’s Deputy General Secretary for the Private Sector at the union’s Biennial Delegate Conference (BDC) in Galway. — Athboy-native Ennis, who joined the union’s Meath branch thirty-eight years ago, previously served as SIPTU’s Manufacturing Division Organiser. At a speech to the BDC, Ennis said that arresting the decline in private sector trade union membership would be his “number one priority” as Deputy General Secretary.