The 500 delegates who attended the biennial conference of the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU), Ireland's largest union with almost 200,000 members, on 7-10 October 1997 in Ennis, Co Clare, did so against the backdrop of a booming economy with strong employment growth. However, the union has only been able to secure modest increases in membership levels in recent years. SIPTU president, Jimmy Somers, in a briefing for journalists, revealed that SIPTU would be aiming for 5% membership growth over the next few years. A problem faced by the union movement is that many incoming multinational companies, particularly those from the USA, tend to have strong non-union policies.
SIPTU, Ireland's largest trade union, held its biennial conference in October 1997. The union is conducting a campaign for mandatory union recognition and a national minimum wage of IEP 5 an hour.
The 500 delegates who attended the biennial conference of the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU), Ireland's largest union with almost 200,000 members, on 7-10 October 1997 in Ennis, Co Clare, did so against the backdrop of a booming economy with strong employment growth. However, the union has only been able to secure modest increases in membership levels in recent years. SIPTU president, Jimmy Somers, in a briefing for journalists, revealed that SIPTU would be aiming for 5% membership growth over the next few years. A problem faced by the union movement is that many incoming multinational companies, particularly those from the USA, tend to have strong non-union policies.
In a bid to counteract this growing trend, the union is strongly backing a demand by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) for some form of mandatory union recognition. The issue is currently being examined by a "high-level group", made up of the social partners, key government ministries and the state's job-creation agencies. The initiative was promised in Ireland's current three-year economic and social pact, Partnership 2000 (IE9702103F), which runs from 1997 to 2000. A report is due at the end of 1997.
Delegates also backed a motion calling for a minimum wage of IEP 5 an hour. The coalition Government, in its June 1997 programme for government (IE9706218F), is committed to "the introduction of a national minimum hourly wage, following early consultation with the social partners". A special commission on this issue is also set to report at the end of 1997.
The main employers' body, theIrish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), remains firmly opposed to any statutory national minimum wage, insisting that existing low-wage mechanisms, such as the Joint Labour Committee s - which cover 10% of the workforce - provide adequate protection for lower-paid workers.
Meanwhile, the conference was shocked by allegations of sexual harassment made by a Galway delegate, Elaine Harvey, who recounted alleged incidents at previous SIPTU conferences which, she suggested, were indicative of the sort of sexual harassment which women have to suffer at such events. The union responded by stating that the widely reported allegations would be thoroughly investigated. Ms Harvey has since been contacted by the union's equality official to ascertain the facts of the allegations on a confidential basis. Union leaders said they were concerned that the impression might have been given that such behaviour was commonplace at conference - it was not, they insisted.
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