'Bullying' of shop stewards has negative impact

In November 2002, the issue of trade union members placing undue pressure on their shop stewards was raised at the northern regional conference of SIPTU, Ireland's largest trade union. It was claimed that the union is losing top shop stewards due to 'bullying' by some members.

On 1-2 November 2002, the northern region of the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), Ireland's largest trade union, held its regional congress. While issues such as union representation, wage bargaining, racism and redundancy were among the main topics discussed, perhaps the most interesting comment came from a branch member who claimed the union is losing top shop steward s due to 'bullying' by some members. Seamus Murphy from the union’s Donegal branch told the conference that, while he believes that the role of the union shop steward has not fundamentally changed, the union’s membership has. He voiced concern that the union was losing the 'cream of the crop' of its shop stewards, a development which he partly attributed to shop stewards suffering abuse at the hands of members.

Mr Murphy’s remarks were made in a debate on a key motion that called for the union’s national executive council to initiate an 'evaluation of the role of elected workplace representatives, in consultation with these representatives, to both agree what that role is, and to ensure that adequate facilities and training are provided to enable them to fulfil this changing role'.

Mr Murphy said that shop stewards need adequate basic training to enable them to fulfil their duties, adding that any members who bully stewards should be dealt with accordingly.

Another union official, Sean Reilly, the Donegal branch secretary, told delegates that the education and training of representatives was 'a question of resources'. He agreed that the union was losing some of its best shop stewards. Mr Reilly said that it was a policy in Donegal to ask stewards the reasons for their resignation, and one reason given was that a significant minority of members put undue pressure on shop stewards.

There was also a number of motions submitted relating to the increasingly prominent issue of the protection of immigrant workers from exploitation and racism (IE0112228F). For instance, the Drogheda branch submitted a motion calling on the Irish government to 're-examine the conditions in relation to working visas for non-EU citizens … In particular as it relates to the period of employment that is promised to these immigrant workers in the application for the working visa.' Should an employer not be able to fulfil that contract, the motion stated that the employer should be held responsible for ensuring that the immigrant workers receive either: (a) an alternative job with similar conditions; or (b) compensation for the period of the contract that is not fulfilled.

Meanwhile, at the union’s western region conference in November 2002, regional secretary, Joe Cunningham told delegates that the structure of some union branch meetings were unattractive to new activists. The union should be flexible in accommodating other ways of involving lay members. 'If someone has a skill and is willing to give one hour a week, we have to make sure that is used,' he said.