Local union recognition deal may point the way forward

A November 1998 agreement, drawn up in face-to-face talks between the vice-president of Ireland's largest trade union and the managing director of Karavale, a medium-sized electronics company, could act as a model for trade union representation in non-union companies.

A local agreement which ended a 10-day trade union recognition strike at the County Clare-based electronics firm, Karavale Ltd on 16 November 1998, establishes a novel process which the company and Ireland's largest union, the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), hope will lead to better relations. It is also hoped that the workforce will grow from around 70 to 200 employees over the next few years as investment plans are implemented.

Negotiated directly between the company's general manager, David Howley and SIPTU vice-president, Des Geraghty, the agreement involves the election of a local "workers' committee". Trade union members are elected in proportion to the union's numerical strength. All workers are free to join the union - if they wish to do so - as well as having the right to have their union dues deducted at source.

The workers' committee engages directly with management without the involvement of a local union official. Meanwhile, a three-person committee, made up of the union's regional secretary, a company nominee and an agreed third party, deals with any issues which fail to be resolved in direct talks.

Karavale had threatened to close its operation and ditch its state-aided IEP 6 million investment plan over the recognition issue. During the dispute, management said that it had originally believed that there would be no trade union involvement at the site. In early 1998, the company took over what was then known as Neltronics Ltd, a non-union company, and shortly afterwards over 40 of its 68 workers joined SIPTU. The local SIPTU official asked to meet management but the company rejected the request, sparking a strike which ended only when Mr Geraghty met directly with Mr Howley.

Trade union recognition is a national issue, on which the unions feel they need some "comfort" before engaging in talks on a new three-year national agreement to replace the current deal, Partnership 2000 (P2000) (IE9702103F) which expires on 31 March 2000. The report of the High Level Group on Trade Union Recognition (IE9802141F) which emerged from P2000, is now considered to be too weak from a trade union perspective, particularly in the wake of the bitter Ryanair/SIPTU dispute in March 1998 (IE9810261F). The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) wants any final formula to include a mandatory requirement for companies to attend Labour Court hearings, should management refuse to talk directly with a trade union. However, the agreement reached at Karavale could emerge as a sort of "halfway house" recognition model.