See attached leaflet from the CPSU Activist Group calling for a No Vote to Haddington Road. Vote NO again...for the same reasons! Protect your rights, our trade union rights, our terms and conditions! Everyone agrees we are being asked to vote on a “tweaked” Croke park II deal, with no fundamental difference to what we already rejected outright. Croke Park II was also rejected by the majority of public sector workers who have had enough of austerity. Disgracefully this vote was ignored by key trade union leaders who went back into talks to cobble together a similar deal. This deal is still about €1b in cuts in the public sector. The arguments to vote against these Croke Park deals still remain and the only new consideration is the government threats. If this deal is passed it will solve nothing, but actually make the crisis worse by taking €1b out of the economy. The claim that this deal will ensure no further pay cuts is an insult. A No vote will be a clear message again that we have had enough and have no more to give. We would be joining three other trade unions (including two teachers’ unions) that have rejected the deal already. The message coming from Government is very clear; worker’s rights do not matter. The main changes the agreement brings are listed below. Additional working hours - 2¼ hours will be added to your working week These hours can be “banked” and management decides when they are worked and they can be worked up to 8pm in the evening or on Saturday’s The additional working hours and the “banking” of them will virtually eliminate the need for overtime Hourly rate of pay will be cut this will cut overtime payments. Increment delays remain Flexitime – while the changes to reduce flexi to 1 day is delayed until 2014, the banking of hours will mean that flexi can be abolished in a future agreement Redeployment: while the guideline distance remains 45km (up to 90km round trip per day), now surplus staff will have their CV placed on PAS and where staff can’t be redeployed “there may be circumstances where voluntary departure would be appropriate” in other words constructive redundancy PMDS /Performance – “Procedures to deal with underperformance will be streamlined to be more effective”. This will mean that management can tear up existing agreements on grievance and disciplinary procedures and reduce the amount of rights that staff have in them. Outsourcing – There is no protection in this agreement from outsourcing including the outsourcing of core work. Employment Control Framework number (staff Cuts) – “Further head count reduction” staff can be cut by a further 6% in line with the 6% increase in working hours and the gaps will be filled by outsourcing. Workforce Restructuring – This is grade rationalisation, in other words to abolish certain grades by forcing lower grades to do their work. This should have been a major issue for IMPACT and PSEU members but their unions did not seem to highlight this to them. Restoration of pay for those on €35’000 or less. This is not going to happen. Dealing with Government Threats The CPSU is well used to facing threats from governments as they have become the norm now of industrial relations. If we automatically take them at face value and succumb to them we might as well pack up and disband. Yes, the government have passed a bill which gives itself power to unilaterally cut pay and pensions, to change conditions of service including working hours. It enshrines the government demands made to unions in the recent Croke Park 2 proposals in law. If the CPSU membership votes No and the government follows through on its threats to freeze increments, we must respond to protect our members with targeted action. Such action would be more effective if taken with other unions that have rejected Haddington Road – UNITE, ASTI & TUI. The threats to punish trade unions that vote No (i.e. reject austerity) makes a farce of the idea of giving public servants a vote. This Bill was passed without a word from ICTU because these draconian measures suit the leadership of ICTU and their campaign to get a yes vote. The CPSU Activist Group are activists within the CPSU campaigning for a democratic and fighting trade union with an accountable leadership. While our leadership have taken bold steps to challenge the inactivity of ICTU we are all paying a high price for a poor ICTU leadership that refuses to challenge the attacks on our pay and conditions. We work with other activist groups now set up in trade unions like ASTI, SIPTU, TUI and IMPACT. If you want to get involved in the CPSU-AG or help with distributing leaflets for this campaign contact Terry Kelleher on 087- 2857665 or email [email protected]
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 12:46:59 +0000
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