Tag Archives: ICTU

This morning.

At a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Patricia King (top) and the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists Seamus Dooley (above) addressed the matter of bogus self-employment.

Meanwhile…

The Irish Times reports:

Talks with State broadcaster RTÉ in relation to the employment status of more than 100 of its contractors have been “tortuous and extremely difficult”, the National Union of Journalists has said.

Séamus Dooley, the union’s general secretary, was giving evidence to the joint Oireachtas committee on employment affairs and social protection in relation to “bogus self employment” on Thursday.

Bogus self-employment occurs when workers who should be classified as employees are marked as self-employed, which can lead to benefits for employers who otherwise would have to pay PRSI and sick pay.

RTÉ last year agreed to review the employment status of 106 contractors after an independent report by law firm Eversheds Sutherland found that they have “attributes akin to employment”.

Mr Dooley said he would be meeting with senior management at RTÉ on Friday in relation to the matter. He described the period since the review by Eversheds Sutherland as “tortuous and extremely difficult”.

“I have spent more time in Montrose than any human being should be required to do,” he said, before criticising the culture of media “personalities” that are treated differently to other staff.

NUJ critical of ‘tortuous’ talks with RTÉ on contractors (Colin Gleeson, The Irish Times)

Previously: ‘I Don’t Want To Make Employers The Bad Guy’

Watch back here and here

Meanwhile…

The austerity measures being imposed on the country are causing unnecessary suffering and have no purpose because the programme itself is failing, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) has told the European Commission.

In a letter sent to István Székely, the European Union representative on the troika of the EU, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, Ictu general secretary David Begg said Ireland would not quickly or easily recover from the scarring effects of structural unemployment or the breaking up of families as a result of emigration.

He said Ictu believed jobs were “the central economic objective and that this should be the guiding light on the road back to fiscal prudence rather than the deficit reduction being the main objective”.

But…but, how can he say that?

Enda’s getting an award and everything….

Austerity failing to achieve results, Ictu says (Martin Wall, Irish Times)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Members of The United left Alliance lobbying members of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to vote no in the fiscal compact treaty referendum this morning in Parnell Square, Dublin (including, top, ICTU economist Paul Sweeney and, second pic, Seamus Dooley, head of the NUJ).

ICTU Not expected To Give Collective Recommendation On Fiscal Treaty Referendum (RTE)

UPDATE: ICTU Declines To Take Treaty Stance (Irish Times)

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)