<Get Up Stand Up>

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Leafletting Continues

There have been continued leafletting efforts by individuals and organisations involved in the campaign.

The ISN did the following leaflett drops.  Finglas on the 2nd July, Ballymun on  3rd September and Phibsboro on the 26th of November

The International Students Officer of UCDSU, has also been distributing the leaflett to outsourced migrant cleaners and catering staff in the college as well.

# posted by antrophe @ 5:43 AM

(0) comments

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Round 2 of the get up stand up leafletting took place last Saturday afternoon

(14th May).

Round 2 of the get up stand up leafletting took place last Saturday afternoon (14th May). And while the numbers taking part were lower than round 1, which took place after the Mayday march( see http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69665), what we lacked in numbers we made up for in enthusiasm. Meetings, conferences, medical training and weddings combined to ensure that many of our activists were otherwise occupied but nevertheless those of us who did turn up distributed about 1,000 leaflets in about an hour and a half. Shopworkers in the Grafton Street-South William Street area and in the St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre were leafletted with the leaflet detailing basic workers' rights and urging them to join a trade union and stand up for their rights. We got a very positive response from everyone and the leaflets were eagerly accepted by all. And of course the fact that the sun was shining made for a very pleasant stroll along the street popping in and out of the shops.

The next leafletting session will take place on Thursday 26th May when we hope to leaflet the Jervis centre, ILAC Centre and O'Connell Street. We're meeting up outside the Jervis Centre (Henry St. entrance) at 7pm and plan on following up our activity with a short meeting in the lounge of the Teachers Club (36 Parnell Square) around 9pm. This meeting will discuss ideas for taking our campaign to such far flung places as Dundrum 'Town Centre', The Square in Tallaght, Blanchardstown, Liffey Valley and various other suburban locations!! So forget about weddings etc. and come along, get involved - the more the merrier. It'll be easy to remember the date, it's the night after Liverpool are going to win the European Cup. See you there.

# posted by antrophe @ 3:13 AM

(0) comments

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Mayday Round Of Leafletting

This is a report of a union recruitment / anti-precarity action organised for the end of the Dublin Trade Union mayday march (which actually took place April 30). Ireland traditionally has a very high rate of union membership but this has been rapidly eroded during the economic boom.

The traditional trade union march held in Dublin over the Mayday weekend was used to launch a new workers initiative, the ‘Stand up for your rights’ campaign. On the day itself this involved activists giving leaflets to the workers in every non-unionised retail outlet in the core shopping area of the north side.

The ‘Stand up for your rights’ campaign aims at informing workers, particularly in precarious jobs of what their legal rights are and at the same time encouraging them to join a union and collectively fight for more. The leaflet argued, “From fast food outlets, to assembly lines, from corner shops to hyper markets there is one common relationship. That is the relationship between boss and worker. These two classes have nothing in common, and a constant struggle is fought between them. Over the years we have won free education, free healthcare, the welfare state, the 5-day week, the 8 hour day and the other rights. It's time we organized to defend these rights and to win more”

The text and a link to a PDF file of the leaflet should be posted here soon but as well as listing basic rights it included pre-arranged contact numbers for the four unions organising in the retail sector – IWU, ATGWU, Mandate and SIPTU. All had been contacted in advance to confirm contact details for the leaflet and that they wanted to be listed. It also contained other help and information sources, in particular those of migrant organisations as migrant workers are often the most vulnerable to illegal levels of exploitation.

After taking part in the Mayday march and listening to most of the speeches around 30 activists moved off to carry out the leafleting. Most were union members with the majority being SIPTU members, others I knew to be members of the INTO and the IWU. One union official, Ray O’ Reilly of the IWU also took part.

While a couple of us stayed on the streets with ‘Stand up for your rights’ placards to keep track of which outlets had been done everyone else went into the shops and restaurants in small groups to hand leaflets to the workers there. Overwhelmingly they reported a very positive reaction with most workers saying thanks and only one worker saying ‘they didn’t need to know their rights’. Mr Block is still with us it seems.

We skipped premises we knew to be already unionised – for the most part this is just the larger department stores. There was also a bit of a race to get to those with a reputation for being hostile to unions – in particular McDonalds. But otherwise every premises on Talbot street, Henry Street, Mary Street, and around to Parnell street was leafleted finishing up with the new LIDL on Moore street. A short street meeting was then held at the top of Moore street before departing for some well earned pints.

Although not officially part of the EuroMay day campaign on precarity we did make use of a lot of their graphics for our posters, placards and posters. All across Europe more and more workers are finding themselves trapped in insecure, low pay jobs that offer no future but more of the same. The official trade movement struggled to organise such workers so we felt it was time for ordinary union members to start taking then initiative at reaching out.

This action will hopefully be the first of many. The campaign hopes to stage similar events in many of the new mega malls that have sprung up around Dublin, in particular the newly opened Dundrum shopping centre. Saturdays leafleting demonstrated that even quite a small number of people can have an impact. In a couple of weeks we intend to do the Grafton street area, make sure you come along.

Stand up for your rights Web site
http://www.getupstandup.tk/

Previous reports on indymedia.ie from the campaign
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69157
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69305
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69435
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69434

Precarity actions in Europe
http://www.euromayday.org/
http://www.precarity.info/

# posted by antrophe @ 3:15 AM

(0) comments

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Build For The Get Up Stand Up Block On The Trades March

From fast food outlets, to assembly lines, from corner shops to hyper markets there is one common relationship. That is the relationship between boss and worker. These two classes have nothing in common, and a constant struggle is fought between them. Over the years we have won free education, free healthcare, the welfare state, the 5 day week, the 8 hour day and the other rights. It's time we organized to defend these rights and to win more.

Download the posters to advertise the block below

Sick Of Bending Over For The Boss?
The Boss Is Always Watching You.
No Point Praying For A Rise
Don't Be Loyal To The Company
The Employing Class and The Working Class Have Nowt In Common
Workers! We Have Nothing To Loose But Your Chainstore Managers!

Download the leaflett to build for the block

Come Along To The Film "Precarity" and Banner Making Workshop On Wednesday April 27th

Venue: Seoidin's

# posted by antrophe @ 7:52 AM

(0) comments

The National Minimum Wage?

What is the National Minimum Wage?

The National Minimum Wage is €7.00 per hour (€7.65 per
hour with effect from May 1st 2005) for an experienced
adult worker.

What is an experienced adult worker?

An experienced adult worker is an employee who has any
work experience in any two years since turning age 18.

Employees who are in their first year of employment
since turning 18 are entitled to €5.60 per hour (€6.12
per hour with effect from May 1st 2005).

Employees who are in their second year of employment
since turning 18 are entitled to €6.30 per hour (€6.89
per hour with effect from May 1st 2005).

Employees who are under 18 years of age are entitled
to €4.90 per hour (€5.36 per hour with effect from May
1st 2005).

Who is entitled to Minimum Wage?

The National Minimum Wage Act applies to all employees
except in the following circumstances:

Close relatives of the employer such as: father,
mother, son, daughter, brother and sister.

Any employee under going structured training, such as
an apprenticeship (other than hairdressing
apprenticeships.

What can I do if I'm not getting the correct Minimum
Wage?
Complaints regarding breaches of the National Minimum
Wage Act 2000 can be made in confidence to the
Employment Rights section, Department of Enterprise,
Trade and Employment, Davitt House Adelaide Rd. Dublin
2. The Department's Inspectors, who have powers to
enter places of work and examine records, do not
reveal without the consent of the person making the
complaint, whether the inspection is a routine one or
is a result of a complaint. Complaints regarding
minimum wage may also be referred to a Rights
Commissioner. Accessing Rights Commissioner
application forms can download the relevant complaint
form.

# posted by antrophe @ 5:59 AM

(0) comments

Monday, April 18, 2005

Don’t moan - organise.

From fast food outlets, to assembly lines, from corner shops to hyper markets there is one common relationship. That is the relationship between boss and worker. Those of us that have to sell our time as workers enabling us to pay rent, buy food and engage in leisure activities have nothing in common with those who buy our time. Those of us that sell our time are the employee class. Those that buy our labour are the employing class. These two classes have nothing in common.

Yet ideologues on all sides of the spectrum tell us that class is no longer an issue, history is closed and with it all debate son how society should be run. On one hand we are told we no longer need trade unions and worker’s organizations, the unions sit around the table of social partnership as if the bosses, state and workers shared a common interest. The class war is over they say.

Yet the employing class come together under the banner of organizations like the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, local chambers of commerce and others. In these organizations the employing class safeguard and organize for their interests, using their powers to place pressure on government. Traditionally, we the employee class came together in trade unions to defend our interests. The existence of these two separate forms of organization are testament to the fact that these two classes have nothing in common. They class war is still being waged. However now it is been waged by the bosses, and the state against us, the employee class. It’s time the tables were turned. It’s time we organized for our rights and to win more

This Mayday weekend, the Get Up Stand Up Campaign will be organizing a block on the Trades Council March In Dublin. After the march we will be returning to the roots of Mayday and parading through the city to distribute leaflets on basic workers rights to people working in casualised labour. Join us in building the labour movement.

Don’t moan - organise.

# posted by antrophe @ 10:06 AM

(0) comments

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Holiday Rights

Under the the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 workers are entitled to paid leave. Each worker builds up an entitlement to leave according to how many hours work they do within specific periods. In order to calculate your own entitlement to annual leave you should use the most appropriate of the following formulas.

Formula One

If you have worked 1,365 hours or more in any year your are entitled to 20 days paid annual leave. However, if you have changed employment in that year you are still only entitled to twenty days, and each employer will be responsible for leave accumulated during your time in their employment.

Formula Two
If in any month you have worked 117 hours, then for that month you are entitled to receive one third of the working week in paid annual leave.

Formula Three
If neither of the above formula are applicable, in general you are entitled to receive 8% of the hours worked in any year as paid leave.

It is important to understand that these days do not include public holidays which workers are normally entitled to in addition to the annual leave entitlement. All full time employees are entitled to public holidays without any specific qualification. However, if you are a part time employee you must have worked at least 40 hours in the five weeks preceding the particular public holiday in order to be entitled to that holiday. If the public holiday falls on a day where an employee would be expected to work the employer concerned can make arrangements for one of the following as an alternative to a day off on the particular public holiday.

* A paid day off within one month of the public holiday
* An additional days' annual leave
* An additional days' pay.

# posted by antrophe @ 7:30 AM

(0) comments

The Employment Equality Act

The Employment Equality Act, 1998 outlaws discrimination on nine grounds - gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the traveller community. The Act describes discrimination as the treatment of one person in a less favourable way than another person is, has been, or would be, treated. The Act also provides for equal pay for equal work

# posted by antrophe @ 7:30 AM

(0) comments

Protecting Yourself and Others

Protecting Yourself and Others

Workplaces are potentially very dangerous environments. In some workplaces there are processes or materials that if used without due care and attention can result in injury to workers.

It is for this reason that employers and employees have responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe. While employees are required to work safely without taking any unnecessary risks and to report any potential hazards, employers have a much wider set of responsibilities.

Under the Health Safety and Welfare at Work Act 1989, employers must produce a safety statement. In this statement employers are required to identify the potential hazards that exist in the workplace and to state what measures they have put in place in order to avoid accidents. In a typical safety statement an employer might identify that cables coming from the back of computers or machines as a hazard that might result in trips and falls. The employer might therefore have these cables concealed of covered to avoid this hazard.

The Health and Safety Authority is the State Agency that is charged with responsibility for enforcing the legislation and promoting a safer workplace. They have a division of inspectors who do safety audits of workplaces.

# posted by antrophe @ 7:29 AM

(0) comments

What if I am Dismissed Unfairly?

What if I am Dismissed Unfairly?

The law protects employees from being unfairly dismissed. The Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977 -1993 sets out to ensure that workers are not unfairly or unreasonably dismissed. In order to make a claim under the Unfair Dismissals Act workers would normally have to be over the age of 16 and have worked for the same employer for more than one year. However in some circumstances these restrictions do not apply, for instance if you are sacked for being a member of a union you are covered by the terms of the legislation regardless of your period of service.

# posted by antrophe @ 7:28 AM

(0) comments

Friday, April 08, 2005

Maximum weekly working time

Maximum weekly working time

The maximum average working week is 48 hours. Averaging may be balanced out over a 4, 6 or 12 month period depending on the circumstances. The provision relating to the 48 hour week operates as follows:

48 hour net maximum working week can be averaged according to the following rules:-

* For employees generally - 4 months
* For employees where work is subject to seasonality, a foreseeable surge in activity or where employees are directly involved in ensuring continuity of service or production - 6 months
* For all employees who enter into a collective agreement with their employers which is approved by the Labour Court - 12 months.

Rest

Every employee has a general entitlement to:

* 11 hours daily rest per 24 hour period
* one period of 24 hours rest per week preceded by a daily rest period (11 hours)
* Rest breaks - 15 minutes where up to 4½ hours have been worked; 30 minutes where up to 6 hours have been worked which may include the first break.

These rest breaks and intervals may be varied if there is a collective agreement in place approved by the Labour Court or if a regulation has been made for your sector. If there are variations in rest times and rest intervals under agreements or in the permitted sectors, equivalent compensatory rest must be available to the employee.

Night workers

Night time is the period between midnight and 7 am the following day.

Night workers are employees who normally work at least 3 hours of their daily working time during night time and the annual number of hours worked at night equals or exceeds 50% of annual working time.

Maximum night working time:

* for nightworkers generally - 48 hours per week averaged over 2 months or a longer period specified in a collective agreement which must be approved by the Labour Court
* for nightworkers whose work involves special hazards or heavy physical or mental strain - an absolute limit of 8 hours in a 24 hour period during which they perform night work

# posted by antrophe @ 4:36 AM

(0) comments


Sunday, January 29, 2006 Leafletting Continues There have been continued leafletting efforts by individuals and organisations involved in the campaign. The ISN did the following leaflett drops. Finglas on the 2nd July, Ballymun on 3rd September and Phibsboro on the 26th of November The International Students Officer of UCDSU, has also been distributing the leaflett to outsourced migrant cleaners and catering staff in the college as well. # posted by antrophe @ 5:43 AM (0) comments Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Round 2 of the get up stand up leafletting took place last Saturday afternoon (14th May). Round 2 of the get up stand up leafletting took place last Saturday afternoon (14th May). And while the numbers taking part were lower than round 1, which took place after the Mayday march( see http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69665), what we lacked in numbers we made up for in enthusiasm. Meetings, conferences, medical training and weddings combined to ensure that many of our activists were otherwise occupied but nevertheless those of us who did turn up distributed about 1,000 leaflets in about an hour and a half. Shopworkers in the Grafton Street-South William Street area and in the St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre were leafletted with the leaflet detailing basic workers' rights and urging them to join a trade union and stand up for their rights. We got a very positive response from everyone and the leaflets were eagerly accepted by all. And of course the fact that the sun was shining made for a very pleasant stroll along the street popping in and out of the shops. The next leafletting session will take place on Thursday 26th May when we hope to leaflet the Jervis centre, ILAC Centre and O'Connell Street. We're meeting up outside the Jervis Centre (Henry St. entrance) at 7pm and plan on following up our activity with a short meeting in the lounge of the Teachers Club (36 Parnell Square) around 9pm. This meeting will discuss ideas for taking our campaign to such far flung places as Dundrum 'Town Centre', The Square in Tallaght, Blanchardstown, Liffey Valley and various other suburban locations!! So forget about weddings etc. and come along, get involved - the more the merrier. It'll be easy to remember the date, it's the night after Liverpool are going to win the European Cup. See you there. # posted by antrophe @ 3:13 AM (0) comments Wednesday, May 04, 2005 Mayday Round Of Leafletting This is a report of a union recruitment / anti-precarity action organised for the end of the Dublin Trade Union mayday march (which actually took place April 30). Ireland traditionally has a very high rate of union membership but this has been rapidly eroded during the economic boom. The traditional trade union march held in Dublin over the Mayday weekend was used to launch a new workers initiative, the ‘Stand up for your rights’ campaign. On the day itself this involved activists giving leaflets to the workers in every non-unionised retail outlet in the core shopping area of the north side. The ‘Stand up for your rights’ campaign aims at informing workers, particularly in precarious jobs of what their legal rights are and at the same time encouraging them to join a union and collectively fight for more. The leaflet argued, “From fast food outlets, to assembly lines, from corner shops to hyper markets there is one common relationship. That is the relationship between boss and worker. These two classes have nothing in common, and a constant struggle is fought between them. Over the years we have won free education, free healthcare, the welfare state, the 5-day week, the 8 hour day and the other rights. It's time we organized to defend these rights and to win more” The text and a link to a PDF file of the leaflet should be posted here soon but as well as listing basic rights it included pre-arranged contact numbers for the four unions organising in the retail sector – IWU, ATGWU, Mandate and SIPTU. All had been contacted in advance to confirm contact details for the leaflet and that they wanted to be listed. It also contained other help and information sources, in particular those of migrant organisations as migrant workers are often the most vulnerable to illegal levels of exploitation. After taking part in the Mayday march and listening to most of the speeches around 30 activists moved off to carry out the leafleting. Most were union members with the majority being SIPTU members, others I knew to be members of the INTO and the IWU. One union official, Ray O’ Reilly of the IWU also took part. While a couple of us stayed on the streets with ‘Stand up for your rights’ placards to keep track of which outlets had been done everyone else went into the shops and restaurants in small groups to hand leaflets to the workers there. Overwhelmingly they reported a very positive reaction with most workers saying thanks and only one worker saying ‘they didn’t need to know their rights’. Mr Block is still with us it seems. We skipped premises we knew to be already unionised – for the most part this is just the larger department stores. There was also a bit of a race to get to those with a reputation for being hostile to unions – in particular McDonalds. But otherwise every premises on Talbot street, Henry Street, Mary Street, and around to Parnell street was leafleted finishing up with the new LIDL on Moore street. A short street meeting was then held at the top of Moore street before departing for some well earned pints. Although not officially part of the EuroMay day campaign on precarity we did make use of a lot of their graphics for our posters, placards and posters. All across Europe more and more workers are finding themselves trapped in insecure, low pay jobs that offer no future but more of the same. The official trade movement struggled to organise such workers so we felt it was time for ordinary union members to start taking then initiative at reaching out. This action will hopefully be the first of many. The campaign hopes to stage similar events in many of the new mega malls that have sprung up around Dublin, in particular the newly opened Dundrum shopping centre. Saturdays leafleting demonstrated that even quite a small number of people can have an impact. In a couple of weeks we intend to do the Grafton street area, make sure you come along. Stand up for your rights Web site http://www.getupstandup.tk/ Previous reports on indymedia.ie from the campaign http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69157 http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69305 http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69435 http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69434 Precarity actions in Europe http://www.euromayday.org/ http://www.precarity.info/ # posted by antrophe @ 3:15 AM (0) comments Tuesday, April 19, 2005 Build For The Get Up Stand Up Block On The Trades March From fast food outlets, to assembly lines, from corner shops to hyper markets there is one common relationship. That is the relationship between boss and worker. These two classes have nothing in common, and a constant struggle is fought between them. Over the years we have won free education, free healthcare, the welfare state, the 5 day week, the 8 hour day and the other rights. It's time we organized to defend these rights and to win more. Download the posters to advertise the block below Sick Of Bending Over For The Boss? The Boss Is Always Watching You. No Point Praying For A Rise Don't Be Loyal To The Company The Employing Class and The Working Class Have Nowt In Common Workers! We Have Nothing To Loose But Your Chainstore Managers! Download the leaflett to build for the block Come Along To The Film "Precarity" and Banner Making Workshop On Wednesday April 27th Venue: Seoidin's # posted by antrophe @ 7:52 AM (0) comments The National Minimum Wage? What is the National Minimum Wage? The National Minimum Wage is €7.00 per hour (€7.65 per hour with effect from May 1st 2005) for an experienced adult worker. What is an experienced adult worker? An experienced adult worker is an employee who has any work experience in any two years since turning age 18. Employees who are in their first year of employment since turning 18 are entitled to €5.60 per hour (€6.12 per hour with effect from May 1st 2005). Employees who are in their second year of employment since turning 18 are entitled to €6.30 per hour (€6.89 per hour with effect from May 1st 2005). Employees who are under 18 years of age are entitled to €4.90 per hour (€5.36 per hour with effect from May 1st 2005). Who is entitled to Minimum Wage? The National Minimum Wage Act applies to all employees except in the following circumstances: Close relatives of the employer such as: father, mother, son, daughter, brother and sister. Any employee under going structured training, such as an apprenticeship (other than hairdressing apprenticeships. What can I do if I'm not getting the correct Minimum Wage? Complaints regarding breaches of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 can be made in confidence to the Employment Rights section, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Davitt House Adelaide Rd. Dublin 2. The Department's Inspectors, who have powers to enter places of work and examine records, do not reveal without the consent of the person making the complaint, whether the inspection is a routine one or is a result of a complaint. Complaints regarding minimum wage may also be referred to a Rights Commissioner. Accessing Rights Commissioner application forms can download the relevant complaint form. # posted by antrophe @ 5:59 AM (0) comments Monday, April 18, 2005 Don’t moan - organise. From fast food outlets, to assembly lines, from corner shops to hyper markets there is one common relationship. That is the relationship between boss and worker. Those of us that have to sell our time as workers enabling us to pay rent, buy food and engage in leisure activities have nothing in common with those who buy our time. Those of us that sell our time are the employee class. Those that buy our labour are the employing class. These two classes have nothing in common. Yet ideologues on all sides of the spectrum tell us that class is no longer an issue, history is closed and with it all debate son how society should be run. On one hand we are told we no longer need trade unions and worker’s organizations, the unions sit around the table of social partnership as if the bosses, state and workers shared a common interest. The class war is over they say. Yet the employing class come together under the banner of organizations like the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, local chambers of commerce and others. In these organizations the employing class safeguard and organize for their interests, using their powers to place pressure on government. Traditionally, we the employee class came together in trade unions to defend our interests. The existence of these two separate forms of organization are testament to the fact that these two classes have nothing in common. They class war is still being waged. However now it is been waged by the bosses, and the state against us, the employee class. It’s time the tables were turned. It’s time we organized for our rights and to win more This Mayday weekend, the Get Up Stand Up Campaign will be organizing a block on the Trades Council March In Dublin. After the march we will be returning to the roots of Mayday and parading through the city to distribute leaflets on basic workers rights to people working in casualised labour. Join us in building the labour movement. Don’t moan - organise. # posted by antrophe @ 10:06 AM (0) comments Thursday, April 14, 2005 Holiday Rights Under the the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 workers are entitled to paid leave. Each worker builds up an entitlement to leave according to how many hours work they do within specific periods. In order to calculate your own entitlement to annual leave you should use the most appropriate of the following formulas. Formula One If you have worked 1,365 hours or more in any year your are entitled to 20 days paid annual leave. However, if you have changed employment in that year you are still only entitled to twenty days, and each employer will be responsible for leave accumulated during your time in their employment. Formula Two If in any month you have worked 117 hours, then for that month you are entitled to receive one third of the working week in paid annual leave. Formula Three If neither of the above formula are applicable, in general you are entitled to receive 8% of the hours worked in any year as paid leave. It is important to understand that these days do not include public holidays which workers are normally entitled to in addition to the annual leave entitlement. All full time employees are entitled to public holidays without any specific qualification. However, if you are a part time employee you must have worked at least 40 hours in the five weeks preceding the particular public holiday in order to be entitled to that holiday. If the public holiday falls on a day where an employee would be expected to work the employer concerned can make arrangements for one of the following as an alternative to a day off on the particular public holiday. * A paid day off within one month of the public holiday * An additional days' annual leave * An additional days' pay. # posted by antrophe @ 7:30 AM (0) comments The Employment Equality Act The Employment Equality Act, 1998 outlaws discrimination on nine grounds - gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the traveller community. The Act describes discrimination as the treatment of one person in a less favourable way than another person is, has been, or would be, treated. The Act also provides for equal pay for equal work # posted by antrophe @ 7:30 AM (0) comments Protecting Yourself and Others Protecting Yourself and Others Workplaces are potentially very dangerous environments. In some workplaces there are processes or materials that if used without due care and attention can result in injury to workers. It is for this reason that employers and employees have responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe. While employees are required to work safely without taking any unnecessary risks and to report any potential hazards, employers have a much wider set of responsibilities. Under the Health Safety and Welfare at Work Act 1989, employers must produce a safety statement. In this statement employers are required to identify the potential hazards that exist in the workplace and to state what measures they have put in place in order to avoid accidents. In a typical safety statement an employer might identify that cables coming from the back of computers or machines as a hazard that might result in trips and falls. The employer might therefore have these cables concealed of covered to avoid this hazard. The Health and Safety Authority is the State Agency that is charged with responsibility for enforcing the legislation and promoting a safer workplace. They have a division of inspectors who do safety audits of workplaces. # posted by antrophe @ 7:29 AM (0) comments What if I am Dismissed Unfairly? What if I am Dismissed Unfairly? The law protects employees from being unfairly dismissed. The Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977 -1993 sets out to ensure that workers are not unfairly or unreasonably dismissed. In order to make a claim under the Unfair Dismissals Act workers would normally have to be over the age of 16 and have worked for the same employer for more than one year. However in some circumstances these restrictions do not apply, for instance if you are sacked for being a member of a union you are covered by the terms of the legislation regardless of your period of service. # posted by antrophe @ 7:28 AM (0) comments Friday, April 08, 2005 Maximum weekly working time Maximum weekly working time The maximum average working week is 48 hours. Averaging may be balanced out over a 4, 6 or 12 month period depending on the circumstances. The provision relating to the 48 hour week operates as follows: 48 hour net maximum working week can be averaged according to the following rules:- * For employees generally - 4 months * For employees where work is subject to seasonality, a foreseeable surge in activity or where employees are directly involved in ensuring continuity of service or production - 6 months * For all employees who enter into a collective agreement with their employers which is approved by the Labour Court - 12 months. Rest Every employee has a general entitlement to: * 11 hours daily rest per 24 hour period * one period of 24 hours rest per week preceded by a daily rest period (11 hours) * Rest breaks - 15 minutes where up to 4½ hours have been worked; 30 minutes where up to 6 hours have been worked which may include the first break. These rest breaks and intervals may be varied if there is a collective agreement in place approved by the Labour Court or if a regulation has been made for your sector. If there are variations in rest times and rest intervals under agreements or in the permitted sectors, equivalent compensatory rest must be available to the employee. Night workers Night time is the period between midnight and 7 am the following day. Night workers are employees who normally work at least 3 hours of their daily working time during night time and the annual number of hours worked at night equals or exceeds 50% of annual working time. Maximum night working time: * for nightworkers generally - 48 hours per week averaged over 2 months or a longer period specified in a collective agreement which must be approved by the Labour Court * for nightworkers whose work involves special hazards or heavy physical or mental strain - an absolute limit of 8 hours in a 24 hour period during which they perform night work # posted by antrophe @ 4:36 AM (0) comments	Other Links Indymedia Workers Solidarity Movement Irish Socialist Network Union Links Independent Workers Union Irish Congress of Trade Unions IMPACT SIPTU Teachers Union of Ireland PSEU Irish National Teachers Organisation Irish National Org. of the Unemployed Irish Nurses Organisation Archives April 2005 May 2005 January 2006 Postings Leafletting Continues Round 2 of the get up stand up leafletting took pl... Mayday Round Of Leafletting Build For The Get Up Stand Up Block On The Trades ... The National Minimum Wage? Don’t moan - organise. Holiday Rights The Employment Equality Act Protecting Yourself and Others What if I am Dismissed Unfairly?
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