Connect march 2017

SPRING 2017 VOL: 19 NO. 1

CWU Seminar Portlaoise 27th & 28th April, 2017

Witness History McKinsey Report An Post

Preventable Demise of Defined Benefit Pension Provision

Contractor Employment Standards in eir

Editorial

Dear Colleague, For the first time in many years, there seems to have been a proliferation of Strikes/Industrial Disputes. The reasons for these Disputes are varied but there is a disturbing, worrying trend as employers’ attack hard won pay and conditions in an attempt to further boost their own profitability. In the Tesco Dispute, we saw a British Multinational and Multi-Billion Euro Company attack a small group of workers in relation to an agreement that Tesco and the Workers had solemnly entered into, since Tesco first landed on this shore. The bad faith and duplicity shown by Tesco, during that dispute, would normally have won the day, where it not for the steadfast opposition provided by Tesco workers through their Trade Union, Mandate.

The solidarity shown by thousands of workers, who would not have been impacted by the changes, was heartening for all workers. While the action in Tesco is suspended, there is little doubt that the Company has done enormous damage, both to its own reputation but also to its relationship with its workers. It is hoped that the dispute will be resolved. But one way or the other a bitter taste will be left behind.

Contents Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-3

Education Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-7

GS Circular – CWU Education Grant Scheme 2017 . .

8-9

Telecoms Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10-15

ESCCU Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16-20

Halligan Insurance - CWU Home Insurance . . . . . . . .

21

Private Sector Bulletin – Brexit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22-23

Organising Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24-25

TASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Congress – Workers’ Memorial Day Ireland . . . . . . . .

27

Arab-Israeli two-state solution to Middle East peace .

28-29

How unequal is Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30-30

Selling AIB: Who should own it, and where should the sale profits go? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

32-33

Fintan O’Toole: Still no shame in helping yourself to other people’s money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33-34

Completed Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

Unionlink Online Training Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

Taking Photos for the Connect Journal . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

FM Downes Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

36

Justice for Clerys Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

Postal Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38-47

An Post Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

44

The Medal Man - Coms Ger O’Connor RDF . . . . . . . .

48-49

Logistics Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50-51

CWU People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

52-67

Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68-70

CWU Membership Application Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . .

71-71

There has also been a raft of disputes within the Public Transport Sector. Last year those disputes took place in the Luas Service and in Dublin Bus. Today we see an ongoing dispute with Bus Eireann. The main driver of those disputes has been a continuing refusal to invest properly in public transport in this country. All EU figures show conclusively that Ireland invests less in its Public Transport than almost all other European Countries. Of course, the reason for this lack of investment is that the predominant ideology of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, along with some of their Independent colleagues, is one of Privatisation.

It is the oldest trick in the book to starve a public service from the necessary investment and then claim that because the service is so bad it must be privatised. Of course, public transport infrastructure is vitally important to the country,

Editor: Steve Fitzpatrick Sub-Editor: Imelda Wall Issued by: Communications Workers’ Union, 575 North Circular Road, Dublin 1.

Telephone: 8663000 Fax: 8663099 E-mail: info@cwu.ie Web: www.cwu.ie Incorporating: the PTWU Journal, THE RELAY and THE COMMUNICATIONS WORKER The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the CWU. Photographs: John Chaney Printed by: Mahons Printing Works, Dublin.

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I asked why, he told me that we were about to get a beating from the police.

He explained that it was a regular trick for the police to put on their raincoats to hide their identification number on their uniforms before they attacked Steve Fitzpatrick, demonstrators or General Secretary, CWU picketers. He righty concluded that as they were donning their raincoats on such a sunny day that we were in for a beating. For me, it was a difficult experience but you can imagine my disgust when the headline on RTE news was “Striking Postmen start riot at Heuston Station!”. In one afternoon my faith in our police force and our National Broadcaster was destroyed and they both have continued in that vein to this day. So be careful what you believe in relation to any strike as it is highly unlikely that you will get the truth from most Irish media outlets.

but in particular, to rural/provincial Ireland. With ongoing bank closures, police station closures and threatened Post Office closures, one could be forgiven for believing that it was the policy of the main political parties to denude rural Ireland of all population. It beggars belief that at a time when housing prices are flying up through the ceiling that more and more pressure would be put on rural families to relocate to those same cities, as connections and services to their communities are whittled away by an uncaring Government.

The attitude of Minister Shane Ross is very difficult to believe, but it would seem that it is a policy adopted in Government by Fine Gael.

While the Minister for Transport claims the National Transport system is not his responsibility, we also see the Minister for Justice claim that An Garda Síochána are not her responsibility either. It would be interesting to see how long the Postman would last if he claimed delivering the mail was not his responsibility!

It is vitally important that as we see these strikes and as we see workers on picket lines, that we offer them whatever support and solidarity we possibly can. Many members of this Union have been forced on strike in the past and I have yet to meet one of them who went on strike for entertainment purposes. Every worker who goes on strike gives up their living to do so. Before one worries about the impact of the strike on our daily lives we should first consider what reasons would force an ordinary worker to give up their wages in order to stand for something within their own employment. Negative commentary from RTE and the Media (Pravda) is now the expected reaction from the Irish Media. But as ordinary workers I would like to think that everyone one of us understands the perspective in life from the striker’s position and I for one will proudly stand in solidarity side by side with them.

Finally, on a personal note, I want to sincerely thank each of you for all the kind wishes I received while I was in hospital. As a result, I was disappointed not to be able to attend any AGMs this year. It is my intention to attend as many as possible next year.

I clearly remember being on the picket line at Heuston train Station in spring 1979 as a young postman when one of the senior men told me to hold my arms close to my ribs. When

Water Charges Protest outside the GPO. 3

Education Update

CWU UK – North West Region host successful Women of Today Event Regional Women’s Committee (NWRWC) have hosted an event titled ‘Women of Today’ and the CWU Irl were delighted to be invited to attend. The event was held in the Mechanic’s Centre in Manchester on January 26th with Carol Scheffer National Officer and Deidre O’Hara NEC in attendance.

History of Irish Women in the Labour Movement

rights and a peace campaigner who had died three days earlier at the age of 98.

NWR Women’s Officer, Karen Bosson opened the day and following an introduction by the Chair Jean Sharrocks of the CWU’s national Women’s Advisory Committee (WAC) the event got under way. Carol Scheffer was the first speaker and gave a two-part presentation, the first part being on the history of women trade union activists and workers and their role in the Lockout and the 1916 Rising. Many women such as Helena Moloney, Louie Bennett, Winnie Carney, Countess Markievicz, Rosie Hackett and many more made such a fundamental mark on Irish history which must be acknowledged Carol Scheffer discussed the activities of the Irish Women Workers’ Union and the struggle women have faced down through the years for equal rights. The second part of the presentation focused on current gender issues, the programme of work of ICTU Women’s Committee and other issues pertinent to CWU women workers.

Variety of Issues Addressed

Participation of Women in Trade Unions

Francesca Martinez Addressed the Event

Carol was followed by Lynn Collins Regional Secretary of the Northwest Trade Union Congress (NWTUC) who gave an encouraging speech on women’s participation in their union and around the negotiating table. She also paid tribute to Betty Tebbs a local activist for women’s

Following the break, comedian and writer Francesca Martinez spoke about her life experiences and caused many a smile and a laugh which was followed by a questions and answers session from the floor and a book signing by Francesca.

The lineup of speakers continued with Becky Weller, telecoms engineer with Openreach, which is part of the BT Group. Becky as an engineer detailed her working experience and the daily challenges of the role which was well received by attendees. Becky was followed

by Kathy Devlin of the Beacon Counselling Trust who gave a very poignant speech on the work that she does to assist those with gambling addictions.

A wide variety of topics were covered on the day as Bexi Owen whose background is as a jazz singer spoke about the effects of dementia and how music can be used a powerful tool to unlock memories. Bexi set up the dementia music project Forget Me Never two years ago and led the attendees in a sing song just before lunch, which was very uplifting.

4

Education Update Panel Discussion

CWU Ireland as we gained a better insight into the issues facing our sisters in CWU UK. Over 70 attendees made up of CWU members and various activists were at the event and judging from the lively participation from the floor as well as the very enlightening speakers, there can be no doubt that the day was a resounding success.

It is hoped that this event will be the first of many collaborations between the CWU UK and the CWU Irl on women’s activities.

We would like to extend our thanks to NWR Women’s Officer, Karen Bosson for her hard work and coordination of the event as well as the speakers and participants who made us feel so welcome.

The day ended with a panel discussion led by CWU National Equality Officer Linda Roy. The panelists included Labour MP Lisa Nandy, an active campaigner on women’s issues, Lynne Morris of Unison who also holds many positions in the NWTUC, Joanne Shaftoe, from BT who is a CWU Activist and has various roles within the union and finally Clare Drummond a Royal Mail postal worker and a CWU Activist.

A very lively debate was facilitated by the panel which was of great benefit to those attending from

Afternoon panel discussion, l-r: Lynne Morris, Joanne Shaftoe, Linda Roy, Claire Drummond and Lisa Nandy.

Carol Scheffer National Officer addresses the Women of Today Event

Pictured l-r: Carl Webb NW Regional Secretary, Kerry Elwood Women’s Officer, Carol Scheffer National Officer, Pauline McAvoy Equality Officer and Dave Kennedy (NW Central Amal Branch Secretary)

5

Education Update

Equality Representative Training This year we also welcomed representatives from Suas who gave a presentation during the course on the work that they do to improve the reading and writing skills of children in DEIS schools.

Equality Representative training was held in Union Head Office towards the end of last year and was attended by a variety of Branches across the Telecoms and Postal sectors. The course is proving to be very popular as year on year we have many attendees. The training consisted of a variety of topics from bullying and harassment, leave arrangements to disability awareness at work.

Our thanks to all the attendees for their active participation.

Pictured Back Row l-r: David Kelly (Portlaoise Postal), Michael Walsh (eir Galway District), Tom Sheehan (eir Cork District), Jerry O’Brien (Mallow Postal), Ray O’Brien (Mallow Postal), Davy Stapleton (Dublin Postal Delivery Branch), John Maclean (Kilkenny Postal) and Dermot Hayes (eir Cork District).

Pictured Front Row l-r: Dina Considine (Portlaoise Postal), Chris Egan (Limerick Postal), Ray Neville (Limerick Postal), Ann Kenneally (Clonmel Postal), Ciara O’Connor (HCL Cork Tels), Lynn O’Byrne (Cork Outdoor), Mary Conroy (Galway Postal ) and John Creighan (Monaghan Postal).

6

Education Update

CWU Supports the Work of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland

Equality Act states that employers are not allowed to discriminate on the grounds of disabilities, including dyslexia, and in fact have a responsibility to ensure they make reasonable accommodations. This means that the employer should provide equipment or alterations that might help you in your role. Example of this could be assistive technology such as computer software, extra time to complete tasks, a quiet space in order to allow the employee to concentrate or in the case of a new employee a slightly longer induction training. The Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant (WEAG), administered by INTREO (www.intreo.ie) is available to employers to help cover the cost of reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.

The definition of dyslexia preferred by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) is that dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which makes it difficult for some people to learn to read, write and spell. However, it is not limited to this and adults with dyslexia sometimes also struggle with time management and organisation at work. Planning and organising, setting out timetables, distinguishing between the important and the urgent, remembering appointments, passing on telephone messages from memory and meeting deadlines can be difficult for many people with dyslexia.

Creating Awareness In 2016 the Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) appointed a Development and Support Officer (adult services). The role is funded by SOLAS (Further Education and Training Authority) and continues into 2017 as a part-time position. The primary objective of the role is to create awareness and develop supports for adults who experience dyslexia both in education and in the workplace. DAI are delighted that we were recently invited to provide a briefing session to the CWU which focused on how best to support their members.

It is very important that people understand that dyslexia has no relationship to the intelligence of an individual. It is also important to understand that no two people who have dyslexia will have the same type of difficulty as every profile is different.

Further Information DAI both nationally and locally is active in lobbying and campaigning for greater awareness and improved services for those dealing with dyslexia. We are committed to working with organisations (like the Communications Workers’ Union) who wish to support people with dyslexia. The Dyslexia Association of Ireland website (www.dyslexia.ie) contains a great deal of information on various topics ranging from children with dyslexia to adults in the workplace. There are a number of links available through the website to further information. DAI hold regular information evenings and study skills sessions.

Dyslexia in Employment

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and keep an eye on our events page for upcoming sessions.

You can also contact us at 01-8776001 or info@dyslexia.ie.

In relation to employment, sometimes, the biggest fear that employees have is that if they declare their dyslexia they may be seen differently by their employer and/or colleagues. While this fear is understandable it is worth considering disclosing the fact that you have dyslexia in order to avail of the supports that you need in order to help you to do your job effectively. The Employment 7

G.S. Circular No. 08/17

INFORMATION 28th March 2017

CWU Education Grant Scheme 2017

of study up to a maximum of four years. These awards will be made to Union members or members’ dependants involved in study or research at Diploma, Degree, PostGraduate Diploma or Post-Graduate Degree level. In line with the aforementioned levels of study, if members are not sure which course they or their dependant will be doing they may indicate this on the enclosed application form as “to be decided”.

Members who have already commenced approved courses can also apply.

Awards will be made on an annual basis for each year of study. Awards will not be given for a repeat year.

For those successful in the draw for the third level award, it will be necessary to provide documentation indicating acceptance onto the course by the college which confirms that the grant winner is a student for the upcoming 2017 academic year.

Dear Colleague, The Union is pleased to invite applications for our Education Grant Scheme which is open to members and their dependants.

For the purposes of the CWU Education Grant Scheme, “dependant” is defined as: • • •

A child or adopted child of a member; The husband, wife, civil partner or co-habiting partner of a member; and/or A person for whom a member is acting in the place of a parent (including but not limited to a child or adopted child of a member’s husband, wife, civil partner or co-habiting partner).

The CWU Education Grant Scheme is made up of the following three categories:

Application Criteria for the three Grant Scheme Categories:

1. Gaeltacht Awards

1. The successful applicant must be in benefit when both the application and the payments are made and for the duration of the course as relevant.

2. For transparency purposes, applications must be made on the current 2017 official form and no other version of the form will be processed. Photocopies of the forms and faxed copies are also acceptable.

3. Only one application per member, per dependant, per category will be accepted. However, members may enter each of the three categories if they or their dependants are attending the Gaeltacht, second level or third level institutions. (For example, if a member has more than one dependant in second level they should send in a separate application for each dependant).

4. Grants will be awarded by means of a draw which will take place at a date and time to be decided by the National Executive Council.

5. The decision of the National Executive Council on all matters relating to this scheme shall be final.

6. Grants will be non-transferable and must be claimed

by December 1st 2017.

Up to 20 awards will be made each year for Gaeltacht students to help cover the cost of their participation in a Gaeltacht course. The grant will help cover course materials, tuition fees and accommodation for up to 22 days to a maximum value of €350. This payment will be made to those successful in the draw retrospectively on production of the course receipt. The Gaeltacht award is for courses held this summer, 2017 only.

2. Second Level Awards Up to 30 awards will be made annually to second level students. Each award will be worth €400 to help with the purchase of schoolbooks and class materials.

Members studying for the Junior and/or Leaving Certificate as mature students can also apply for this award.

For those successful in the draw, it will be necessary to get the Union’s confirmation form signed and stamped by the secondary school confirming the grant winner is a student for the upcoming September 2017 term. The form will be provided by the Union to the grant winners.

3. Third Level Education Awards

Review and Monitoring of Scheme

The third level category will offer up to four awards annually. The award will be worth €2,000 for each year

This scheme will be launched to coincide with the upcoming academic year from September 2017. Again, 8

for the Gaeltacht award this refers to courses held this summer, 2017. The Union is committed to monitoring this scheme and it will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Education Committee considering the applications received, budgeting and requirements of members.

Comments and feedback from members on the operation of the scheme is invited.

Members must ensure that they fill out the correct form for the relevant category. Also, due to the volume of forms received by Head Office it will not be possible to confirm receipt of individual applications on behalf of members.

Forms are available on the union website www.cwu. ie. It is the responsibility of each member to ensure that their forms are returned on time to Union Head Office as late applications will not be accepted. In that regard we

would ask members to post their forms directly to Union HQ. All forms must be returned to Union Head Office by Friday, May 19th 2017 to the following address: Communications Workers’ Union William Norton House 575-577 North Circular Road Dublin 1

Queries Members who have any queries on the scheme or the application process are encouraged to contact Union Head Office directly for further assistance.

Yours sincerely, Steve Fitzpatrick General Secretary

9

Telecoms Update

Government risks legal action over broadband plan

Photograph: Alan Betson

Naughten to warn Cabinet of potential legal proceedings over deal with telecoms group

Minister for Communications Denis Naughten: bringing memo to Cabinet confirming an agreement has been signed with eir to deliver high-speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018.

However, the department is believed to be of the view that the possibility of a legal challenge is no more than moderate.

State intervention is also subject to State-aid clearance from the European Union. If the department had refused to accept Eir’s pledge to connect the 300,000, it could have fallen foul of EU state-aid rules, which forbid governments from subsidising an intervention if a private operator is willing to supply the same area on a commercial basis.

A spokeswoman for Mr Naughten refused to comment ahead of the discussion by the Cabinet.

Last November, Eir submitted a commercial plan including the 300,000 homes at the last minute, having previously deemed them uneconomic.

Rivals claim that by removing the “quasi-commercial element” of the scheme, the company is trying to make it too costly for others to undertake, an accusation Eir denies.

The Department of Communications had initially ignored the company’s revised business plan, and included the 300,000 homes in the State scheme.

However, this decision was reversed on foot of fresh commitments from the company.

These include agreed targets for every quarter between now and December 2018 and compensation of up to a maximum of €20 million for the Minister when the milestones are not met.

The Cabinet will be asked to support the agreement reached by the department and the company.

The Government may face legal proceedings over an agreement reached on the National Broadband Plan with the State’s largest telecoms group, Eir, the Cabinet will be warned today.

Minister for Communications Denis Naughten is understood to be bringing a memo to Cabinet today confirming an agreement has been signed with the company to deliver high-speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018 on a fully commercial basis.

The Government’s National Broadband Plan seeks to intervene where there is no existing high-speed broadband and no concrete plans to roll out such infrastructure in the near future.

The agreement will significantly reduce the number of homes and businesses the Government will assist in achieving high-speed broadband from 757,000 to 542,000 because the other premises’ needs will be met on a commercial basis by Eir.

Procurement process A procurement process to contract a company to build, operate and maintain broadband in the intervention area is being managed by the Department of Communications.

There were three shortlisted bidders: Eir, Siro and Enet.

However, it is understood the agreement with Eir carries a number of legal risks for the State, which will be outlined to the Cabinet today. There are varying degrees of legal risks from three potential groups: the other two bidders; rejected bidders; and new potential bidders who may wish to bid when they see the reduced scope of the intervention area.

10

Telecoms Update Delayed

due to a reduction in the intervention area.

Already the Government is expected to stump up about half the cost of the National Broadband Plan here, which could be between €1 billion and €1.5 billion.

While there are fewer premises that require State assistance, the ones that do will be in more sparsely populated and hard-to-reach areas.

It is understood this will result in an increased cost to connect each of the individual premises.

The National Broadband Plan is the Government’s initiative to provide high-speed fibre internet connections to every home in the country regardless of their location.

It has been delayed on a number of occasions. It was due to be delivered in 2015 but is now unlikely to be complete until 2023 at the earliest.

The level of State subsidy may need to be increased

Changes to State broadband scheme may bring legal challenge State contract with Eir potentially queers pitch for the other two bidders, Siro and Enet The National Broadband Plan coverage of 542,000 homes rather than 840,000 comes after a deal with Eir, to provide coverage to 300,000 homes originally earmarked for inclusion in the plan as part of its own commercial rollout

Legal compensation

The National Broadband Plan coverage of 542,000 homes rather than 840,000 comes after a deal with Eir, to provide coverage to 300,000 homes originally earmarked for inclusion in the plan as part of its own commercial rollout The National Broadband Plan will now cover just 542,000 homes rather than the 840,000 targeted at one stage, according to an internal Department of Communications memo.

The reduction comes on foot of deal between the department and the State’s largest telco, Eir, which has promised to provide coverage to 300,000 homes originally earmarked for inclusion in the plan as part of its own commercial rollout.

The company has been accused by rivals of gaming the process by including the homes in its investment plan at the last minute, having previously deemed them uneconomic.

The stakes are high and losing a major State contract in its own backyard could kill Eir’s plans for a possible flotation next year.

However, by allowing the former State monopoly to pick off the low hanging fruit – the 300,00 homes represented the quasi commercial end of the project – the department has potentially queered the pitch for the other two bidders, Siro and Enet, and opened up the possibility of a legal challenge.

Unless the department can convince them that the tender hasn’t been tipped in favour of Eir, they may now exit the process and seek legal compensation, which would be a disaster for the Government.

To keep keep them sweet, the department will almost certainly have to guarantee all parties access to Eir’s infrastructure at the edge of the intervention area and for a reasonable price – no easy task.

Details of the department’s “commitment contract” with Eir were scant on Monday but the Minister has promised to publish the contract terms at a later date.

None of this may prevent a legal challenge from one of the firms ejected at an earlier stage. Dublin-based Imagine is known to have been unhappy at how its bid was handled and the department’s seeming preference for fibre broadband over its wireless offering.

The Government is expected to stump up about half the cost of the project, which could run to between €1 billion and €1.5 billion. However, the State subsidy may now have to increase as a result of the removal of 300,000 homes. This is because the revenue derived from these units would have part-funded the cost of bringing broadband to more remote locations. Now they’re gone, the firms may seek a bigger cheque from the State.

11

Telecoms Update

eir takes High Court action in row over fault repair times Telco claims ComReg overstepping remit in imposing penalties on repair delays

by Eoin Burke-Kennedy, © Irish Times, March, 2017

against what we believe to be an arbitrary and unjustified eir has initiated High Court proceedings against decision,” it said. telecoms watchdog ComReg in a row over fault repair times.

Consumers The State’s largest telco claims ComReg has overstepped its remit by imposing a new obligation on Alto, the umbrella group for non-eir firms, expressed the company to fix line faults within two days or pay a its disappointment with eir’s decision. A spokesman service credit to rivals using its network. said further delays to the positive work undertaken by ComReg has been adjudicating in a dispute between ComReg would have a negative impact on eir and its rivals – Sky, BT, Vodafone consumers in the short and medium term. and Magnet – which use the former Under its previous service level “Eir’s rivals claim its semi-State’s network for their own agreements (SLAs) with companies fault repair times fall using its network, eir had been operations. They claim eir’s fault repair times fall below European below European industry obliged to fix 77 per cent of faults on industry norms and diminish the norms and diminish the customers’ lines within two days and service they provide.

92 per cent within five days.

In a ruling in January, ComReg service they provide.”

However, the company’s rivals imposed a tougher 48-hour deadline for claim the times lag basic European repairs on eir and instructed it to negotiate industry standards and can have an impact on with rivals on an appropriate level of service credit for new entrants and their ability to compete on a like-forbreaches of the new obligation. like service basis.

However, these negotiations ended last month without Separately, ComReg has also made findings of nonresolution. “The other operators brought a formal compliance against eir in relation to “address matching”. dispute to ComReg for resolution. As part of the process, To ensure fair competition, the regulations stipulate eir ComReg decided on the scope of the dispute,” eir said must give rivals the same access to customer addresses in a statement. which it has maintained since its days as a State “eir believes that ComReg has overstepped its monopoly. However, ComReg found eir had failed to boundaries in making its determination. The company meet 27 “obligations” to allow rivals access to customer believes ComReg has imposed new obligations beyond address information. Rivals claim address matching what the regulator is empowered to impose and outside discrimination gives eir a jump on them when it comes the scope of the dispute,” the company said. to service installation.

“It is with regret that eir has had no option but to eir has until March 21st to reply to ComReg’s findings challenge the determination through the High Court or face possible punitive action.

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Telecoms Update The Union and the Company have engaged on several equality related initiatives in recent times which has resulted in both policy enhancements and the development of new policies in other areas. This report provides updates on these developments as follows:

1.Marital Status

5. Transgender Employees in the Workplace

The Company has amended all relevant HR policies as appropriate in reference to civil partners, to account for the civil partnerships that were registered between the enactment of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 and the Marriage Equality Act 2015.

We also wish to advise that Marriage/Civil Partnership leave is special leave with pay and is allowable to a maximum of five days’ subject to the employee’s annual leave allowance for the year combined with the marriage/civil partnership leave does not exceed 26 days.

Members should refer to their Company policies for full details and updates.

The Company is committed to creating and maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment while respecting the diversity among employees. A policy has been developed that provides guidelines to address the needs of transgender employees in the workplace and the various supports available with a view to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of transgender employees and maximising workplace integration.

6. Surrogacy Policy There are currently no statutory provisions relating to surrogacy in Ireland. A surrogacy policy has been developed to support both a surrogate mother and commissioning parent.

The policy supports the surrogate mother during pregnancy and after the birth of the child who is the subject of the surrogacy arrangement and it supports the commissioning parent in preparation for the birth of the child who again is the subject of the surrogacy arrangement by proving leave to facilitate the process. Members should refer to the Company policy for further details.

2. Bereavement Leave The staff side submitted a claim that Bereavement Leave be extended to cover Aunts, Uncles, Grandchildren, Brother-inlaw & Sister-in-law, and that the current policy be enhanced to include the support available to employees to deal with bereavement & grief. The Company responded that the current policy provides for discretion to extend the scope to a wider group of relatives to take care of funeral arrangements and that where annual leave is exhausted local arrangements can be made for time off on the basis that it will be worked up later to attend funerals. In relation to the latter part of the claim, the Company has agreed to amend the policy to reflect the internal supports available to employees dealing with a bereavement and in the context of coping with grief.

7. Paternity Leave The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 entitles the relevant parent to take two continuous weeks’ paternity leave which can begin at the time of the birth/adoption or within the first 26 weeks of the birth/placement of a child. The Company has amended its paternity leave policy to reflect the legislation.

Furthermore, the Company have decided, subject to relevant conditions and compliance eircom group ltd employees are entitled to full pay, less deductions in respect of Social Welfare Paternity leave benefit, where appropriate up to the end of the contract. Again, members should refer to the Company circular and contact HR People Services for any queries on Paternity Leave.

3. Parental Leave being made available to parents of children aged up to 13 years In general terms, children attend primary school up to the age of 13 and the staff side contended that it was reasonable to seek the age for parental leave be increased. Accordingly, it has been agreed to revise the age limit to 13 years for JCC grades.

Conclusion The HR policy review aimed to ensure legislative compliance, the prohibition of discrimination on all LGBT grounds and by providing a culture of respect for diversity and inclusion for all employees. The work done through the JCC Diversity Sub-committee has progressed many issues and again the Union recommends that any members with queries refer to the relevant Company circular, to HR People Services or their Branch Representative for further information.

4. Adoptive Leave The policy has been updated to provide leave to adopting mothers or fathers. Adopting mothers and fathers are entitled to 24 consecutive week’s adoptive leave from the date of placement and an additional 16 consecutive weeks’ unpaid leave commencing at the end of the adoptive leave. Please refer to the Company circular for full details.

13

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Telecoms Update

BT fined £42m over delayed high-speed cable

Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA Wire

Telecoms watchdog Ofcom says BT Openreach committed ‘serious breach’ of its rules

BT is expected to pay out £300 million in compensation to rivals over delayed highspeed cable installations.

tolerate this sort of behaviour.”

Compensation will now have to be paid to affected providers – including Vodafone – within 12 months, Ofcom said.

BT had faced an even greater fine, but this was slashed by 30 per cent after it admitted full liability. It was fined a further £300,000 for “failing to provide information” to Ofcom.

The investigation found BT “misused” a contract to slash its payments to providers over the delayed installation. Ofcom said it was required to install the highspeed lines to wholesale customers such as Vodafone and TalkTalk within 30 days or pay compensation.

BT has been given a £42 million (€49 million) fine by the UK telecoms watchdog and is expected to pay out £300 million (€347 million) in compensation to rivals over delayed high-speed cable installations.

Ofcom said BT Openreach committed a “serious breach” of its rules for reducing payments to other providers between January 2013 and December 2014.

The telecom giant was supposed to pay out compensation after failing to deliver Ethernet high-speed services to rival telecom companies in adequate time.

It said it “apologised wholeheartedly” over the incident. Ofcom has rules to curb the company’s “significant market power” to ensure competitiveness, as other providers rely on access to its vast network.

Gaucho Rasmussen, Ofcom’s investigations director, said: “These high-speed lines are a vital part of this country’s digital backbone. Millions of people rely on BT’s network for the phone and broadband services they use every day.

Compensation payments Ethernet lines are often used by large businesses and broadband providers to ensure fast services and was said by the regulator to “underpin the UK’s communications infrastructure”.

BT said it estimated the total cost of the compensation payments would be about £300 million.

Openreach CEO Clive Selley said: “We apologise wholeheartedly for the mistakes Openreach made in the past when processing orders for a number of high-speed business connections. This shouldn’t have happened and we fully accept Ofcom’s findings.”

Protect competition “We found BT broke our rules by failing to pay other telecoms companies proper compensation when these services were not provided on time.

“The size of our fine reflects how important these rules are to protect competition and, ultimately, consumers and businesses. “Our message is clear – we will not 15

Congress Calls for Major Reform on Top Executive Pay protection; Consider extending the mandate of the Low Pay Commission to monitor the relationship between high and low pay; ➤ Companies awarded public contracts would be required to publish more details on pay and bonuses, along the lines set out in the UK’s Corporate Governance Code; ➤ Consideration should be given to capping the relationship between executive pay and bonuses, while shareholder resolutions on pay should be binding; ➤ Where a significant part of a company’s work is carried out by sole traders or agency workers, there should be a requirement on companies to report on the payments made in these categories; ➤ Company boards should be more diverse and representative of workers, investors, women and pension funds; ➤ A higher rate of tax should apply on incomes over €1 million per annum, with Revenue applying greater scrutiny to non-basic elements of executive pay.

The full report “Because We’re Worth It: The Truth About CEO Pay in Ireland” is available to download from ICTU’s website under the Publications section: http://www.ictu.ie/publications

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions called for a series of major reforms in how executive pay in private Irish companies is determined and structured, including greater transparency in how top pay packages are set, action on bonuses, a higher tax rate on incomes over €1 million and a limit to the number of directorships that can be held.

The recommendations are contained in a newlypublished Congress report on the issue: “Because We’re Worth It: The Truth About CEO Pay in Ireland”.

The report finds that while pay of most workers in private companies has seen small increases averaging 2% per week, in recent years there has been “an unrelenting upward trend in executive pay of up to 238%, in some companies.”

The Congress report is based on an examination of 21 private companies, most of which are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. The information on executive pay and bonus packages is taken from the published accounts of the companies. The 21 firms chosen represent 95% of the value of the Irish Stock Exchange.

According to Dr Peter Rigney, one of the report’s authors, such an examination of how executive pay and bonuses are set in Ireland and their relationship to the wider economy is long overdue.

“Unlike most other EU countries where executive pay is a matter of public scrutiny and comment, we seem to pay very little attention to the issue here. There is little doubt that this is partially driven by a real lack of transparency on executive pay in this economy.

“A challenge to the composition and fairness of high executive pay is long overdue. After all, it appears that top pay is always affordable, while pay at the lower end is wide open to challenge, be it in terms of the Minimum Wage or the rates set by Joint Labour Committees.

“We believe companies should be required to take into account issues such as financial performance, employee welfare, the environment and consumer satisfaction when deciding on top pay.”

“We hope this report will help spark a debate on this and result in real reforms to how the upper echelons of top private companies do business, in Ireland,” Mr Rigney said.

➤

“The salary of the Chief Executive of a large corporation is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself.”

John Kenneth Galbraith

Executive pay is a key component driving up the incomes of the top ten per cent in society. In the absence of similar measures to drive up pay for the lower pay levels, inequality will inevitably result. The Bank of England’s Chief Economist, Andy Haldane wrote that: “Monies paid out to Executives are monies not being reinvested in the company, reducing investment in physical and human capital. They also drive a wedge between management and their employees: a wedge that has widened to more than 150 times median wages in the UK and more than 300 times in the US. That, in turn, erodes social capital”.

Among the recommendations contained in the report are: ➤

Greater transparency in the setting of top executive pay, with companies setting clear objective criteria relating to financial performance, employee welfare, consumer satisfaction and environmental 16

Congress Rejects IBEC Chief’s Claim on Pay Rise and Ireland’s “Spectacular Living Standards” In December 2016, the Irish Independent published an interview with Danny McCoy, CEO of IBEC, the employers trade union. The interview gives an interesting insight on how the leadership of IBEC view Ireland and how employers should treat workers. McCoy’s Ireland of “huge wealth and spectacular living standards”, is not the Ireland inhabited by the majority of citizens, that Ireland is the one of huge levels of inequality. It is the one where there is a housing crisis, which forces families to live in hotel rooms and forces those “fortunate” to have a home to pay exorbitant rents. It is the Ireland where the health service is at breaking point and at the time of McCoy’s interview, there were 600 people on hospital trolleys.

McCoy’s advice to employers as to how they should

Patricia King, General Secretary, ICTU

treat their workers is a throwback to the early part of the last century and one can only hope that more enlightened employers will regard the advice as complete bunkum.

Unions’ demand for 4pc pay rise in private sector a ‘try on’ - Ibec’s McCoy Ibec CEO Danny McCoy pulls no punches when it comes to industrial relations bunkum” and said only increases in employees’ The leader of the country’s largest employers’ group has productivity at work justified wage hikes. described unions’ demand for a 4pc pay rise for private However, Mr McCoy, a former senior economist sector workers next year as a “try on”. at the Economic and Social Research Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said there “Irish living Institute and Central Bank, also was no justification for an acrossstandards were spectacular said the Government may be the-board wage increase, and the dole paid here was twice its able to afford a pay rise for although he said the economy was “back to Celtic Tiger level in the UK, despite the fact that public servants but should reject union demands for full levels of activity”. price levels were not twice as restoration of the pay cuts they Mr McCoy said experience of high.” suffered during the recession. that time showed “things can turn quite A total of 71pc members of Ibec have said they expect quickly” and warned that Brexit could threaten the future to give wage hikes worth 2pc of pay in 2017, similar to of the European Union. He also said people’s disposable the last three years. income had surged, although this was not part of the Its members represent the employers of over 70pc of popular narrative. the private sector workforce.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, he also Mr McCoy said there may be room for pay rises of described the concept of a ‘living wage’ as “complete 17

4pc at firms that can afford them, but this should be operations outside Ireland like Bausch and Lomb.

When put to him that unions would give employers an negotiated at local level and not because “someone at ‘opt out’ of paying increases if they opened their books Liberty Hall” said so. to show why, he said: “That’s big of them.”

He said there had been a huge surge in disposable “A more enlightened union leadership income, although this was “not part of the would behave more properly narrative that’s out there”. He said “Irish people had huge wealth towards those companies the Central Statistics Office reported that Irish households as there was very high levels of home rather than issuing dictats,” he said. experienced an increase of ownership.”

He said those who threw open nearly 6.5pc in disposable income their books were at a disadvantage to their competitors last year, while Ireland was among the top 10 and this should not be determined “by a dictat by Jack countries in the world in terms of average income.

O’Connor”.

The employer representative said this was due to “No good turn goes unpunished,” he said. more people working, workers getting more hours, wage “Staff can see what’s going on. There are many increases and tax cuts. proxies, including orders, and the volume of production.”

He also said Irish living standards were spectacular He said it would be a fairly ignorant workforce that and the dole paid here was twice its level in the UK, did not know how its employer was doing. despite the fact that price levels were not “Why should “It is not up to trade union twice as high. leaders sitting in Liberty Hall Mr McCoy said Irish people employers be taking account of to say we want 4pc right across had huge wealth as there the living circumstances of their the private sector,” he said. “It’s was very high levels of home workers?” a nonsense.” ownership.

Mr McCoy said inflation was never a justification The private sector union leaders of the Irish for a pay rise and there was no rationale for pay rises Congress of Trade Unions recently set a benchmark of now as inflation was falling.

4pc for pay rises next year, or a minimum of €1,000 per He said if the cost of living was used, unions had no worker. incentive to keep their members’ expectations down.

When asked if he felt it was realistic, Mr McCoy said: “The lesson of the 1970s was that “No, it’s not, not at all. In fact, it’s a try if [pay was] indexed to prices, on.”

“When somebody shows unions didn’t give a monkey’s He said the demand was up at work, as an employer their what the inflation rate was.” “kind of pivoting off the He said if inflation was 20pc, fact” that public sector unions circumstance should be of no concern there would be an expectation of were back in a debate with the when you come in the door.”

20pc pay rises.

Government, so the private sector He also said the cost of childcare and unions of ICTU wanted to feed into a narrative housing should not be mediated at the workplace. that there’s been no pay restoration in the private sector.

“Why should employers be taking account of the “And the reality is that going back to 2010, when the living circumstances of their workers?” he asked.

Troika first arrived here and my first conversation “When somebody shows up at work, around this table, as it happens, with (ex“So, if you’re IMF chief) Ajai Chopra, was that they coming from a household as an employer their circumstance should be of no concern when you were asking us what did we think that has 10 kids, with a single come in the door, because if you would happen in 2011, so we income earner, taking a bus ride take the world in which we live said 25pc of companies will be five hours away, all you should be in, in the politically correct paying pay increases next year world, you’re supposed to be and the median will be 2pc,” concerned about is is that worker said Mr McCoy. productive when they get here? And their blind to difference.

“So, if you’re coming from “And they looked at us, going ‘You’re nuts. You’re productivity should be rewarded with a household that has 10 kids, a fair wage but their circumstances with a single income earner, bust. That’s why we’re here’.”

But he said exports in Ireland should be irrelevant. So the living taking a bus ride five hours away, had a record year and in 2011 25pc wage concept is a complete all you should be concerned about is, is that worker productive when they of employers gave pay rises. bunkum.” get here? And their productivity should be Mr McCoy said that the unionised rewarded with a fair wage but their circumstances portion of the private sector workforce was now should be irrelevant. So the living wage concept is a less than 20pc and unions should be careful, particularly complete bunkum.” at companies where there was a capacity to move 18

19

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PrivateSectorBulletin Irish Congress of Trade Unions

www.ictu.ie

Issue 4, Spring 2017

Brexit: Congress Calls for Urgent Plan to ‘Save Jobs & Protect Employment Standards’

W

hile uncertainty surrounds the Brexit process and

Of particular concern is the failure of the Irish government to develop any strategy to protect jobs and employment standards in the event of the ‘Hard Brexit’.

and livelihoods in this economy.

Soon after the UK voted to leave, Congress published a document setting out the key issues for workers and their families which must be prioritised in the negotiations on Britain’s exit from the European Union.

What would a ‘Hard Brexit’ mean for the Republic of Ireland?

Ireland is one of the most globalised economies in the world. The three biggest threats to our trade arising from Brexit are:

The British government has since published a white paper in which they set out their overall policy objectives for the process. More recently, the European Commission also issued a white paper that looked at the future of Europe post Brexit.

•

Imposition of trade barriers

• But the Irish government has not yet set out a detailed set of policy principles. It has highlighted some broad policy objectives for any Brexit negotiations, including: •

Maintaining the Common Travel Area;

•

Preventing a hard border;

•

Protecting the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, in practice and in spirit.

•

Slowdown in the UK economy

In the worst case scenario we could see the establishment of border controls between the UK and Ireland. Although both governments have emphasised their wish to see a ‘seamless’ and ‘frictionless’ border, Congress believes this in practice.

But as of yet we have seen no concrete plan that will lead to the achievement of these objectives.

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In the aftermath of Brexit, goods produced in the UK would not be subjected to the same regulatory and standards regime that applied across the EU, making some form of customs regime between the territories virtually inevitable.

Table 1: Manufacturing - Total Net Selling Value (TNSV)

by Sector for 2015 (Source CSO)

Therefore there is a strong possibility that future trade relationship between the EU (including the Republic of Ireland) and the UK will include a hard border with customs barriers. There is also a strong possibility that goods crossing the border in both directions could be subject-

Sector

TSNV €'000 2015

Employees

Mining and Quarrying

€534,456

4,300

Food Products

€20,477,992

48,000

Beverages

€2,369,142

5,000

Single Market.

Textiles and Related Products

€309,130

6,900

It is vital that we now begin to plan for the worst case scenario. A key consideration in any plan must be to identify the most vulnerable sectors of the economy and to design measures that will protect jobs and employment standards in those sectors.

Paper and Paper Products

€1,279,603

6,800

Chemicals

€16,884,486

6,800

Pharmaceutical

€42,615,325

4,600

Rubber and Plastic Products

€1,276,470

36,000

Metals, Machinery and Electrical

€5,594,209

6,000

Computer and Electronic

€13,247,614

49,000

Wood Products and Furniture

€2,474,442

26,000

Transport Equipment

€656,778

6,200

Other

€7,938,300

13,000

What Jobs and Sectors are at Risk?

The UK is Ireland’s largest single country export destination. Over €39 billion was traded between the UK and Ireland, in 2015: €15.5 billion in goods and €23.5 billion in services.

Drawing on data available from the Central Statistics Value of production (TNSV) in manufacturing was in excess of €115 billion in 2015 (see Table 1).

This sector is dominated by Food & Beverage (47%) and Pharna/ Chem (25%). Many exposed manufacturing industries rely on the UK for over 20% of their raw material.

It should also be noted that current WTO rules impose a

Table 2: Services - Gross Value Added (GVA) & Employees 2015 (Source CSO)

This supports over 226,000 direct jobs in the Republic.

In the services sector the Gross Value Added (GVA) is set out in Table 2.

This supports up to 500,000 direct jobs.

It is clear therefore that the imposition of a hard border

Sector

GVA €'000 2015

Employees

Electricity and Gas

€3,230

11,500

Construction

€5,434

131,000

the level of trade between the UK and Ireland, on the

Water and Waste Management

€871

6,400

on employment rights.

Wholesale and Retail

€18,748

79,000

Transportation and Storage

€6,163

17,100

In light of the very serious threat to the many thousands of jobs in the manufacturing and services sectors, Congress will now seek an urgent engagement with the government, opposition parties and business groups such as IBEC, with a view to ensuring that the Brexit negotiations deliver an outcome that protects and maintains workers’ livelihoods and supports high standards of employment.

Accommodation and Food

€4,112

51,000

Publishing and Broadcasting

€11,093

11,200

Telecommunications

€1,506

15,600

Information Technology

€6,120

51,000

Brexit presents us with an unparalleled challenge that will require a clear, co-ordinated and strategic response. Current EU rules and short term thinking should not be used as an excuse when addressing the potentially devastating economic impact of Brexit, a process that itself raises doubts about the very future of the European project.

Financial Services

€15,560

81,000

Real Estate Activities

€14,392

11,300

Legal and Technical

€6,655

26,000

What does Congress Believe should be Done?

Spring 2017

PrivateSectorBulletin

23

Abtran Visits

Nightline

Over the last couple of months, CWU organisers paid visits to Abtran call centres in Cork.

Abtran provide contract services for government services, transport, health and financial sectors including Irish Water, Road Safety Authority, HSE and Sky. The company employs between 1500 – 2000 staff located across 3 sites, Curragheen, Mahon Point and Model Farm Road.

Each site was visited and organisers distributed union information leaflets to staff outside the buildings. Issues identified were low pay, short notice on rosters, difficulty getting annual leave, targets & commission.

We would encourage any of our members who have friends or relatives working in Abtran to contact laura@cwu.ie

Over the past number of weeks, CWU Organisers have been engaging with workers in courier company Nightline.

Organisers have leafleted Nightline sites in Dublin and Athlone, and will be visiting others around the country in the coming weeks.

The visits to the company depots follows a meeting the Union had with a number of Nightline workers, during which they outlined issues affecting them including rates of pay, overtime pay and the length of their working week.

If any of your family or friends is employed by Nightline please ask them to contact Diarmuid via email: Diarmuid@cwu.ie or mobile:0857321695.

Brompton staff to be given Meteor contracts Meteor enjoy.

The process was delayed from beginning sooner as the company’s legal teams were working on the details of the contract arrangement. However, the process is now underway and the CWU are currently working to ensure that Brompton staff also have access to a mobile phone and health insurance.

CWU activists and organisers will be visiting stores around the country in the coming weeks and months to speak to members about this and any other issues they may have.

Retail workers employed by Brompton Recruitment will begin moving over to direct Meteor contracts this month. The contracts will be given to staff on a phased basis, starting with those with the longest service.

To qualify for a Meteor contract, full-time workers will have to complete 12 months with Brompton, while part-time workers will have to complete 18 months. However, from day one of employment Brompton staff will be entitled to the same sick pay, maternity pay and pension that their colleagues in

Vodafone Retail Visits on issues that are affecting them.

During the visits we had the chance to meet new staff, explain the benefits of union membership and invite them to join the CWU. We are happy to report that most have been making the decision to join the union and we welcome our new CWU members.

Any staff who wish to join, please contact laura@ cwu.ie

Organisers, together with the Vodafone Branch, have been visiting Vodafone Retail stores across the country.

The purpose of these visits is to engage with current members, invite non-members to join and encourage members to be an active part of their union. The visits have been very successful with members taking the opportunity to engage with us

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CWU signs Collective Bargaining Agreement with

As reported in the latest issue of Connect, members in Global Telesales (operating as Lufthansa InTouch) voted to conduct a ballot for industrial action to bring the company to the table to discuss issues affecting workers.

In early February, members voted an overwhelming 98% in favour of industrial action.

On foot of this resounding result, the Union wrote to the company advising them of impending strike action in the Dublin centre to take place on the 15th of February.

In the days running up to the strike, the company wrote looking for a meeting with the Union. Members agreed to suspend their action to give both sides the opportunity to come to an agreement.

The subsequent talks were both positive and constructive and we are happy to report that the Union and the Company have signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement in recent days.

CWU General Secretary, Steve Fitzpatrick, welcoming this development said “The CWU welcomes this progressive approach by Lufthansa InTouch and looks forward to meeting staff with a view to inviting them to join the union. This agreement gives members in Lufthansa InTouch a framework in which they can represent their issues locally with our assistance and, as stakeholders in the business, a genuine platform for engaging with management”.

Lufthansa InTouch Committee members Diego Pugliese, Daniele Idini, Saju George and Annett Roch with Head of Organising Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin signing their agreement.

Not in picture: Daniele Castronovo and Marcello Margagliotti)

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as a national day of remembrance in an increasing number of countries including Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Gibraltar, Luxembourg, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, United States and the United Kingdom.

The CWU has also supported this International Day of Remembrance and in 2014 we hosted the event in CWU Head Office and a plaque dedicated to the memory of those killed, injured or made ill as a result of their work, was unveiled

by ICTU General Secretary, David Begg.

We’re asking you to mark Thursday 28th April in your diary and to support this keynote national day which will be recognised by trade unions, employer representative organisations and companies and businesses nationwide.

Colleagues from Congress, Ibec, Construction Industry Federation and the Health & Safety Authority will join together to mark the occasion with a national commemorative event in Dublin. This will take place in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square, Dublin 1 and will feature brief addresses from Patrica King, General Secretary, Congress, Maeve McElwee, Director of Employee Relations Ibec, Tom Parlon, Director General, CIF and Martin O Halloran Chief Executive, Health and Safety Authority and Pat Breen TD, Minister of State to Employment and Small Business.

Worker safety is everyone’s business – for all organisations, employers and workers. In Ireland in the ten year period between 2007 and 2016, 519 people were killed in work-related accidents and many thousands more severely injured. Last year alone, 44 people were killed.

These are unacceptable figures which can be reduced through a combined and intensified effort by all concerned.

By working together and promoting the practice of health and safety in workplaces throughout Ireland we will achieve a significant drop in these dreadful numbers. We all have a responsibility to make sure that happens.

The Union will be marking the day at our Spring Seminar in Portlaoise but we would ask all members to support this day

Workers’ Memorial Day or International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) on April 28th is the annual commemoration day that remembers people who have died or been injured or made ill at work. It is also when people commit to making safer workplaces in order to avoid such deaths and illnesses in the future.

The day was first marked by US unions in 1970, where the call of Cork-born Mother Jones became the slogan associated with the commemoration: “Remember the dead, fight like hell for the living”. It has since spread around the world through the trade union movement and is recognised

27

Arab-Israeli two-state solution crucial to Middle East peace

by Michael Jansen, Middle East analyst On September 13th, 1993, the Oslo Accord, secretly negotiated in Norway by Palestinians and Israelis, was signed with great fanfare on the White House lawn in the expectation Israel would withdraw from the occupied territories and a Palestinian state would emerge. To give momentum to Palestinian-Israeli negotiations stalled over Israeli settlement activity, the 2002 Arab summit revived the land for peace deal by proposing full normalisation with Israel in exchange for full withdrawal from occupied Arab territories. Israel has rejected the deal with bricks and mortar. The number of settlers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank rose from 257,700 in 1993 to more than 765,000 today.

Although settlements have pre-empted and prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority, Israeli government and western powers have continued to use the two-state vision as a means to dissuade Palestinians from revolting and to placate opponents of the occupation in Israel, the region and the international community.

Abandonment of the two-state solution could have serious repercussions in the Palestinian territories.

President Mahmoud Abbas, who has relied solely on a negotiated deal, and Fatah, could come under enormous pressure to dissolve the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. The administration has been accused of colluding with Israel by suppressing Palestinian resistance to the occupation and of crushing domestic dissent. Unless Fatah returns to the armed struggle, Hamas, which rules Gaza, could adopt this option as it faces competition from Islamic jihad and other radical factions. Individual Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and East Jerusalem could escalate, compelling Fatah and Hamas to take up arms.

Washington’s UN ambassador Nikki Haley has contradicted US president Donald Trump by saying that America’s policy on the Arab-Israeli conflict remains the two-state solution – a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

But, she added, “We are thinking out of the box as well.”

Trump’s statement that he favoured neither the twostate solution nor the one-state solution – a binational, federal state – has unsettled Palestinians, Israelis, the region and the international community. His suggestion that the US could move away from the former would negate 50 years of international efforts to deal with Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

As soon as these areas were captured in June 1967 from Jordan and Egypt, Israel annexed East Jerusalem and began building settlements, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupied. The UN Security Council has consistently argued Israel’s settlement construction is illegal. This stand was reaffirmed last December in resolution 2334 which terms settlement activity as a “flagrant violation” of international law and says it has “no legal validity”.

The push to end the occupation – and illegal settlement – began in November 1967 with security council resolution 242 which called for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory in exchange for an end to Arab belligerency: this became known as the “land for peace” formula. Israel has refused to withdraw and constructed 120 settlements and more than 100 outposts, holding land meant to be traded for peace.

In November 1974, Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) chairman Yasser Arafat addressed the UN General Assembly, putting forward the case for Palestinian statehood. He held up an olive branch and a gun and warned that if this was not achieved by peaceful means, Palestinians would resort to armed resistance.

The assembly endorsed Arafat’s aspiration of selfdetermination in a Palestinian state.

Virtual state While the virtual Palestinian state has been recognised by 136 of the 193 UN members and is regarded as a “nonmember observer state” by the UN, Palestinians remain stateless. Since the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river now has 6.4 million Palestinian and 6.1 million Israeli Jewish inhabitants, Israel, which intends to remain a democratic Jewish state, cannot grant Palestinians citizenship. Thus, occupation is set to continue with Palestinians having limited self-rule in the cities and towns of the West Bank while Jewish settlements will continue to grow in the 60 per cent of this area which is under full Israeli rule as well as East

Declaration of independence In November 1988, the exiled Palestinian parliament met in Algiers and issued a declaration of independence.

On December 7th, during a visit to Stockholm, Arafat clarified the PLO’s stand by stating, “We accept two states, the Palestinian state and the Jewish state of Israel.”

Land for peace had become the two-state solution.

28

Jerusalem. Palestinians and Israeli peace activists call this system “apartheid”.

While Israeli soldiers and settlers withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Israel has maintained detached control over the isolated strip from Gaza’s borders. Israel will continue to do so and will exert pressure on Palestinians to emigrate but, unwilling to become refugees in a hostile world, Palestinians will stay put.

Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit responded to Trump’s comments by saying the Arab-Israel conflict “requires a comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state . . . on 1967 borders with its capital in Jerusalem.”

The league is well aware abandonment could put weak pro-Western Arab regimes at risk. The loss of Palestine in 1948 triggered three military coups in Syria in 1949 and the overthrow of pro-British kings in Egypt in 1952, Iraq in 1958, and Libya in 1969. Al-Qaeda and its derivatives, under pressure in Syria and Iraq, may well be reinvigorated and could increase efforts to carry out operations in the region and elsewhere in the name of Palestine.

As part of Israeli Apartheid Week 2017, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) hosted a number of events to raise awareness of human rights abuses being carried out against the people of Palestine.

Apartheid Week was launched on the 5th March on Henry Street, Dublin with an enactment of an Israeli check-point to highlight the everyday humiliation suffered by Palestinians as they go to work and school.

Throughout the week, the IPSC also held a number of film screenings and public talks.

Israeli Apartheid Week is held on the first week of March every year in order to build on the growing support for the peaceful Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel.

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How unequal is Ireland The second report deals with a group of people from whom the Revenue Commissioners sought payment of €11.06 million as a result of failing to pay their fair share of tax/PRSI. The report only deals with the period October – December 2016. The report is indicative of the level of tax/ PRSI evasion currently taking place.

In the Ireland of inequality if you are an old age pensioner who overpaid tax, you will not be reimbursed and if on the other hand, you are wealthy and avoided paying your fair share of tax/PRSI, if the Revenue Commissioners eventually catch up with you, the worst thing that can happen is you will be asked to pay the money owed with interest and penalties.

In this section of Connect, we have consistently highlighted inequalities that exist in Ireland on a number of fronts and in the case of taxation, we have highlighted how the rich and powerful avoid paying their fair share of tax, thereby depriving the State of much needed revenue in order to provide decent public services.

Two reports issued by the Revenue Commissioners recently, once again, demonstrates the level of inequality.

The first report concerns two law abiding taxpayers, one of whom is an 85-year-old pensioner who overpaid tax and have been informed by Revenue they cannot be reimbursed due to a provision in tax law that only allows claimants to seek repayments going back four years.

The Tax Appeals Commission has ruled that two taxpayers cannot get refunds of tax overpayments dating back more than four years, even though the Revenue Commissioners have conceded that in both cases the taxpayers involved paid too much. In one case, too much tax was wrongly deducted from a social welfare pension for a period of 15 years, but repayments were only made in respect of four of these years.

In two separate cases, the commission found that it did not have the power to get Revenue to repay overcharged tax, due to a provision in tax law that only allows claimants to seek repayments going back four years.

The determinations by the commission, published recently, are notable, as in both cases the facts of what happened were broadly accepted by both the taxpayer and Revenue. However, the commissioner hearing the cases found that the office did not have discretion in relation to the four-year limitation period.

The Tax Appeals Commission is an independent statutory body which started to accept appeals just over a year ago in cases where taxpayers wanted to challenge a Revenue decision.

“Through no fault of the appellant, an error occurred whereby the contributory State pension of the appellant’s spouse was incorrectly treated for tax purposes as income of the appellant and was taxed accordingly,” the determination stated.

As a result, the appellant’s spouse did not receive the benefit of their pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) credit. The failure to apply the PAYE credit resulted in the pension being taxed at a higher rate, and this tax was deducted at source by Revenue.

The taxpayer noticed the error in 2015 and money relating to 2011-2014 was repaid. However, Revenue “admitted that the error had gone unnoticed for in excess of 15 years”, continuing from 1999/2000 until it was discovered in 2015.

The taxpayer appealed on the grounds that an error made by Revenue “resulted in a significant loss of income” and that “it was unconscionable to apply the four-year rule taking into account the facts and circumstances of this case”.

The appeals commissioner said that the wording of the relevant 2007 tax legislation stated that a claim for repayment “ shall not be allowed” unless it is made within four years. The use of the word “shall” “indicates an absence of discretion in the application of this provision, the commissioner’s determination said.

This is despite the fact that the appellant did “nothing at all” to trigger the overpayment of tax to which they have been subjected.

First case In the first case, an 85-year-old individual appealed in relation to income tax wrongly deducted from their social welfare old-age pension.

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How unequal is Ireland Second case

grounds of being unaware of the repayment due until informed by the local tax office in 2015, arguing that it was unreasonable for Revenue to apply the four-year rule in these circumstances. However, the commission used the same reasoning in relation to the wording of the legislation to disallow the appeal.

The taxpayers involved are not identified, as all appellants have the right to have their personal details withheld in published determinations. The amounts of money involved are also not revealed in the determinations. They have the right to appeal the decisions to the High Court.

In the second case, the appellant’s employer filed P35 tax forms – an annual summary of taxes and charges paid from the employee’s income to Revenue – in respect of the taxpayer for 2009 and 2010. These showed that the appellant was due a repayment of tax.

However, the appellant was unaware of the P35 returns and the repayments that were due. The appellant only became aware of the repayment due in 2015, but was told by Revenue that the claim was “out of time”.

The appellant appealed to the commission on the

A leading Dublin-based restaurateur, a convicted former District Court judge, two landlords and a television producer are among those to have paid more than €11 million in tax settlements in total with Revenue during the final three months of 2016.

The company that operates Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium on O’Connell Street in Dublin also made the latest list of companies to agree deals with the Revenue Commissioners.

David O’Connor, a landlord and company director with an address at 61 North Main Street, Cork, made the biggest settlement recorded during the quarter, paying €983,149 to Revenue for underdeclaration of income tax and VAT. Mr O’Connor is a managing director of Suits Distributors, one of Ireland’s largest suppliers of suits and casual wear for men.

Richard Larkin, another landlord with an address at Main Street, Clarenbridge, Co Galway, also made a settlement with Revenue totalling €832,637.

Restaurateur Barry James Canny, who owns Peploe’s Wine Bistro on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin, made a €38,904 settlement, also for failing to declare tax.

Criticised Mr Canny previously criticised former Intel chief executive Craig R Barrett after he complained about having paid $200 for dinner for two at Peploe’s while on a visit to Ireland in 2004.

The restaurateur responded by telling the Sunday Independent that Mr Barrett should instead think about the tax breaks his company had enjoyed here.

Dublin Pool and Juke Box Limited, the company that operates Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium, agreed a €42,273 settlement for underpayment of PAYE/PRSI. The company is owned by businessman Richard Quirke, who was previously behind a €480 million plan for a casino in Two Mile Borris, Co Tipperary.

Stephen Caffrey, a motion picture and television producer with an address at Tritonville Road, Sandymount, made a €95,645 settlement for failing to pay tax.

Underdeclaration Also on the list is James Doherty a farmer with an address at Ballyrobin, Ferrybank, Co Galway, who agreed to pay €839,110 for a penalty relating to the underdeclaration of €1.1 million in capital gains tax.

Carthage Keyes, a camper van sales agent of Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly, made a settlement of almost €700,000.

Former District Court judge Heather Perrin who was sentenced in 2012 to 2½ years for deception after inducing a client to incorporate her own children as beneficiaries in his will, made a €233,452 settlement for failing to declare income tax.

Overall, Revenue sought €11.06 million from 76 taxpayers during the October to December period. Of these, 29 cases were for amounts exceeding €100,000, of which four exceeded €500,000.

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Selling AIB: Who should own it, and where should the sale profits go?

For this ‘badly behaved’ bank, the big issues need a wider airing before privatisation

Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

by Paul Sweeney, March 2017

Allied Irish Banks: “AIB has a long history of being bailed out by taxpayers, of poor corporate culture, of excessive remuneration, and of overcharging customers.”

Public shareholding

The Government strategy for privatising AIB has focused solely on the art of the deal – the price, how much to sell, and when to sell our 99 per cent. There has as yet been no discussion about what comes next, including control of Ireland’s second-largest bank; its future governance; the importance of credit to SMEs and individuals; or where the billions raised will be invested.

These longer-term considerations are far more important than this short-term focus on the deal.

AIB has a long history of being bailed out by taxpayers, of poor corporate culture, of excessive remuneration, and of overcharging customers. Its rescue cost billions and, along with the other banks, the bailout nearly bankrupted Ireland.

Credit for business and individuals is too important to be left in the hands of a self-appointing bank board or clique. Thus, the first issue for discussion beyond the deal is AIB’s future ownership.

For some, it does not matter if AIB is controlled from abroad, provided we get the best price. Ireland, it is argued does not need to own its own banks – the market will provide, and if it collapses again on its foreign owner, then we won’t have to pick up the rescue bill.

However, credit is vital and we have seen how vulture funds behave.

It is important to have greater control over credit, so the State should retain a significant blocking share of AIB and make it the important indigenous bank in order to keep an eye on its behaviour. Its objectives and shareholding structure should be changed, and a sufficient number of public interest directors should be appointed.

A large public shareholding may reduce the price, but that would bring big benefits. We would get a share of future profits, keep control in Ireland, and ensure it is governed in the interests of all stakeholders. This should guarantee that AIB does not become a pariah yet again, sucking the life out of customers, shareholders and Ireland.

AIB cost the taxpayer when its ICI subsidiary collapsed in 1985. Then there were the Rusnak and Faldor frauds, its 53,000 bogus non-resident accounts in the mid-1980s, its €508,000 debt write-off for the corrupt taoiseach Charlie Haughey, its overcharging of customers. So continued oversight at AIB’s top is thus essential.

The bank’s model of governance should be the wider stakeholder interest rather than the narrow, ineffectual “shareholder value”. Banks are too important to be left to bankers – or even regulators, who have failed citizens so badly before. Today banks are setting reserves aside to pay fines so that they can act as they like, indicating a return to the vulture culture. By acting now, we have the opportunity to maintain some control, ensuring credit flows and respect for customers.

Finally, the decision to use the capital raised to repay the already declining national debt must be reconsidered.

The Irish national debt has been reduced to 76 per cent and continues to fall. Debt maturity compares favourably to other countries with a “wide and varied” investor base. This is a remarkable achievement, one that looked near-impossible just a few years ago.

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Planned investment

bigger issues around the sale of our shares in AIB. Getting a good price is certainly important, but this is a unique opportunity to ensure that the bank is prudently run in the interests of wider Irish society; that it continues to be controlled from Ireland; that reasonable credit is available; that its governance eliminates malfeasance; and that its bosses are not overpaid.

Finally, some of the capital from the sale must invested in Ireland, and a significant shareholding must be retained.

Making AIB an Irish citizens’ bank is not a radical but a prudent path. It will be bitterly opposed by the elite.

The Government should take it.

At the same time, public investment in 2016 was at its lowest level ever, not even covering depreciation. While private investment is high, much of it is by multinationals and has no impact here. Greater public investment is crucial because there is a housing and health crisis. The Government recognises this and is stepping up planned investment, but it still lacks ambition.

Therefore, a proportion of the billions to be raised from the sale of bank shares should be invested in Ireland. More than €6 billion has been raised to date from AIB, and it was used to repay the national debt.

This is a misallocation of resources when so much public investment is needed.

In conclusion, there should be a debate about the

Paul Sweeney is chair of Tasc Economists’ Network and former chief economist with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions

Fintan O’Toole: Still no shame in helping yourself to other people’s money

Photo: Bryan O’Brie

INM pensions scandal shows there is no unacceptable face of Irish capitalism

Staff from Independent News & Media have protested outside a company meeting over a 70% cut to their pension benefits. INM has announced it would no longer contribute to their defined benefit scheme, which will now have to close.

Before the great crash of 2008, there were four reasons not to be too worried if you were doing funny stuff with other people’s money. There was no shame in it. It probably wasn’t illegal. Even if it was, you probably wouldn’t be prosecuted. And even if you were prosecuted, the law would slap your wrist with babysoft satin. We know where this culture leads us – and yet it is still thriving.

As for shame, apply the Philip Green test. Green sold the BHS retail chain in the UK for £1 after he and his family had sucked out more than £580 million (€690.6m). He left the company’s pension fund, which had been in surplus, with a black hole of £571 million.

Green became an object of deep revulsion, not just among the impoverished pensioners and redundant workers he left behind, but in the business and political establishments. He had gone too far. The House of Commons voted to take away his knighthood. MPs called him a “billionaire spiv” and the perpetrator

of “systematic plunder”. Theresa May called out his “corporate irresponsibility and reckless behaviour”. And the UK’s pensions regulator began enforcement action to try to make him fill the hole in the pension fund.

Sense of moral revulsion is muted Now, what if Philip Green were an Irish business person?

A few left-wing TDs and trade union leaders would have shouted and protested. But mainstream, deep-seated establishment opinion? It would have expressed itself, as the Taoiseach did in June when the Natrium consortium engineered a takeover of Clerys that left its long-serving workforce out on the street with nothing but statutory redundancy payments. “The symbolism of Clerys and how long it’s been there and the way this was done – it certainly could have been handled a lot better. It was, in my view, very insensitive.” Philip Green would have 33

been told that he could have handled things a lot better and asked to be a bit more sensitive next time he tips a workforce into poverty.

Or consider the extraordinary goings-on at Independent News and Media, where the expected pensions of retirees are being slashed, in effect to enable €24 million to be added to INM’s balance sheet and paid out in dividends. The descendants of William Martin Murphy call the behaviour of INM “disgusting” but beyond those directly affected and their union leaders, the sense of moral revulsion is muted.

The plaintive cry of the former business writer for The Sunday Independent, Martin Fitzpatrick – “Is there no morality left?” – is a purely rhetorical question. When the subject came up in the Dáil, Enda Kenny summoned all his moral fervour and muttered, “Pensions scheme operations are a matter for the trustees of the particular scheme.” IBEC has said nothing to distance the Irish business community from this behaviour. Has Irish capitalism no unacceptable face?

convicted in Cork district court of taking pension contributions from employees but failing to pass the money to their pension scheme. This was described by the pensions authority as a “very serious offence”.

The two directors and the company itself were each fined €1,750, with €300 in costs – a terrifying total of €5,550. At the end of the law’s long arm, there is a feather duster – provided you rob people (as Woody Guthrie put it) with a fountain pen rather than a six gun.

And that’s when there are actual prosecutions.

Consider the still unfolding story of the systematic ripping off of householders by Irish banks who conned them into moving from tracker mortgages to mortgages with much higher interest rates. From the Central Bank’s press release on the first of these cases, we know that the average that was effectively stolen from these customers was €19,351 and that some of them suffered horrendous financial stress and even the loss of their homes.

The banks who did this will be fined and since many of these banks are owned by us, we will effectively pay the fines to ourselves. But where is the individual accountability for these systematic thefts? Somebody devised these schemes and ordered staff to cheat customers. There is not the slightest suggestion that any of these people should be prosecuted.

We got into a very deep crisis in part because of immorality and impunity. We had a culture in which “moral obligation” was a contradiction in terms and legal obligations were optional. The three things that might change that culture are a sense of shame, powerful regulation and serious punishment. And not one of them has taken root in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland. We don’t do outrage; it is perfectly legal to take other people’s money; and even when it’s not, sure what matter?

Banks cheating customers And if there’s no shame, there’s not much law either.

The smart manoeuvres at Clerys and INM, as is the case with Green, are perfectly legal. Irish pension law seems to have been written by the satanist Aleister Crowley: “Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law.”

But even when there are laws, and they are clearly broken, what harm if you get caught? In October, in a case that the pensions regulator risibly proclaimed as a dire warning to “all employers and company directors”, two company directors, Liam and Edward Rice, were

Completed Picture

The last two issues of Connect featured the above photograph from the Union’s Archives and while we obtained some information on the background to the photograph, we are pleased to say we can now complete the “picture”.

John Morris, a member of the Dublin Postal Drivers Branch who retired in 2010 after 43 years service, informs us the man in charge of the delivery wagon is his father Paddy, who is alive and well. The Postman (partly hidden from view) is Ned Sherry.

The photograph was taken in 1954 by the renowned Irish Press photographer, Colman Doyle. The photograph was published in the Irish Press to mark the occasion of the last delivery of parcels in Dublin using this type of transport, as the Department of Posts & Telegraphs had decided to motorise the delivery of parcels, which up to that point had been the responsibility of CIE and the Department.

We thank John for providing us with the information and wish him and his father a long and happy retirement.

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Online Training Initiative Members will be aware from our previous Connect magazine of our new eLearning initiative Unionlink which was established by the Communications Workers’ Union, Financial Services Union and Mandate Trade Union. Unionlink is an innovative way for our members to engage in trade union learning and provides flexibility so that members take control of their own learning in their own time.

As previously reported the first course that has been developed is called “Your Union and You” and covers the relevance of trade unions in the workplace and in society.

It has three modules: 1.

2.

3.

Understanding Trade Unions My Union – The CWU and Call to Action.

We would like to invite our members to participate in this new training initiative as it is an opportunity for members to get to know more about their own union, the important role of the trade union movement in general as well as guidance on how to participate more in Union activities.

Now Unionlink eLearning is available to CWU members.

If you are interested in registering for this training, please send us an email to unionlink@cwu.ie You will receive plenty of support on the way and you can also find further information on www.unionlink.org

Taking Photos for the Connect Journal When taking photos which you would like to include in the Connect journal, aim for the following:

to make sure that you are not accidentally cropping off the tops of people heads, or their sides. It is quite okay to just photograph someone from the waist up, if that is what you require, but if you want the full figure, then don’t crop off the feet by accident.

(4) Don’t stand too far away from the person you are photographing. Remember, you want to see their face in the photograph - the background is not all that important. If they are being presented with a Union Scroll (or other presentation), then try to get the Scroll and/or handshake into the photograph also.

(1) Look carefully at the background. If it looks dark and dingy, then that is how your photograph will turn out. Try to find a spot that looks good and bright to the naked eye. If you think it looks good, then chances are you will give your photo a better shot at coming out looking well.

(2) Make sure there is light shining towards your subject. If there is light behind the person or people you are photographing, then you will not see their faces clearly. Don’t stand people with their backs to a window in daylight - instead, have them turn around to face the light. You will get a much better result, if you do this.

(5) If you are in a position to do so, try to ensure that your camera is set to capture images at 300 dpi (that’s “dots per inch”) which will give you the required high-resolution result. Don’t worry too much if you are unable to change those settings on your mobile phones - if you pay attention to the other points mentioned here, your photograph should come out looking well in print.

(3) When you stand back to take the photograph, aim 35

36

Pictured above: CWU members protesting at the store on O’Connell Street in June 2015

37

Postal Update

WITNESS HISTORY

Price Waterhouse Consultants the Journal August 1995

McKinsey Consultants- Report a new dawn or more of the same?

Union hits ‘scandal’ of £¼m report on An Post

EITHER WAY THEIR €1.5M CHEQUE IS IN THE POST! Stay around in this business long enough and there are a few events that just get replayed in your mind. For those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it and in the case of An Post management it would seem there are many with short memories. For those not long enough around, the following synopsis of the comings and goings of CEOs and their business plans for An Post will assist.

In 1990 John Hynes became CEO of the Company and shortly afterwards announced the infamous Viability Plan. Following an extensive CWU campaign, this was eventually shelved by Minister Seamus Brennan.

Nonetheless Hynes remained in place until 2003. On leaving he claimed An Post “is in good shape”. A few months later new entrant Donal Curtin turned a projected one million profit into a €43 million loss, to cultivate a crisis. The biggest misbalance in the history of An Post was confirmed by a forensic examination of the Company accounts undertaken by Grant Thornton in November 2005, at the behest of CWU. Shortly afterwards Curtin and his former ESB bright sparks, vacated their positions.

New CEO, Donal Connell was appointed to repair the damage and relationships, which he managed successfully until he allowed himself to be lead astray in allowing the total shut down by Mails Operations over the IO systems dispute in October 2015. Connell’s reign extended to ten years ended, with him announcing his retirement in April 2016. At the time both he and Chairman Divilly were lauding of his successful tenure and the position of An Post.

However, not long on the scene in August 2016, newly-appointed CEO, David McRedmond, was having none of it, declaring a cash crisis and urgent need to sort out the pricing issue (for which he deserves credit). In tandem he appointed Consultants Mc Kinsey to conduct a ‘Route and Branch’ (pun intended) examination, paying up to €1.5 m for their ten-week stint. They are due to report back to the Board of An Post shortly.

The CWU, as we have in the past, will forensically examine any recommendations and any proposed Company Strategic plan. We have demonstrated we are here for the long haul and prepared to work with the company on the basis our input and interests are taken on board.

By TIM HASTINGS Industrial Correspondent Independent Irish Inde d pend n ent

An P A Postt St Strategic t i Pl Plan • • • • • • • • • •

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Viability Plan ✘ Price Waterhouse ✘ An Post Transformation ✘ Business Separation ✘ SDS Closure ✘ Parcels Integration ✘ Parcel Reengineering ✘ Fully Integrated Mails ✘ Parcel & Packet Review ✘ Mc Kinsey ?

Postal Update

CEOs COME AND GO CEOs COME AND GO Departure John Hynes CEO 2003

Departure Donal Connell CEO •

28th April 2016: An Post shows a profit of €8.6m

•

An Post welcomed the Post Office Network Development Group, by Bobby Kerr.

•

UK Based Air Business very well positioned at the forefront of new product development in international mail and mail related services.

Dermot Divilly Chairman “Under Donal’s stewardship, An Post has been transformed into a profitable company with a clear strategic direction”.

New Entrant Donal Curtin CEO 2003

The Post Office Retail Network continued to perform strongly.

David McRedmond CEO

isis

t An Pos

h Cr s a C s e fac

An Post will make an operating loss of €28.6m in 2016.

Curtin w ill c bid to r ull bosses in evive A n Post (Sunda

y Times

) 39

Postal Update

An Post JCC Update

4.

The CWU sought payment of a bonus to staff employed at Post Offices, who sell the winning ticket in any National Lottery Game. Following discussions the following is agreed:

Set out below is an update regarding several issues either under discussion or agreed at the An Post Joint Conciliation Council.

1.

•

Living Wage for All Grades

Following a motion passed at the last conference CWU lodged a claim that all staff in An Post should at least earn the living wage, which is set at €11.45 per hour.

Following the recent 2.5% pay increase only one grade (Mail Room Assistant) had increments below this. The Company accepted this claim and has increased the Mails Room Assistant incremental pay scale to €445.86, effective from the 1st January 2017.

•

• •

5.

2. Allowance for non-duty holders in Dublin who are required to travel across the 7 Retail Units in Dublin.

•

• •

Bereavement Leave

We have sought the following increases: • •

Retirement Functions 6.

Following the adoption of a motion at conference, CWU requested the Company to make a contribution towards retirement functions. Following discussions, the Company has reviewed its Retirement Policy and has agreed it will make a financial contribution up to a maximum of €200 towards the retirement function of employees. To qualify the following is to apply: •

Where a Company sells a winning ticket in any National Lottery Game, the Company will give the Post Office Clerk (criteria to be agreed) a Gift Voucher to the value of €50.

The amount paid in Gift Vouchers cannot exceed the amount received by the Company for selling the winning ticket.

The payment of the Gift Voucher is confined to An Post Company Offices.

The effective date will be 1 January 2017.

Recently the Civil Service increased the level of bereavement leave with similar arrangements in An Post sought by the Union as the immediate aftermath of a death can be a very difficult time for employees. This is particularly the case on the death of a close relative or as a result of an accident on duty. Employees need time off to help cope with their loss and personal distress. The existing arrangements in An Post, while helpful, are not sufficient.

Payment of this allowance was secured by a CWU claim in 2014, however no ongoing review of the value of the allowance was agreed at the time. Since it was implemented considerable increase in the cost of public transport has occurred. Consequently, an increase in the value of the allowance was sought by the CWU and it is now agreed to increase the allowance by 7.5% with effect from 1st January 2017. The maximum payment will be increased to €698.75 per annum.

3.

National Lottery Bonus

Death of a spouse, partner, civil partner, child or adopted child – 20 days Death of an immediate relative i.e. father, mother, father in law, mother in law, brother , sister, grandfather and grandmother – 5 days

Travel and Subsistence

The Company sought to introduce a Travel and Subsistence Policy which they say incorporates all previous circulars and memos into one document.

However, this has highlighted some issues and as a result we have raised the manner in which the company is interpreting some travel and mileage rates. Discussions are ongoing.

The staff member must have 25 years or more full time equivalent service and are retiring from the Company.

The contribution will be made to a third party for the provision of food, beverages or other items in connection with a function to mark the employee’s retirement; Such contributions will only be made where there is a retirement related function for the employee; Managers will arrange for the payment to be made to third parties.

7.

Medical and Drug Refunds

In July 2011 CWU lodged a claim at the JCC to have the Medical and Drug Refund Schemes extended to all grades in An Post. Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach agreement and the issue has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission for assistance. We can confirm this Union’s intention is to finalise the claim to our satisfaction.

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Postal Update 8.

Policy Documents

Over the past couple of years a number of Policy Documents were agreed at the JCC but the Company failed to circulate them to staff. The Company has now confirmed that the following documents will be circulated to all staff over the coming weeks:

•

Grievance Procedure

•

Disciplinary Procedure

•

CCTV Policy

•

IB Policy

•

Policy and Procedures for dealing with alcohol or substance misuse and addiction related disorders

Successful Transfer of An Post PSEU Members to CWU Worker Director on the Board of An Post. Consequently, CWU presence is strengthened in both, with the Union now having the five seats again, becoming the only Union representing staff at the Board and also the Pension Fund.

On the 1st January 2017, approximately 200 managerial staff (HEO/EO grades) previously represented by the PSEU, transferred ‘en bloc’, to the CWU. This took place following a ballot of the members concerned who voted by a considerable majority to join the CWU. In joining they are now part of the principle Union in An Post, that leads all negotiations that impacts on staff influencing the direction of the company. Moreover, they will form a considerable force on behalf of management grades in their alignment with nearly 500 existing members.

The General Secretary has written to all new members welcoming them to the CWU, and to reassure their issues will now be taken on board in discussions with An Post management in respect of the major challenges that lie ahead. These members are part of a new CWU Branch entitled the Administrative Managers Branch.

The CWU has provided the Branch with an Observer to the National Executive Council and this role will be performed by Seán Carey. Furthermore, Niall Phelan is a Trustee of An Posts Superannuation Scheme and a

“CWU Single Union on An Post Board” The inaugural AGM took place on the 23rd February 2017 at which the following were elected: The AGM was well attended with Officials from Head Office Seán McDonagh, Cormac O’ Dalaigh and Pat Kenny also in attendance. There was a lively debate in respect of the serious challenges facing members in An Post and in particular the specific issues impacting members of the Managers Branch. In this context, there are opportunities to advance pay & conditions and to deal with long-standing issues for the HEO/EO grades.

The inaugural AGM took place on the 23rd February 2017 at which the following were elected: BRANCH SECRETARY:

Saoirse Kennedy

BRANCH CHAIRPERSON:

Myles Burke

BRANCH TREASURER:

Gerry O Toole

NEC OBSERVER:

Seán Carey

BRANCH COMMITTEE:

Alan Lynam Caroline Fox Brian O’Reilly Catriona Dewane Dominic Cunningham Donal Mullane Ger O’Byrne Joe Bowden Michael Kirwan Niall Phelan

Niall Phelan, Worker Director and Trustee of Pension Fund.

41

Postal Update

POSTCODE Costs- CWU says We Told You So! The Eircode article below, which featured in The Sunday Times is reproduced for your information and confirms the unfortunate reality of the views expressed by CWU in September 2009. At the time, Minister for Communications, Mr. Eamon Ryan, announced, without any consultation, the introduction of a Postcode system in Ireland, we outlined it would lead to increased costs. We raised our serious concerns around its introduction highlighting the following:

• • • •

Costs associated with its introduction Costs to An Post and its customers Costs for ongoing maintenance Cost for An Post to change its existing technology even though it had no requirement for a postcode in order to deliver mail.

Unfortunately, we have been proven correct! Hopefully the costs of overcoming the Ministers decision and his stated embarrassment in not having a Postcode was worth it.

Costly postcodes just failed to deliver

by Seán Barrett © The Sunday Times, January 2017 The €38m cost of providing a seven-digit postcode to every address in the state is unlikely to yield any net benefits. This assessment is based on listening to witnesses who gave evidence to the Oireachtas committee on transport and communications, and by studying the scathing criticisms of the project by the comptroller & auditor general (C&AG), who concluded that costs were underestimated and benefits overestimated.

The manner in which the project progressed between 2005 and 2015 has been questioned by the comptroller.

Over a decade ago the Department of Communications estimated that 35% of Irish properties shared an address with at least one other. They were non-unique. That was how the department saw Ireland from its Adelaide Road headquarters.

Why, then, did the department of Communications spend €38m on a non-problem?

In 2005, the year that work on postcodes began, An Post delivered 73% of mail on the day after posting. In 2015 that figure was 91%. They know where we live. The 91% next-day delivery was the highest since measurement began in 2003. The target of regulator ComReg is 94%. So the post office staff who sort your mail send it to the right town and county, and the delivery staff put it in the right letter box. Why, then, did the department spend €38m on a non-problem?

The 2008 estimate of benefits was €9.9m a year. The C&AG states this valuation was tentative and based on a widespread uptake of postcodes. Back then, Revenue was projected to derive an annual benefit of €3.6m. By 2015, they told the comptroller, most of these benefits had been realised from their own “processes”.

The benefits to An Post were estimated at €2.9m a year based on “an expected increase in revenues from growth of mail volumes”. Annual private sector benefits of €3m were expected from “improved efficiency and effectiveness”, and improved competition in the postal market.

But the assumed widespread uptake of postcodes

has not happened. And Revenue knows where you live without needing a seven-digit non-sequential postcode.

Postal letter volumes have fallen by almost 40%, and are still falling by 4% a year. The private sector has shown little interest in using a postcode system and no inclination to fund it.

It is plain that the assumed benefits have evaporated by more than the 15% that would have made postcodes a marginal project, as noted by the C&AG. In 2009 the cost of the project was put at €18m. At the launch in April 2014, it was announced as €25m. The C&AG found that by August 2015 the costs were €38m, a 52% increase in 16 months.

In addition the C&AG notes that a project adviser contract worth €54,000 was awarded in 2008 “without a competitive process”. Consultant B had a contract valued at €103,000, but by August 2015 had been paid €145,000.

Consultant C had an all-inclusive fee of €2,000, but “payments totalled €38,000”. Consultant D had contract for €24,000 and was paid €51,520. Consultant E had a contract for a maximum payment of €30,750 but got €46,000. Consultant F had an invoice price of €115,000 but the cost will be “approximately €200,000”.

An outreach campaign costing €527,000 was entrusted to a charity, without a tendering process. The campaign was “to assist those who were considered vulnerable and hard to reach, who may be confused or worried about the introduction of postcodes”.

All these economics were obviously unsound. This highlights again the lack of expertise in economics at master’s level and above in the public service, already noted in the failures of bank regulation. The postcode project also shows a total disconnect between the department and those who deliver post.

The precedent set by the banking collapse is that the principals walk away with golden handshakes and pensions you cannot buy any more. Reform of Irish public administration is impossible while this moral hazard persists. When will we ever learn?

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Postal Update

Getting the Measure of An Post’s Retail Business Members working in An Post’s Retail Network will be familiar with changes to the customer base and retail transactions over many years. On an ongoing basis the CWU supports Retail Management innovation and various business initiatives to try ensure that An Post Counters remain relevant and viable.

The Counter Automation System “Riposte” has been continuously modified to accommodate new services and in more recent times has provided for automated accounting of Mails services and has introduced electronic signature pads that will be a key feature of the “Smart Card” Account current in live testing.

Members will be aware of the endeavour of the Union’s Clerical Sub-Group comprising NEC members Deirdre Medlar, & Willie Mcomprised of NEC members Deirdre Medlar and Willie Mooney, Regional Officer John Tansey and CWU nominees to the Retail Work Measurement Joint Working Group headed by Deirdre and comprising Liam O’Callaghan, Cork Clerks, & Dave Bell, Dublin Clerks who validated standard average timings for the wide range of transactions to develop a work measurement template based on Industrial Engineering methodology.

In the latter part of 2016 agreement was reached to pilot a template for Retail Work Measurement in three Offices – Cavan, Sligo, & New Ross where serving hours measured against actual individual office transactions data based on the measurement system validated by the

JWG. The outcome resulted in a loss of hours in Sligo, additional hours or broadly neutral impact in New Ross and Cavan albeit realigned.

Following a review with Retail Management in January the Clerical Sub-Group approved rollout of Retail Work Measurement Redesign commencing with Arklow, Nenagh, Galway, Tralee, Castlebar, Drogheda, & Phibsboro, to be extended throughout the Company network in tranches of seven offices. Analysis is nearing completion toward implementation in the seven mentioned with extra hours merited in Arklow, Nenagh, & Castlebar, and loss of hours to varying extent in Galway, Tralee, Phibsboro. The process is now set to move to tranche two which is likely to be Bray, Blanchardstown, Dundalk, Waterford, Limerick, Killarney, & Letterkenny.

Thus far, Retail Management’s approach to what can be a difficult transition locally has been progressive with good engagement with CWU which commends Retail on its exploration of new Services and innovation such as the “Smart Card Account”, and on the role of the network in expanded mails services such as “Addresspal” .

Clearly CWU is hopeful that successful rollout of services such as the “Smart Card Account” will consolidate and aim to grow An Post’s customer base and that the Retail Measurement Redesign methodology will be a valuable tool for local Branches to influence agreement on serving hours into the future that match customer demand.

“Keeping you in the Picture” Pictured l to r: Sandra Melvin, Post Office Clerk at the Castlebar Retail Office, with Deirdre Medlar, National Executive Member, CWU, March 2017.

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CREDIT UNION MEMBERSHIP EXTENDED!

an post employees’ credit union ltd.

Spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, brothers & sisters

Includes: An Post employees Former employees Pensioners Postmasters and their post office assistants Companies where An Post has a shareholding

www.anpostcu.ie

Postal Update

Cardiff Lane- Sold Down the River!

“DSU 2 operation relocates to new premises at Ravensdale Road, Dublin 3” Last January the entire was no other approach DSU 2 operation relopossible. The company cated to a new premisthen outlined intentions es at Ravensdale Road, to commence volume/hit East Wall, Dublin 3. The rate counts in September 2017 February/March 2016 which would edition of An Posts’ indicate implementation Hoaxnews claimed a in the second half of seamless transition at2017 as the earliest tributing responsibility possible target for and success to the DSM implementation.

The and staff. In respect of decision to proceed with success, they were right the separate Redesign that Barney Cronin and of DSU 3 which it had his team saved the day. scheduled to go-live on Samuel Beckett Bridge However, in the rush to the 12th September, 2016, gloss over the sheer incomtogether with the intention petence and blatant disreto repeat this expensive gard for customers by senior management in mails operexercise again in the following quarter, was astonishing. ations, the article neglected to put the person responsible In all such circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude for this debacle in the picture, which is a glaring departherefore that the Company gave no real thought to its ture from every other cock fight. requirements in this regard and that strategic planning is This move emanated from a decision taken by An redundant in the mails area of the business.

Post in October 2014 to sell Cardiff Lane premises More farcical was the Company’s further desire to and subsequently to relocate DSUs 1, 2 and 3 to a new have Cardiff Lane premises vacated by January 2017. site on Ravensdale Road, under a single management At this stage, it finally dawned on mails operations that structure. At the time the Union was advised the sale the only possible solution available to the Company, was necessary to address cash flow problems and was to relocate DSU 2 operation to Ravensdale Road to ensure there was sufficient cash for payroll. In as currently designed. Notwithstanding the shenanigans subsequent discussions, the Union raised the prospect outlined above, agreement was concluded with An Post of a better, more efficient approach to office redesigns to enable the relocation to take place early in January and suggested that Ravensdale Road presented an 2017. The agreed operational requirements as proposed opportunity to trial such an approach to deal with the by the company resulted in staff relocating without any changing profile of the mail. The Union had expected change to existing routes which necessitates overtime and that during the intervening period, the company would which will inevitably see staff exceeding the Working have given serious consideration to its suggestions for Time Act threshold. In its failure to plan for the staffing a new method of working and design for Ravensdale requirements the company also neglected to advise its Road. Regrettably, our suggestions were completely customers of the relocation in advance of the move. ignored and the opportunity squandered, which in more The above is an example of how NOT to do things, recent times is consistent with the approach with the but unfortunately it is not an isolated incident as mails business generally. demonstrated by the operational debacles associated It beggar’s belief that in August 2016 (almost two years with Merrywell Parcel office and the Holly Road after the decision to sell the premises) the company only temporary out housing of mail. It will be interesting as advocated, at this late stage, the relocation of the mails to whether such gross incompetence will be commented operations of all three offices in Q1 2017 in conjunction upon by McKinsey Consultants or tolerated by the with a full count of mails and redesign of the three delivery new CEO. It would not be credible such an off the wall offices. The CWU outlined the absolute absurdity of this approach, resulting in a serious and wholly unnecessary approach based on the established redesign process, squandering of scarce resources could be ignored. Now and the current director of letters steadfast views there that would be fake news that could not be trumped!

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Postal Update

Brexit impacts on Royal Mail Christmas Letters Posting

Royal Mail said that the number of addressed letters tumbled 6% in the nine months to December 25 Royal Mail has revealed a sharp drop in letter mailing in the busy Christmas season as business worries over Brexit hit marketing post.

The group said the number of addressed letters tumbled 6% in the nine months to December 25, while letter revenues fell 5%.

This comes after a 4% fall in letter numbers in the previous six months.

“We are seeing the impact of overall business uncertainty in the UK on letter volumes, in particular advertising and business letters,” Royal Mail said.

The group signalled an impact from Brexit fears on its letters arm in half-year results in November, when

revenues from advertising mail slumped 8%.

It said the trend for marketing mail revenues had remained “broadly similar” in the third quarter.

This offset a stronger performance from its parcels business, which notched up a 3% rise in revenues over the nine months to Christmas Day, with the number of parcels delivered up 2%.

Overall revenues across its UK parcels and letters division fell 2%.

But its European parcels business, General Logistics Systems (GLS), saw a strong festive quarter with revenues jumping 9% over the nine months, helping overall group-wide revenues hold firm on a year earlier.

GET INTO PRINT! Anyone wishing to submit articles or photos to appear in the Connect journal, please either: EMAIL TO: imelda@cwu.ie OR POST TO: Imelda Wall, Communications Workers’ Union, William Norton House, 575 North Circular Road, Dublin 1.

46

Postal Update

Campaign to safeguard Christmas Mails Photos from Dail Eireann on 29th November 2016 at the launch of a campaign arranged by Deputy Eugene Murphy, FF, urging people to post a card or letter to their friends in a bid to safeguard the Christmas mail market.

(l-r), Ned O’Hara General Secretary IPU, John Tansey Regional Officer CWU, Deputy Timmie McGrath FF Spokesperson on Communications and Deputy Eugene Murphy FF.

Pictired above l-r: Meave Galvin, Deputy Eugene Murphy, Deputy Mattie McGrath, Ned O’Hara General Secretary IPU, Deputy Robert Troy and John Tansey Regional Officer CWU at the gates of Dail Eireann.

On the right: John Tansey Regional Officer CWU addressing Dail Deputies and members of the media.

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Gerry O’Connor, Mullingar DSU is the “Medals Man”

48

This article is reproduced with kind permission of An Cosantรณir - The Official Magazine of the Defence Forces

49

Logistics Update

This new postal service will mean no need to go to the postbox

CityPost has launched a new system that it claims will save companies significant sums on mail.

Paul O’Donoghue, The Journal.ie January 2017

A DUBLIN-BASED company has launched a new mail service aimed at businesses that is looking to break An Post’s stranglehold on the market.

physically puts in an envelope, stamps, and posts, just hit the ‘CityPost’ button.

The customer’s file is sent electronically to the CityPOST sorting office, which will then fold the letter, put it in an envelope, put it in the post and deliver it.

‘Even playing field’ A spokesman for the company said: “It means that for large mailouts all you have to do is type the words.

You make savings in ink printer cartridges, envelopes and time, it saves your clerical staff being tied up sending letters.”

CityPost chief executive Ian Glass said that the future of postal services “is in harnessing technology to provide a more effective and simple service”.

“We believe that there is a real opportunity to grow the postal market in Ireland, but this is only possible through innovation,” he said. “iPOST also offers an even playing field for businesses around the country. Every business, regardless of location, can have direct access with the sorting office.”

CityPost said that iPOST is the first in a range of digital products that the company plans to release.

Based in Dublin, the company employs about 150 people.

Dublin-based CityPost has unveiled its ‘iPOST’ service, which it said will provide a “one-stopsolution” for businesses, providing services such as free printing, envelopes and processing.

Letters will cost 66c each to send by iPost, which is slightly less than the cost of a standard 72c stamp.

The mail will be delivered by CityPost An Post, dependent on location. An Post already offers its own mass-mailing system to companies, which CityPost is paying to use.

€1 million investment CityPost said the service follows an investment “in excess of €1 million” in new technology at the company’s facility at Rathcoole in south Dublin.

The company said that individuals “can print and post one or thousands of pieces of correspondence without leaving their desk”.

It claimed the iPOST system can save businesses “up to 20% in total postage costs while removing the need for business to print, stamp and envelope letters.”

Customers download the software, and as opposed to printing a letter normally which a person than

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Logistics Update

UPS Update:

from the UK to attend our AGM, it is always interesting to hear what is happening in UPS across the water.

We are expecting to sign off on a new collective agreement in the next few weeks. The new agreement will formalise issues such as Union access to induction meetings, grievance procedures, training and most importantly the Union will in future be involved in pay consultation for all our members in Dublin, Cork and Shannon.

The CWU would once again like to thank our brothers from the Unite Union who travelled

DPD Update The CWU continue to grow in DPD however we are still encountering difficulties accessing the “day staff”. UNI Global Union have recently signed an international agreement with Geo Post the parent Company of DPD which should be of assistance in our efforts to access the “day staff”.

Subsidiaries/An Post Contractors Updates

Printpost:

working reduced hours. The Union are awaiting proposals from the management of Billpost to address the downturn in business in Billpost.

We are currently balloting on a WRC pay proposal in Printpost. If accepted it will help to deal with a major issue of pay equalisation in Printpost by introducing an incremental scale for operators in Printpost.

The CWU would like to acknowledge the assistance of the WRC in these discussions.

Post Insurance: The Union have lodged a pay claim with Post Insurance and we will be commencing negotiations shortly.

We would like to welcome Sandra Delaney as our new Branch Secretary and thank Veronica Mc Loughlin for her great work over the last seven years as Branch Secretary.

Billpost: The beginning of March saw the resumption of full hours for our members in Billpost, this followed almost a year of

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CWU People

Dublin Postal Delivery Branch Retirements January/February 2017

Eamonn Hanratty, Crumlin DSU

Joe Chester, Glenageary

Jimmy Bolger (centre), Paddy Houlihan (far right) both of Finglas DSU 52

CWU People

Martin Kelledy, Churchtown DSU

Liam Darcy, Tallaght DSU

Paul McQuillan, Churchtown DSU

William Conlan, Harminstown DSU

Tony Grogan steps down from Branch Secretary role of Dublin Postal Drivers’ Branch Tony Grogan stepped down from his role as Branch Secretary of the Dublin Postal Drivers’ Branch at the Branch AGM. Tony has served in a number of representative roles in the Dublin Postal Drivers’ Branch over the past 26 years.

Tony also helped organise many of the social activities operated by the Branch. He currently serves as a member of the Standing Orders Committee at Conference and has done so for many years.

Derek Keenan has succeeded Tony as Branch Secretary and Derek’s family has a long history in the Union. His father, Eugene (Mousey) Keenan, was a member of the National Executive Council and former President of the Union.

The CWU thanks Tony for all his hard work and wish him and Derek all the best for future endeavours.

Derek Keenan, Branch Secretary, Dublin Postal Drivers’ Branch with outgoing Branch Secretary Tony Grogan.

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CWU People

Mullingar Postal AGM / Social Night. take us on in a Pool and Darts Tournament. If you are up for the challenge please contact the Branch Secretary at barrycarr@eircom.net

A social night was had by The Mullingar Postal Branch after their recent AGM. All prizes were sponsored by CWU Mullingar Postal Branch. The Mullingar Postal Branch would like to put out a challenge to any Postal Branches anywhere in the country that are willing to

“It doesn’t take talent to hustle.”

Finalists In the Darts – Mark Murray v Joe Kiernan

Branch Secretary, Barry Carr, presenting Darts Winner’s trophy to Joe Kiernan

Finalists in the Pool – Gerry Purcell v Andre Stalenburg

Branch Secretary, Barry Carr, presenting Pool Winner’s trophy to Gerry Purcell

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CWU People

John Fogarty Retires John Fogarty retired on Friday Jan 27th after over 30 years’ service, initially in Fethard, Co. Tipperary Post Office and then Clonmel DSU. John is also a published author and has won an award on RTÉ Radio One for one of his books, “Scenes of an Indian Summer” published by Wordsonthestreet.

John with other staff members on his retirement night.

Clonmel DSM, R. Nugent, making a presentation to John.

John on his last ever delivery.

Donal Horan Retires

John Lowry Retires

Johnny Bonner attended on the night to present Donnie with his Union Scroll.. Also in the photo are Declan Fitzgerald, Branch Secretary, and Gerry Cuirc from the Cork District Branch.

A retirement party was held recently for Donal Horgan.

Donal had nearly 43 years’ service with the P&T and An Post. He was an active member of the Bandon Postal Branch having served on the committee, as Chairperson and for many years as Secretary.

His popularity was evident by the large attendance at the party, with many former colleagues returning for the night.

John Lowry, Postal Operative, Cashel DSU, who recently retired, being presented with the Union Scroll by Jer Harnett, Branch Secretary, Tipperary and District Postal Branch.

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CWU People

Michael McLaughlin Retires

Pictured with his colleagues on his last day of service with An Post and receiving his retirement Scroll and Union Badge from the CWU is Michael McLaughlin. Michael delivered the post in the Moville area of Inishowen for the past ten years. His last day of service was Friday 20th January 2017. Also pictured l to r are: John Canning, Michael Gallagher (Branch Secretary), Joe McDermott and Seamus Moyne. The Lifford/Inishowen Branch would like to take this opportunity to wish Michael a long and happy retirement.

Paddy McGloin Retires

Martin Condron Retires

The Union Scroll is presented to Martin by Marie-Therese Comerford, Branch Chairperson, Carlow Branch.

Martin Condron retired on 10 February 2017 after fortyseven-and-a-half years’ service. Martin served as Branch Secretary from 1978 to 2017. He was a loyal Union member and he will be greatly missed by all in the CWU family. We wish him every health and happiness in his retirement.

Paddy McGloin, who retired from Bundoran P.O. Donegal after 40 years’ service, was presented with the Union Scroll and Gold Badge by Hugh Quinn, Branch Secretary, Donegal SW. His colleagues in Donegal South West all wish him the best in his retirement.

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CWU People

Mick Slattery Retires

Mick Slattery retired 30-12-2016 after 38 years’ service amd a Presentation was made to him by eir Managers’ Branch.

Kieran McGill Retires

Kieran McGill held a retirement party in the Roisin Dubh, Gurteen. Kieran retired on the 31/12/2016. Present were his colleagues from Sligo and Carrick On Shannon and retired friends. Kieran joined the P/T on the 18/8/1980 which became Telecom Eireann Eircom and now Eir. We wish Kieran many happy years in retirement with his wife Mary and family.

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CWU People

Ballinasloe AGM Presentations

Gold Medals were presented by Sean Mc Donagh, National Officer, and Damien Tuohy, NEC, to Arthur Fitzgerald, Michael Crehan, Vinnie Brien, Pat Mannion, Tom Donoghue and Celcius Sheridan.

Silver medals were presented by Sean Mc Donagh, National Officer, to Anthony Brennan, Susan Mc Cullagh, Martena Cregg and Dolores Kelly 58

CWU People

Vodafone Retirements Vodafone Branch said farewell to long-serving members at a recent retirement function.

Pictured l-r: Ken Fagan, Mick Connell (aka the Doc), Terry Delany (Deputy General Secretary), the Vice-President, Mike O’Connor and Mick Farrell.

Ken Fagan and CWU Vice-President, Mike O’Connor

Mick Connell and Vice-President, Mike O’Connor

Mick Farrell and Vice-President, Mike O’Connor

Tommy Begg and Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary

Tom Harding and Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary

Brian Lattimore and Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary

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CWU People

Waterford Postal Branch Retirements

Carrickn On Suir Staff with Tom Prendergast

Bill Carlton retired from our Waterford Mail Centre Office.

Anthony Horan, Branch Chairman, presents the Union Scroll to Bill Carlton.

Tom Prendergast retired from our Carrick on Suir Post Office Co Tipperary Pictured l to r: Jason Caulfield, Branch Secretary, Ross Cleary Carrick Rep, Tom Prendergast, and Anthony Horan, Branch Chairman.

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CWU People

Dublin No.3 Branch goes International!

The Dublin No. 3 Branch Annual General Meeting marked the retirements of long-serving members; Imelda Devaney, Branch Secretary and Frank Lyons, Branch Chairman.

An indication of the changing times we live in, was the election of Imelda and Frank’s successors. Chelsea Roberts was elected as Branch Secretary. Chelsea was born and raised in the heart of East Bay in California and moved to Ireland at the age of 21 and she has been working in Meteor for the past three years.

Shaji Abraham is from India and is employed at HCL. Before moving to Ireland in 2006, he was employed as a Newsroom Assistant in Malayala Manorama, the largest circulated newspaper in India. During his time there, he helped unionise workers and was involved in a campaign for equal pay, which the Union won.

We wish Imelda and Frank a long and happy retirement and we wish Chelsea and Shaji every success in their new roles.

Shaji Abraham, newly elected Branch Chairman, being congratulated by Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary, CWU.

Chelsea Roberts, newly elected Branch Secretary, with Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary, CWU.

Imelda Devaney being presented with her Union Scroll by Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary, CWU.

Frank Lyons being presented with his Union Scroll by Terry Delany, Deputy General Secretary, CWU.

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CWU People

Well Done Westport!

Well done to CWU members in Westport who participated in a rally organised by SIPTU on behalf of their members who have been on strike at Tim Hastings Volkswagen since the 3rd February in a dispute concerning the non-payment of redundancy entitlements and a refusal by management to respect a Labour Court recommendation.

Following the demonstration, a conciliation conference took place at the Workplace Relations Commission at which a resolution to the dispute was reached.

Ethel Buckley, Divisional Organiser, Services Division, wrote to the General Secretary on behalf of SIPTU asking that we convey SIPTU’s appreciation of the support given by our members in Westport.

Noel Ryan Retires John Delaney, Thurles Branch Secretary, presents the Union Scroll and Pin to Noel Ryan on his recent retirement from Thurles DSU.

Josephine McInerney Retires Josephine McInerney, who recently retired, is pictured with Michael Costelloe, Damien Tuohy and Pat Craughwell.

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CWU People

Neil Anderson Retires Neil Anderson retired after a long career at UNI Global Union (UNI) during which time he served in a number of different roles in the Post & Logistics, Telecom and Organising sectors.

Neil is a good friend of the CWU and he is a proud New Zealander and a big rugby fan. At a function to mark his retirement, the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary presented Neil with an Ireland rugby jersey and he was reminded of Ireland’s victory over New Zealand!

Neil (centre) is pictured receiving his Ireland rugby jersey by Steve Fitzpatrick (General Secretary) and Terry Delany (Deputy General Secretary).

Crossakiel Legend’s Life-Saving Legacy © Meath Chronicle, February 2017

Members of Kells CWU presenting a cheque to the family of popular Crossakiel man Hughie Reilly who passed away last year.

Paul Brady’s jersey as well as a Meath jersey signed by the panel. The event took place in McCaigues bar in Crossakiel. A number of people in the area have now been trained as first responders.

Hughie Reilly started work as a postman in Crossakiel in 1972 and later worked in Kingscourt and Kilmainhamwood. He was an active member of the Communications Workers’ Union and helped secure the site for the Jim Connell monument which brings so many visitors to Crossakiel in May every year.

He was regarded by Crossakiel Handball Club as its finest coach, mentor and official. Members say you couldn’t count the number of young lives that were changed for the better thanks to Hughie and his commitment to Crossakiel Handball Club.

A WELL loved local postman, trade unionist and a stalwart of the Crossakiel Handball Club who died last year was honoured by the Communications Workers’ Union recently when they presented a cheque to the local community for a defibrillator.

The Union raised €2,795 in memory of the late Hughie Reilly, which they presented to the Reilly family recently The money went towards purchasing a defibrillator for village of Crossakiel, which has being installed at the handball club.

Hughie retired two years ago but died last September and was very sadly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.

In November, his colleagues held a major fundraiser at which they auctioned off world handball champion,

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CWU People

Letter of Thanks Thanks to the support of the CWU, I recently attended the Special Olympic World Winter Games in Graz, Austria as a volunteer along with 5 other colleagues from eir.

If it wasn’t for the financial support that both myself and Enda Murphy got from our branches of the CWU during our fundraising, we may not have reached our targets. I would personally like to thank John Clarke and Terry Moorehouse for all their help and support.

The photo here shows the eir volunteers at Dublin airport as we get ready to depart for Vienna.

Back row l to r: Enda Murphy (eir Cot1); Tommy Hoey (eir IT); and Ger Donnellan (eir FLM) Front row l to r: Rachel Delaney (Meteor); Aideen Brophy (eir Graduate); and Claire Fennelly (eir Graduate)

Joe Boland Retires A Presentation was made to Joe Boland, retired DSM, and former Branch Secretary of the Portlaoise / Naas Managers Branch. The presentation took place at the Branch AGM on February 18th.

Joe receiving his CWU Scroll from Martina.

Jim Bergin, DSM Kilkenny and last year’s Branch Chairman making a Presentation to Joe

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CWU People

CWU National Officer Jim Browne Retires

Pictured l to r: Jim Browne, John Egan and Willie Meegan

No 1 Branch. I would just like to formally express my gratitude to Jim, on behalf of the Branch, for all of his work on behalf the CWU membership as a whole. Jim is, and always will, be a friend of the Dublin No.1 Branch.

I would like to offer our best wishes to Jim and his family from all members of the Dublin No.1 Branch and wish him a long, healthy and happy retirement.”

CWU General Secretary, Steve Fitzpatrick, also made a speech thanking Jim for his outstanding work on behalf of the members of the CWU. Steve commented that one of Jim’s key attributes was that he was a ‘Problem Solver’ and always seemed to be able to find innovative ways to resolve difficult situations presented to the CWU. Steve also thanked Jim’s wife, Clare, and Jim’s family, commenting that being a Union Official/Rep can at times be very stressful and as such, can often impact on family life and the support of the family is vital. Steve wished Jim and Clare a very happy retirement. eir Director of Employee Relations and CWU Member, Brian Walsh, made a speech acknowledging the work done with the company by Jim and thanked him for his professional approach to all negotiations over many years. Brian wished Jim a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Dublin No.1 Branch Chairman, Will Meegan, made a presentation to Jim on behalf of the Dublin No.1 Branch.

CWU Vice-President, Mike O’Connor, presented Jim with a framed CWU Scroll to mark Jim’s service to the CWU. Longstanding Dublin No.1 Branch Committee member, Margaret Jenkins, presented Clare Browne with a bouquet of flowers.

On Wednesday 8th March, Jim Browne performed one of his final CWU duties before his retirement on 10th March. He attended the Dublin No.1 Branch AGM in the Teacher’s Club, as has been customary since he took up the role of National Officer early in 2009.

At a social event hosted by the Dublin No.1 Branch (after the AGM) to mark Jim’s retirement, Dublin No.1 Branch Secretary, John Egan, welcomed Jim and his family; CWU Officers and Staff; NEC; and a number of guests. John outlined Jim’s working life in eircom and as a CWU Representative.

Jim joined the P&T in 1974 and immediately signed up as a member of the IPOEU, Clonmel Branch. In 1977, he moved to Dublin taking up a role in Dame Court and then transferred to the Dublin No. 4 Branch.

During his career, Jim served in nigh on every CWU role, from Branch Committee, as Branch Chairperson and then as Dublin No.1 Branch Secretary in 2001. In 2006 Jim moved into a National Partnership Co-ordinator role and finally took up a CWU National Officer role in 2009.

He also served for many years on the CWU National Executive Council and as an eircom ESOP Director. In recent years, Jim has worked as a Trustee of the Defined Benefit Trustee Pension Scheme.

In his speech, John Egan stated that, “Jim has worked tirelessly on behalf of all the members of the CWU, both nationally in Head Office and locally at Branch level over his career in eircom and then in CWU Head Office.

Jim has protected our members’ interests at all times and his work has succeeded significantly in improving the interests of our members. Jim is held in high esteem by members (current and recently retired) of the Dublin

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CWU People

John’s High Jump!

Pictured at Athlone Institute of Technology is John Bligh, Castlerea An Post Union Chairman, having receiving his Silver All Ireland Medal for Masters High Jump.

An Post Credit Union presents Cheque to CWUHA Tony Harmon and Noel Cocoman of An Post Employees Credit Union presenting a cheque to Jimmy O Connor and Charlie O Neill CWUHA before they head off to Moldova in May

Richard Higgins Retires

Ray Lawlor National Executive Council presents Richard Higgins with his Union Scroll at the Dublin No 3 AGM.

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CWU People

Josie O’Guairm (Joe Peadar) RIP

Sean McDonagh National Officer presenting Josie with his Long Service Badge at a recent function

Josie O’Guairm (Joe Peader), Postman Carna, Connemara, County Galway passed away suddenly on the 6th March. He is survived by his wife Naoko, sons Seosamh and Riocard, sisters and brothers extended family and a large circle of friends. He was a very popular Postman taking great pride in serving the community in performing his work for An Post for 35 years.

Although working in a Sub Office on his own he was a proud member of the CWU and Galway Postal Branch. As a well known Poet and story teller (seanachaí) he brought the news and messages night and day to the people of Connemara. A large crowd attended the funeral both with his Colleagues forming a fitting Guard of Honour.

Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam

Mattie Merrick RIP oblige when possible.

Mattie is survived by his wife, Catherine, sons, Joseph, Kieran and Marty and his daughter, Katie and extended family. Our deepest condolences to them.

His funeral mass was well attended. The church in Crossmolina was literally packed to the rafters!

His final journey to the graveyard was accompanied by a guard of honour from Mattie’s colleagues from the Ballina Postal Branch. He was laid to rest amid music and song as he was a great man for social dancing!

Mattie, may you rest in peace.

On 1st March this year we received very sad news in our office: Mattie Merrick, a mail contractor in our Branch, was fatally injured while on delivery. His van was involved in a collision with another vehicle, the occupants of which received hospital treatment.

Mattie was a mail contractor in the Ballina DSU for the last 15 years. He collected mail from Ballina every morning, which he delivered to several sub offices before carrying out his own delivery from Lahardane Post Office. He loved his job and always had a bit of craic with his colleagues in Ballina and the sub offices. He was also well regarded by the people on his delivery and was always willing to

67

Book Reviews N SHORTCUTS: ORGANISING FOR NO P POWER IN THE NEW GILDED AGE

by JANE McALEVEY b the most common method used by trade unions today.

This is the practice of maximising numbers at protests – usually the same activists who were at the last protest, and the one before that – and is generally directed by full-time officials.

The third approach, organising, is one engaged in by those on the left with a class analysis. Organising “places the agency for success with a continually expanding base of ordinary people, a mass of people never previously involved, who don’t consider themselves activists at all – that’s the point of organising. In the organising approach specific injustice and outrage are the immediate motivation, but the primary goal is to transfer power from the elite to the majority.”

There is no pretence on McAlevey’s part that her definition of organising is in any way original. Rather, organising is about going back to the basics of what trade unions used to do, particularly those affiliated to the Congress of Industrial Organisations (CIO) in the 1930s: high participation among union members, class politics and extensive use of the strike as the key weapon to protect and improve working conditions.

This model of “whole worker organising” recognises that people have a stake in wider society and not just the place they work. In the end, what good is a pay rise one week if your landlord puts up the rent the following week? As McAlevey explains: “Most good unions that organise inside the shop mobilise outside of it: deep inside, shallow outside. It’s as if they can’t see the full extent of the battlefield or the vastness of their army.” She continues: “A one-dimensional view of workers as workers rather than as whole people limits good organising and constrains good worker organisers from more effectively building real power in and among workers’ communities.”

For me, one of the most crucial contributions McAlevey makes is her method of identifying leaders in the workplace. She argues that much of the success of a union campaign lies in organisers’ ability to identify what she terms “organic leaders”. They “seldom selfidentify as leaders and rarely have any official titles, but they are identifiable by their natural influence with their peers. Knowing how to recognise them makes decisions about who to prioritise for leadership development far more effective. Developing their leadership skill set is

I an era of weakened In trade unions, dismal t working conditions and a w far-right emboldened by the election of Donald Trump, the release of Jane McAlevey’s new book No Shortcuts: Organising for Power in the New Gilded Age comes at a crucial time.

This book contains important lessons not just for trade unionists looking to reverse the decline of our movement, but for all progressives who are serious about challenging the power of capital.

Following on from her first book Raising Expectations and Raising Hell, an excellent first-hand account of her experience as a union organiser with the SEIU, No Shortcuts puts her practice of organising into a theoretical framework. McAlevey begins by outlining the reasons for the decline of trade unions in the United States. In a welcome departure from other well-hashed analyses of this subject, responsibility for the weakening of worker power is not placed merely on the shoulders of neoliberal stalwarts like Thatcher and Regan. Instead, she breaks out of this comfort zone and examines what the strategic mistakes trade unionists have made themselves over the past number of decades. Her central claim is that unions and, by extension, progressive politics, have declined because they have moved away from deep organising and toward shallow mobilising.

McAlevey outlines three methods with which people of different political persuasions approach trade unionism: advocacy, mobilising and organising.

Liberals generally follow the advocacy model, which sees paid officials lobbying and campaigning on behalf of workers. “Advocacy doesn’t involve ordinary people in any real way,” argues McAlevey. “Lawyers, pollsters, researchers and communications firms are engaged to wage the battle…advocacy fails to use the only concrete advantage ordinary people have over elites: large numbers.”

The second approach, mobilising, is one practiced by people slightly to the left of liberals and is generally 68

more fruitful than training random volunteers, because these organic leaders start with a base of followers.”

No Shortcuts outlines a number of case studies to show that the organising model can achieve enormous gains for workers. Chapter 3, excellently titled ‘Class Snuggle vs.

Class Struggle’, compares two separate campaigns led by the SEIU to unionise workers in private nursing homes.

The first was led by the SEIU’s national leadership, who sought to unionise the workers in a “top-down and top secret agreement” with the owners of the nursing home employers. Worker engagement was minimal and the union leadership conceded a number of clauses that limited the power of future members, such as a no strike clause. Starting pay in nursing homes covered by this agreement was $10.75 per hour – significantly below the living wage of $15 – while sick pay and health coverage were minimal or non-existent. The union’s alliance with employers provided virtually no material benefit for workers on the shop floor.

In contrast, SEIU Local 1199 New England applied the organising model which saw huge worker engagement in the campaign and the repeated use of strike to force concessions from the employers. As a result, the starting salary in these nursing homes is almost €15 per hour and workers have family health care coverage and up to 12 paid sick days per year.

Chapter 4 describes in detail the work that went into building for the massive Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) strike in 2012 and how the CTU transformed into an organising union after newly elected president Karen Lewis and the Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE) won control of the union. Before going on strike, the union embarked on an intensive organising campaign in order to build community support for the strike and conduct mass political education. The strike was provoked by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s plans to close “failing” schools and cut teachers’ pay.

The seven day strike ended when the teachers won a 17.6% pay increase over three years and prevented the introduction of performance related pay. By linking this dispute with wider political issues such as structural racism (the schools facing closure were primarily in black neighbourhoods) and the role of public education in society, the CTU secured immense community support. One other important outcome of this strike will be that the battle-hardened teachers of Chicago will be in a solid position to resist the attacks on public education and union rights that will inevitably come from Donald Trump’s administration.

Chapter 5 outlines how workers in Smithfield Foods, based in the traditionally anti-union deep south, won a €15 per hour wage, paid sick leave, paid holidays and

health coverage. Again, this was achieved by high levels of worker engagement and by taking strike action. In Chapter 6, McAlevey writes about the Make the Road New York (MRNY), a social movement that campaigns on issues affecting immigrants and organises workers.

Not discounting the positive work that MRNY has engaged in she points out that the organisation have not gone beyond the mobilising model.

No Shortcuts is one of the best books written in recent years on the future of trade union and should be considered required reading for anyone with an interest in ending the decline of our movement.

Liberals and most progressives don’t do a full powerstructure analysis because, consciously or not, they accept the kind of elite power theory of power that [C. Wright] Mills popularised. They assume elites will always rule. At best, the debate how to replace a naughty elite with a “better” elite, one the “can work with”, who wants workers to have enough money to shop the CEOs out of each crisis they create, who will give them a raise that they will spend on consuming goods they probably don’t need. The search for more friendly elites frames the imagination of liberals and progressives. An elite theory of power for well-intentioned liberals leads to the advocacy model; an elite theory of power for people further to the left than liberals -progressives – leads to the mobilising model, because progressives set more substantive goals that require a display of potential power, or at least a threat of it.

People to the left of both liberals and progressives have a different theory of power: different because it assumes that the very idea of who holds power is contestable, and that elites can be pushed from priestly-kingly-corporate rule.

There can be no final accommodation between capital and labour, as their interests are polar opposites. Higher wages, better working conditions, shorter hours all necessarily mean less money for the bosses. We make no apology for that.

People influenced by Marxism and radical class politics also understand that workers are the main agents to improving their own lives. No army of paid officials can replace the power of workers who down their tools.

Her emphasis on organic leaders is the most important contribution. She places huge emphasis on the need for organisers to identify the natural leader in a workplace or community. She points out that “they seldomselfidentify as leaders and rarely have any official titles, but they are identifiable by their natural influence with their peers…Developing their leadership skill set is more fruitful than training random volunteers, because these organic leaders start with a base of followers.

A book for all progressives who are serious about challenging the power of capital!

69

Book Review by Adrienne Power RUSHING WATERS

Author: Danielle Steel Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd ISBN: 9780593069158 shelter; we read on hoping they make it to safety.

Danielle Steel once again uses her usual flair. The bestselling living author in the world and bestselling fiction author of all time. With 800 million copies sold of her 102 novels, children’s books etc. Her books are nearly always wonderful fairy tale stories to get lost in full of wealthy successful people living glamorous lifestyles jet setting here and there to exotic locations, but caught up in some exciting dilemma that will change their lives as in this case, Hurricane Ophelia.

The story centres around six people caught up in a Hurricane about to hit New York City. Ellen Wharton and her mother, a London Investment Banker visiting his children and two students and an ER Doctor. Ellen and her mother decide not to move from the apartment but do not realise how bad the storm will get. A storm is a great recipe for turning the pages to see what happens.

As the weather worsens and homes get destroyed and people are trapped and trying desperately to get to

“If you see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future.” (Danielle Steel)

I would recommend this as a holiday read or if you feel like reading something light!

70

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