GREEN ISLE FOODS DISPUTE RESOLVED : 15-day hunger-strike ends.
A "confidential agreement" was secured today in the dispute between Green Isle Foods and those in dispute with the company , thus bringing to an end a 3-man hunger-strike in protest about the manner in which the company had attempted to railroad its employees. The trade union involved issued the following statement today , Thursday 4th March 2010 -
"Joint statement on behalf of Green Isle Foods Limited and the TEEU.
Re: Industrial Relations Dispute :
Green Isle Foods Limited, a major employer in Co Kildare, and the TEEU (Technical Engineering and Electrical Union) are pleased to confirm that the mediation process to resolve the industrial dispute at the company's manufacturing site in Naas has been concluded, with both parties agreeing to be bound by the proposals put forward by the independent mediators.
The agreement will be implemented, and accordingly, all forms of industrial action and other activity will cease with immediate effect. Both parties will be bound by confidentiality under the terms of the mediation agreement.
Both parties acknowledge the efforts and assistance of all involved in reaching agreement, and in particular pay tribute to Mr Bernard Durkan TD and Mr Jack Wall TD who facilitated the independent mediation process."
(From here.)
'The Irish Times' newspaper has a more detailed article here in relation to this dispute. For our part , we would like to congratulate those workers who took a stand against the ever-prevalent and on-going bully-boy tactics that is present today in most firms , it being - as we are repeatedly told by both management and trade union sources - 'an employers market' (ie translates as "Aren't you lucky to have a job at all....?"). We hope the workers involved received a just and fair settlement , and we also hope that the overall trade union movement will , at least and at last , take heart from the fact that the workers involved were prepared to take on the bosses rather than just cave-in to them - the easy option , and the favoured option of the trade union representatives of workers like those men. And hopefully , too , other workers will once again begin to stand-up to their management and bosses and instruct their trade union reps to grow a backbone and lead from the front in the war that has been declared on ordinary workers and the unemployed. Hopefully.....?
Sharon.
