Unite dispute with Jones Engineering goes to mediation
Unite
and builder
Jones Engineering
sparked by legal action against three of the union's members will go to mediation after the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
's (OECD) intervention.
HA O'Neill, part of the Jones group, recently dropped High Court action against Unite and three shop stewards following a one-day strike in March 2023 over travel allowances.
Both sides accepted an offer of mediation on Tuesday from the OECD, which got involved after Unite and the Builders and Woodworkers International (BWI) filed a complaint with it against Jones and its US owner Cathexis.
The OECD's national contact point for the Republic, part of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, ruled that the issues raised required further consideration.
READ MORE
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham dubbed the decision a 'vindication' of its members in Jones, adding that it sent a clear signal to other employers.
The union and BWI claimed the company breached the OECD's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Ethical Business Conduct by taking action against the shop stewards.
Jones said on Tuesday that it rejected the union's allegations and added that the OECD had not found that the company had 'acted inconsistently with the guidelines'.
'Facilitated mediation does not imply wrongdoing, but rather that all parties wish a resolution to the matter,' Jones Engineering added.
Failure to comply with OECD guidelines can affect companies bidding for state or publicly funded contracts in member countries.
Along with dropping the court action, which the company has done, Unite wants Jones to compensate its three shop stewards and to enter a facilities agreement with the union, meant to allow greater co-operation between the pair.
Unite also seeks the restoration of the travel allowance, which originally prompted the dispute.
The union and the Mechanical Engineering and Building Services Contractors' Association, of which Jones is a member, have taken this issue to the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court in a bid to resolve it across the industry.
Unite members held a one-day strike on March 10th, 2023, at Jones Engineering's sites in Pfizer in Grange Castle, Dublin, and Intel in Leixlip, Co Kildare.
They were demanding the restoration of a travel allowance to building workers of one hour's pay, which the industry had dropped with unions' agreement following the financial crash in 2008.
HA O'Neill sought a High Court injunction restraining Unite and the shop stewards from engaging in further industrial action pending a final hearing of the dispute.
The company maintained that the industrial action was unlawful and that there was no valid dispute between it and Unite.
The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that the High Court was wrong to grant the injunction as Unite had followed procedures laid down in the Industrial Relations Act, 1990.
However, HA O'Neill subsequently took a separate High Court action against the union and its officials, which it halted in June this year.
In their complaint to the OECD, Unite and BWI claimed that the court proceedings were meant to financially punish the three shop stewards.
However, the company has always rejected that it acted improperly.
Jones said it continued to recognise all unions and to operate within frameworks that have guided industrial relations in its industry for decades.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
38 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Rose of Tralee 2025 winner ‘delighted' to represent women in trades
The newly-crowned Rose of Tralee discovered a love of working with electrics while on Transition Year work experience. Katelyn Cummins (20), an electrical apprentice , said she is 'absolutely delighted' to represent women in the trade world. 'I think I am inspiring a lot of girls and I hope to continue to do so,' said the Laois Rose, who is in the third phase of her apprenticeship with Alpha Drives Ltd, which designs and manufactures gearboxes and other electrics. Some commentators on social media said it was good to have a Rose of Tralee who not only worked in a traditionally male-dominated field but was also a successful young women who wears a hearing aid. READ MORE Speaking about this, she said: 'I suppose having a hearing disability has its challenges but I wanted to make this experience about me, not my disability.' Her parents, Noel and Siobhan Cummins, are dairy farmers in Ballyouskill on the Laois-Kilkenny border. The Laois Rose took home the honour on Tuesday night at the Tralee Dome, Co Kerry. The title was conferred to Ms Cummins by the reigning Rose Keely O'Grady from New Zealand. Surrounded by journalists and flowers in Tralee Town Park, the electrical apprentice looked remarkably bright considering she was running on 20 minutes of sleep. 'Most of the [the roses] were only going to sleep when I was getting up,' she said, laughing. [ Rose of Tralee 2025: What does the winner get and what must she do during her year's reign? Opens in new window ] 'It's amazing to feel so supported by a female and girl power energy.' Photograph: Domnick Walsh/ Eye Focus LTD The Ballyouskill native said she has two years left in her apprenticeship, after which she hopes to spend a couple of years travelling, before returning to Ireland to complete an engineering degree. Some of her travel plans will be realised sooner than she originally thought, with a €25,000 travel bursary included as part of her Rose of Tralee winnings. Ms Cummins said she was looking forward to 'making new experiences and the memories of a lifetime'. She wants to travel the world, see different cultures and meet new people. She has not declared any destination yet, saying she will go 'wherever the Rose of Tralee international festival takes me'. Her status as the first ever Laois winner of the competition was news to Ms Cummins, who said: 'It's incredible. It's all the more amazing to have the title.' [ Rose of Tralee 2025 review: Another batch of warm, likeable overachievers makes for slightly plodding TV Opens in new window ] Ms Cummins added that working in a predominantly male environment meant the Rose of Tralee gave her 'a great opportunity' to embrace her 'feminine side'. 'It has been so refreshing' she said. 'I have got so much more confidence and empowerment from the other girls. It's amazing to feel so supported by a female and girl power energy. It's just been very good.' 'I think I was my true self, most definitely, on that tour. I am so excited to have 31 new girlfriends now,' she said. She paid particular homage to Wexford Rose Clíona O'Leary, who also comes from a farming background, saying they got on 'like a house on fire'. The highlight of Ms Cummins's festival was 'jiving with the Wexford Rose Clíona'. Another highlight came in the form of the Saturday night Moonlight Parade, when she welled up at the sight of 'so many people I never knew were coming down to Tralee'. If she could send a message to her younger self, it would be: 'Be confident in yourself, believe in yourself and know that you are going to be amazing in the future.'
Irish Times
38 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Welsh Rugby Union defends plans to halve number of professional men's teams
The Welsh Rugby Union has recognised the 'hurt and anger' caused by their proposal to reduce the number of professional men's sides in Wales from four to two, but insisted maintaining the status quo is not the 'right thing' to do. Welsh rugby's governing body has produced a radical plan to turn around the game at both club and international level, outlining its ambitions in a 90-page consultation document entitled 'The Future of Elite Rugby in Wales'. There will be a six-week consultation period before the WRU makes a final decision on the plans, and WRU chief executive Abi Tierney has urged people to 'improve on the proposals' and provide 'something fit for purpose for Welsh rugby'. The WRU's proposal to halve its number of four men's professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – to two will be the biggest talking point in a document which outlined four potential models for the game in Wales. READ MORE It remains unclear whether the two future sides being proposed will be new entities or existing teams, but the two organisations will each have a men's and women's team. Tierney said: 'This is a momentous day for Welsh rugby. No decisions have been made, but we feel based on the analysis this is the strongest (option) yet. 'I know how emotional rugby is in Wales and people will be hurting today, when they think what it could mean potentially for them and their team. 'I recognise the hurt and anger people are going to be feeling. Change is hard and this is hard for fans. 'But fans' numbers drop has also not been a great experience for anybody, and we want to create an experience they can be proud of. 'What we were doing and keeping doing for fans was not the right thing. I would encourage everybody to imagine how exciting it could be and take that step into the future.' The WRU proposal comes amid Ospreys plans to move into a redeveloped stadium at St Helen's in Swansea for the 2026-27 season and the Scarlets having recently unveiled new investors. Dragons said this week elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent, while Cardiff are currently owned by the WRU having gone into administration in April. It is possible the WRU will face legal action from regions that could essentially be put out of business, with WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood saying 'two or three areas of potential legal challenge' exist. The WRU has also proposed the creation of a national campus at a site yet to be decided, which would be the home of the men's and women's professional teams, as well as Wales' national sides and the union's academy. Players were briefed on the WRU's plan on Tuesday and Dave Reddin, the new director of rugby and elite performance, is confident suggestions of possible player strike action will not materialise. Reddin said: 'The national campus would be a radical departure and doing something different, a defensive moat for Welsh rugby and creating a competitive advantage. 'We've got to look outside the box if we want to try and do things differently. 'Be brave enough to to lead sometimes and do things that no one else is doing. Do things that people think are a bit nutty, too different or too uncomfortable.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Tech sell-off dampens mood on Wall Street
Global markets were higher on Wednesday before a tech sell-off on Wall Street extended into a second day and dampened the mood. Dublin Euronext Dublin finished 1.6 per cent lower, dragged down by insulation specialist Kingspan, which sank 4.4 per cent off the back of a badly received profit warning from Danish peer Rockwool. Kingspan is one of the biggest companies on the index, and the situation was not helped by a 2.4 per cent dip apiece for fellow heavyweights Ryanair and AIB. Food giant Kerry Group was the standout performer on the day as it rose 1.7 per cent. READ MORE Kenmare Resources finished down 2.7 per cent after saying it will pay an interim dividend to shareholders despite plunging to an $88.6 million (€76.17 million) loss before tax in the first six months of 2025 after taking a $100 million impairment charge on mining assets in Mozambique. London The FTSE 100 hit a new all-time high as it climbed 1.1 per cent, shrugging off inflation data and fresh falls among technology stocks on Wall Street. The FTSE 250 ended up 0.2 per cent, but the AIM All-Share finished 0.5 per cent lower. Rate sensitive housebuilders bucked the upbeat mood on the FTSE 100, with Persimmon falling 0.3 per cent. Elsewhere, ConvaTec gained 5.6 per cent as the medical products supplier started a share buyback worth up to $300 million. Ithaca Energy jumped 10.4 per cent to the highest in nearly three years after the oil and gas company lifted its 2025 production forecast. Meanwhile, United Utilities firmed 3.5 per cent as Barclays upgraded to 'overweight' and set a 1,535 pence share price target. Europe European stocks rose for a third straight session, aided by gains in defensive sectors. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.2 per cent by the close. Defensive stocks that are less sensitive to economic cycles, including food and beverage and personal care, outperformed. Construction, as well as travel and leisure stocks, were the biggest laggards. The Cac 40 in Paris ended slightly lower, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt closed down 0.6 per cent. Among individual stocks, Alcon slumped 9.4 per cent after the medical device manufacturer cut its net sales forecast. Elsewhere, United Utilities Group rose 3.5 per cent after the stock was upgraded to overweight by Barclays analysts. New York Shares on Wall Street dropped for a second successive day as weakness in the tech sector persisted while a key meeting of central bankers later this week remained in focus for currency and rates traders. The S&P 500 declined 0.8 per cent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped nearly 1.5 per cent in early trade, as the pressure persisted after a steep fall on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.2 per cent. Analysts pointed to a confluence of factors behind weakness in tech stocks, including concerns over steep valuations, investors exiting profitable positions and a general mood of risk aversion. 'I think we were priced for perfection in the US and there was quite a lot of complacency in markets, so some summer volatility should have been expected,' said Ben Laidler, head of equity strategy at Bradesco BBI. Wariness over US president Donald Trump's growing influence over the sector has also been in focus for investors. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick is looking into the government taking equity stakes in Intel as well as other chip companies, two sources told Reuters. The potential moves follow other unusual revenue-sharing deals Washington has recently struck with US companies, including AI chip giant Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. While the individual developments may be brushed aside by markets, they fall into the broader bucket of concerns over the institutional framework in the United States, Mr Laidler said. – Additional reporting: Agencies
