Latest news with #Carrigtwohill
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Siptu renews push for recognition at several large plants in pharma and medical device sectors
Siptu says it will step up efforts to win recognition at a number of plants operated by well-known multinationals in the pharma and medical device sectors with senior officials suggesting there has been increased interest in representation since US President Donald Trump's various moves on tariffs which have generated increased uncertainty among employees. Members of the union at the AbbVie plant in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork have been engaged in a work to rule for the past week in pursuit of collective bargaining rights and Siptu manufacturing divisional organiser, Neil McGowan, said the union was also renewing efforts to gain recognition at plants operated by DePuy Synthes, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Eli Lilly, Boston Scientific, Steris AST and Servier. In a majority of instances, the union has already been through the process set out under Section 20 of the Industrial Relations Act 1969 in an effort to gain negotiating rights but has not succeeded in reaching agreement with management. In six of the seven cases, including AbbVie, the Labour Court recommended the employers engage with the unions on pay and other issues but such recommendations are not enforceable. READ MORE 'We didn't achieve the outcomes we'd been seeking previously but in the context of the Adequate Minimum Wage Directive, we'd be a bit more optimistic now. Hopefully the mood music has changed a bit around collective bargaining.' He said the situation was particularly frustrating in cases like AbbVie because the union is recognised in other plants operated by the company, including the former Allergan facility in Westport. Similarly, Stryker and Johnson & Johnson engage with the union, which most commonly represents general operatives, at some of their facilities but not others. In most cases, the different policies are the result of plants changing hands and firms continuing with practices already in place. 'We do bargain with AbbVie because they bought Allergan in Co Mayo and we have a reasonable relationship with them so you'd hope that would impact on the dynamic as well,' said Mr McGowan. He says the mood of the union's members had hardened somewhat in recent months over pay increases and 'there's a real determination among the membership there to get on the pitch and start collectively bargaining'. He said the current action at the plant would continue for another week or so after which consideration would be given to how to proceed. Siptu-organised groups at all the plants have, meanwhile, made submissions to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment consultation on the action plan the Government is required to draw up under the terms of the Adequate Minimum Wage directive before the end of the year. About 80 submissions are understood to have been received in all. AbbVie was approached for comment.
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Underused Irish regional airports would make ideal pilot training schools
Underused Irish regional airports would make ideal pilot training schools for global airlines, industry chiefs argue in a new report published on Thursday. Chief executives Michael O'Leary of Ryanair and Lynne Embleton of Aer Lingus among other key air travel figures say Ireland needs an all-island aviation strategy that combines the North's and Republic's industry strengths. Barry O'Halloran has the details Employers should be given tax relief to incentivise them to provide accommodation for staff as part of a wider suite of tax measures to boost housing activity, KPMG has said. In a pre-budget submission, the Big Four accounting firm has also called on the Government to ensure the Republic's offering to multinationals is best in class to counteract the potential impact of protectionist US trade policies. Ian Curran reports. READ MORE Cork town Carrigtwohill is to become the country's first fully fibre-enabled town, with ESB and Vodafone's joint venture Siro set to finish building its network in the town. Siro chief executive John Keaney said every town in Ireland needed access to the same connectivity, and called on the Government to prioritise switching off the older copper network throughout the country. Ciara O'Brien reports. In the last six months, 77 per cent of small businesses have seen costs increase , with staff costs most frequently noted as a cause, a survey has found. Small practices said they found coping with staff costs more challenging than their larger counterparts, with half of respondents noting it as the single biggest financial issue against an average of 37 per cent, according to the small and medium enterprise (SME) business sentiment survey, reports Hugh Dooley. Columnist Emmet Ryan says that companies that force staff back into the office are shooting themselves in the foot. 'Remote work, because it's not just from home, enables so much. It's easier to eat healthier, it's cheaper too. There's no commute to mentally beat up staff and they have more time to rest and exercise as a result. In short, you've got healthier and more motivated staff when they can control their location,' he says. 'We're at a critically low level of housing stock' for buyers and renters Listen | 33:06 Do you use chatbots and generative AI tools ? If so, your data may be used to tweak, refine and otherwise train the technology. And even if you don't, you might find your data becoming a training ground for a technology that people consider as world-changing as the internet has been. Ciara O'Brien outlines the protections available to consumers who don't want their data used in that way. Hamed Panahiazar and his brother, Dr Sadegh Panahiazar, are the founders of SlateRete , which is taking unwanted slate waste and repurposing it to produce a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to concrete. Hamed is a civil engineer with a decade's experience of major engineering projects behind him. Sadegh is an architect with international experience and a particular interest in sustainability. They set up SlateRete late last year and are based at UCD's Nova innovation campus, writes Olive Keogh. This is the MyFirst Fone S3 , writes Ciara O'Brien in her tech review. It is durable, it is child friendly and it serves an important purpose: to stave off the inevitable smartphone for your kids. It looks like many child-friendly smartwatches on the market: a colourful plastic case and silicone strap, with a decent-sized display for your child to read messages and otherwise interact with the watch. A fleet of underwater drones, gleaming and ready for action, is lined up along the wall. Nearby, a small armoury of brightly coloured, 3D-printed guns is displayed on a side table. A robot dog, named Inno, lies prone on the floor, waiting to be activated. In the leafy Singapore suburb of Tanglin, over the road from the British high commission and the US embassy, and a block away from the botanic gardens, Interpol's innovation centre is where law enforcement officers from around the world come to analyse the latest strategies of organised criminals and develop techniques for bringing them down. Owen Walker reports. Ryanair workers have staged a number of strikes across Europe over low pay and working conditions in recent years, but cabin staff in Spain have a new grievance with the company after being informed that they have been overpaid and must therefore return a sum of money to their employer, notes Cantillon. If somebody asked you where Dublin ranked among the 1,000 largest cities in world, would you rank it thirteenth? Well, the team behind the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index did just that. A 'sustainable city' they called it, with top ratings for everything except a little, inconsequential thing called 'quality of life'. Cantillon is the teeniest bit surprised . Irish-founded insurance benefits platform Kota , formerly known as Yonder, has raised $14.5 million in funding to bring globally accessible and frictionless employment benefits for employees That brings the total funding raised by the company to $22.9 million over three rounds, writes Ciara O'Brien If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Cork town to be first fully connected to fast broadband
Cork town Carrigtwohill is to become the country's first fully fibre-enabled town, with ESB and Vodafone 's joint venture Siro set to finish building its network in the town. Siro chief executive John Keaney said every town in Ireland needed access to the same connectivity, and called on the Government to prioritise switching off the older copper network throughout the country. Broadband internet over fibre-optic cables is considered the fastest way for most homes and businesses to access the internet at present. Siro is set to finish its work in Carrigtwohill by the end of the summer, with all homes and businesses in the town getting access to fibre-to-the-home broadband. Located 12km outside Cork city, the town has seen its population treble to more than 5,500 in the past two decades, and could reach 10,000 by 2030 as housing developments that are in the planning stages or already under way are completed. READ MORE Siro's network will reach more than 2,300 premises in the town, while a further 1,000 new homes will also be served by the company's infrastructure. 'That should be the first of many; that's the future that's in front of us that we start dreaming about 10 years ago,' said Mr Keaney. Unlike other countries in Europe, Ireland has yet to make a significant move on the copper switch-off. 'It's about encouraging adoption, setting a target date for copper switch-off, moving everybody to the futureproof connectivity that is available. It's much more reliable,' he said, noting there was a need to focus on getting businesses on to the newer technology that could improve productivity and support the digital economy. 'I think supporting businesses to move off copper is really important. I'd set a target for 2030. The Government should be ambitious; that's the next target to put out there.' [ Vodafone Ireland service revenue rises as company increases broadband base Opens in new window ] Getting customers to move to the new technology would require a joint effort from industry and the Government, he said. 'There's some fear of change. There are cohorts that have some connected devices and worry about what does that mean for those devices,' Mr Keaney said. 'Some of these worries are real, some of them are just misunderstandings. There's a role for industry and role for Government in helping that education.' The joint venture between ESB and Vodafone Ireland is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and is now available to more than 650,000 premises across 143 towns and cities in Ireland. By 2026, that figure is expected to be 700,000. 'For a decade, Siro has played a significant role in accelerating Ireland's digital transformation, a role that aligns with the Government's ambition for a connected, inclusive Ireland,' said the Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan . 'Siro has supported real progress for communities and businesses across our country. Their 10-year anniversary reflects a sustained commitment to delivery and innovation and promotes lasting change for communities across the country.'
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Winning momentum maintained as final-bound Cork power past Tipp
Munster MHC: Cork 2-17 Tipperary 1-12 Cork were already assured of a place in the final, and they maintained that winning momentum in round 5 of the Electric Ireland Munster MHC at Páirc Uí Rinn on Friday night, claiming an eight-point success over Tipperary. That's victory now in all four round-robin games for Fergal McCormack's charges and it will be Waterford they meet in the decider on Friday, May 16 at a neutral venue, yet to be confirmed. Goals in either half from Sam Ring and Seán Coughlan, as well as 10 points from Craig O'Sullivan were central to the victory. Tipperary, the defending provincial and All-Ireland champions, travelled south having lost all three of their games (albeit by small margins). They did manage to reduce the deficit to four points early in the second half but overall they missed too many scoring opportunities. Eight minutes from time, James Woodlock's side were reduced to 14 men when Conor Collins received a second yellow for a foul on Cormac Deane. The winners set out their stall scoring four points inside the first six minutes, the Tipperary reply was a Chris Dunne point from play. O'Sullivan was beginning to cause problems and with just over a quarter of an hour gone the wing-forward had six points to his name - four from play. A goal chance fell Cork's way when the excellent Colm Garde fed Eoghan O'Shea but Tipp goalkeeper Patrick McCormack resisted the challenge. It didn't take long though for a green flag to come, and again Garde was involved. It was his lengthy sideline cut that found Sam Ring in the 20th minute and the Carrigtwohill forward batted to the net. Tipperary trailed 1-9 to 0-5 and needed a boost. Danny Barry broke through but 'keeper Tom C Walsh pulled off a diving save into the sun to deny him, Dunne converted the '65. Euan Murray rowed in with three points but so too did O'Shea, for the hosts to hold a decent lead at the break, 1-12 to 0-8. The advantage was quickly eaten into when Tommy O'Meara found the net from a goalmouth scramble. Tipp subs Philip O'Dwyer and Harry Lawlor found the range and at the three-quarter stage the gap was down to four, 1-14 to 1-10. Cork rallied once more and it was Deane's delivery in the 51st minute that led to Coughlan's goal. They comfortably saw it out thereafter. Scorers for Cork: C O'Sullivan (0-10, 0-4 frees), S Ring and S Coughlan (1-1 each), E O'Shea (0-3), R Donovan and C Deane (0-1 each). Scorers for Tipperary: T O'Meara (1-0), C Dunne (0-1 free, 0-1 65) and E Murray (0-3 each), H Lawlor (0-2), S Mackey, C Morrisson, J Cahill and P O'Dwyer (0-1 each). CORK: T C Walsh (Aghada); D Heavin (Russell Rovers), T O'Flynn (Sarsfields), C Lawton (Midleton); M T Brosnan (Glen Rovers), B Carroll (Dromina, Capt), C Garde (Lisgoold); T A Walsh (Carrigtwohill), J Counihan (Watergrasshill); C O'Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), C Deane (Killeagh), R Donovan (Fermoy); S Coughlan (Passage), E O'Shea (Ballinhassig), S Ring (Carrigtwohill). Subs: M Quinn (Blackrock) for D Heavin (27 inj), C Coffey (Na Piarsaigh) for T A Walsh (45), R Dineen (Erin's Own) for J Counihan (53), C Hanratty (Carrigaline) for C Deane (56 inj), S Carroll (Midleton) for R Donovan (56). TIPPERARY: P McCormack (Moneygall); C Collins (Galtee Rovers St Pecaun's), K Fitzpatrick (Newport), F Perry (Moyle Rovers); D Barry (Fethard), S Mackey (Knockavilla Kickhams), D Hennessy (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone); S Cooney (Clerihan), C Kennedy (Clonoulty Rossmore); C Morrisson (Moyle Rovers), E Murray (Durlas Óg, Capt), T O'Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Z O'Keeffe (Holycross/Ballycahill), C Dunne (Gortnahoe/Glengoole), K Rossiter (Durlas Óg). Subs: P O'Dwyer (Upperchurch Drombane) for S Cooney (18), H Lawlor (St Mary's Clonmel) for D Barry (42), P Hackett (Toomevara) for D Hennessy (43-45 temp ), J Cahill (Ballingarry) for Z O'Keeffe (47), P Hackett for T O'Meara (55), J McGonigle for D Hennessy (56). Referee: Eoghan O'Leary (Clare).
