Congress votes to ratify Towards 2016
5 Sep 2006
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions today (Sept 5) voted to ratify the proposed new partnership agreement, Towards 2016.
At a specially-convened conference in Dublin, delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of the new deal, with 242 votes cast in favour and 84 against, almost a three to one majority.
The new deal - a successor to Sustaining Progress - provides for a 10 percent pay rise over 27 months and a raft of measures designed to protect employment standards and prevent exploitation.
These include the establishment of a new body, the Office of the Director of Employment Rights' Compliance (ODERC), a tripling of the Labour Inspectorate, tougher penalties for non-compliant employers and measures to prevent displacement of workers by cheaper labour.
Speaking after the vote, Congress General Secretary David Begg said he welcomed both the outcome of the vote and the debate that preceded it. "While it is impossible to predict the future, we are confident that the wage settlement will deliver over and above inflation.
"In terms of labour standards, I believe the measures contained in this deal constitute perhaps the single most important piece of social legislation ever seen in this country. Across the globe, good working conditions and standards are under threat or have been eroded. Here in Ireland we have reversed that trend. "In that context, it is doubly important that the government now moves quickly to give effect to these measures.
"We also look forward to a constructive engagement with employers and unions on the crucial issue of pensions, as outlined in Towards 2016. We have the means to resolve the pensions crisis - it is simply a matter of political will."
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