Report reveals barriers to trade union access

A new report has highlighted the barriers to trade union access that exist in Irish workplaces.

The study, "Union Access to Workers in Ireland", was conducted by the University of Limerick for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a German foundation promoting social justice and democracy.

The research included a survey of 179 union officials and found that respondents commonly encountered employers stonewalling the union, victimising union activists, and line managers briefing employees against unions.

Just under two thirds of union officials surveyed reported that employers restricted employees' opportunities to interact with unions even in public spaces such as car parks.

The report looked at the tactics experienced by union officials that are making union recognition increasingly difficult, especially in the private sector, where access is highly restricted, the study found.

The research reveals that female union officials face a higher level of hostility compared to their male counterparts.

The report also highlights the potential impact of the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, which encourages Member States to promote collective bargaining and ease union representatives’ access to workers.

The deadline for the transposition of the directive into national law is 15 November 2024.

"A strong transposition of the directive, in line with its spirit, could bring Ireland in line with international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights," said Dr Caroline Murphy, co-author of the report.

Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) said that the best way to make work pay is by promoting and supporting collective bargaining.

"The EU Directive commits the Government to doing just this," Mr Reidy said.

"It is unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of workers across the state are still denied access to unions and collective bargaining," he added.