Workers in Northern Ireland have shown the strength of collective action in recent months, the momentum doesn’t stop here.
That was the message from the Northern Ireland office of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) which today (14.02.24) announced the first Trade Union Week on the island of Ireland, which will take place between 29th April and 6th May 2024. The announcement coincides with the UK’s #HeartUnions week which is marked this week.
ICTU said Trade Union Week, which will see a programme of coordinated events in workplaces and local communities across Ireland, will be
the largest mobilisation of trade union members on the island in decades,
with an open invitation extended to all workers to take part.
The week will mark the culmination of ICTU’s Better in a Trade Union campaign, which was launched this month to promote the values and benefits of trade union membership and the power of collective action, something which was demonstrated by the recent strikes by public sector workers across Northern Ireland over pay and conditions.
Speaking at the announcement, Justin McCamphill, current president of ICTU, said
The Better in a Trade Union campaign represents all 31 affiliated trade unions in Northern Ireland and by extension, just over 200,000 members. We have seen a great show of strength and solidarity over the recent months of strike action and this campaign, and Trade Union Week at the culmination of it, is a real celebration of the mass mobilisation we’ve seen by members across towns and cities here.
We welcome the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and look forward to the positive discussions at department level that will secure the long overdue improvements to pay and conditions for workers. We can celebrate the huge impact that our members’ strike action had in bringing this to pass, but we won’t be resting on any laurels. The Assembly have the powers to pass laws which will protect and improve workers’ rights and trade unions will continue to work to
advance the economic and social interests of working people across the island of Ireland.
There can be no doubt in what collective action by members can achieve, we’re inviting all workers across Northern Ireland to get involved. By joining a trade union, you’ll be joining the largest civil society organisation on the island of Ireland.
Almost half of young workers would join a trade union
In a recent poll, 44% of 18-34-year-olds in employment stated they would be interested in joining a union. Their leading reasons for doing so were that trade unions:
• Provide employment protection in the workplace, and
• Negotiate better pay and conditions.
McCamphill said
We know that everyone is better in a trade union, and there’s a cohort of younger workers, in particular, who recognise the need to have someone in their corner, fighting for employment protections, better pay and working conditions.
For young people, trade unions provide hope in helping them navigate the mounting socio-economic challenges for their generation – such as the cost-of-living, housing and climate crises. They also recognise the power of collective bargaining, and how it leads to better rates of pay.
In our recent poll, we asked people why they hadn’t yet joined a trade union, and the most common response was ‘nobody ever asked me to’. The Better in a Trade Union campaign, culminating in Trade Union Week, is our ask to everyone – come to a Trade Union Week event, speak to a union rep in your workplace, find out more on unions.ie. You will find a union that will fight for your rights to better pay, working conditions and job security.
Marina Hampton is an actor with Equity Union. She said
You need a union. Not for the things you can think of, but for the things you haven’t thought of yet. That’s why you need to be in a union. When you’re in a trade union, if your trade union has 80,000 members, when you call, it’s with the sound of 80,000 voices. That’s what gets heard in the room.
Ronan Sharkey, president of NASUWT NI said
Being part of a union is hugely beneficial for workers who want to ensure that they are being paid fairly and treated fairly in their workplace. Being active in my trade union and the wider trade union movement has meant that I feel part of a larger community. This has had a really positive impact on my career and means my voice is being heard.
