Higgins and Daly criticise unions' 'false' Lisbon claims

SOCIALIST MEP for Dublin Joe Higgins and his party colleague Cllr Clare Daly have criticised some trade unions for taking a stance in favour of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Higgins said the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and some trade union leaders were wrong to say that the treaty was in the best interests of working people and their families.

“It’s absolutely false for some trade union leaders . . . who now say that passing Lisbon would make a fundamental difference . . . that is absolutely false,” he said.

He said some trade unions agreed with him, naming Unite and the TEEU, the electricians’ and engineering union.

Ms Daly, who described herself as a Siptu activist, said she was “embarrassed” by the stance taken by the country’s largest trade union.

Siptu president Jack O’Connor said last week that on balance the union was in favour of the ratification of the treaty. He also said the union “harboured a number of reservations” about the treaty.

Ms Daly noted that in last year’s referendum Siptu withheld backing for the treaty in the hope that it could persuade the Government to legislate for an entitlement for collective bargaining.

“The last time round they had adopted a position of neutrality, they weren’t going to recommend acceptance of the treaty,” she said.

“Here we are again, not one single word has changed in this treaty, not one single action or activity of the Government has changed to bring the right to trade union recognition and so on near, and yet Siptu this time are recommending a Yes vote.

“As a Siptu activist I’m absolutely embarrassed by that situation. I think they’ve lost all credibility in putting that forward.”

Meanwhile, Mr Higgins said the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty would give the Charter of Fundamental Rights the same legal standing as European Union treaties.

“This is said to be a big step forward which will have a major effect on improving workers’ rights. This is absolutely false,” he said.

“In fact, to ratify Lisbon would copper-fasten the ‘right’ of business to exploit migrant workers and enforce wages and conditions a way inferior to accepted norms in particular member states of the European Union.”

Mr Higgins said the treaty would “institutionalise” the rulings of the European Court of Justice.

He claimed this would allow companies to sack workers and outsource work “to avail of much cheaper labour for maximisation of profit”.