TEEU, NUJ recommend acceptance of national deal

The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) today became the latest unions to announce that they would be advising their members to vote for the new national wage agreement.

In a statement, the TEEU, which is the country's largest craft union, said it had advised its 45,000 members that the advances in employment rights, and the need to protect jobs and to maintain competitiveness are the main reasons for its recommendation.

“The outcome of our recent negotiations on a new national agreement with the Government and the employer bodies has been as much about resolving our concerns on employment rights issues as resolving the question of pay”, TEEU general secretary Owen Wills said.

“Ultimately, failure to address the non-pay issues can undermine trade union organisation and our ability to secure decent pay and terms of employment in the longer term.

The union said the issue of registered employment agreements in construction and electrical contracting are particularly important to the TEEU due to the large number of members working in these sectors.

Mr Wills said that negotiations were “extremely difficult, especially in the construction industry”.

“We secured a reduced pay freeze of three months and a 6 per cent pay rise, with 6.5 per cent for the low paid. These were the best possible terms available in the current economic crisis where maintaining competitiveness is also a key issue.

“Holding out for higher pay increases was not an option while our members were facing the prospect of higher unemployment levels,” Mr Wills added.

Separately, the NUJ said this tonight it also intends to recommend that its members vote to accept the new national agreement following a meeting of the union's executive council in Dublin earlier today.

A postal ballot will now commence on October 20th.

NUJ Irish secretary Séamus Dooley said the executive had decided to accept the agreement despite considerable disappointment at the pay terms on offer.

"The IEC decided to accept the agreement by an overwhelming majority following a lengthy debate. There was clear disappointment that Congress had not managed to secure better terms and genuine concern at the rate of inflation but there was also recognition that for many members it would not be possible to negotiate better terms outside of the social partnership process at this time," said Mr Dooley.

Yesterday, PDFORRA, the union representing Defence Forces personnel, said it would recommend acceptance of the new national wage agreement to its members.

Earlier this week, the national executive of Mandate, which represents bar and retail staff, also recommended that its members should accept the proposed new national pay deal in a forthcoming ballot.

The union is to hold a special conference on the pay deal on October 21st.

Meanwhile, the national executive of Impact, the biggest public service union in Ireland, which is also recommending acceptance of the agreement, is to ballot its members early next week.