Bin strike deferred
The threatened Bord na Mona bin strike which was to begin on Wednesday, affecting up to 10,000 Meath customers has been deferred.
SIPTU members employed by Bord na Móna Recycling have deferred strike action following acceptance by management that their conditions of employment must be protected in any proposed sale of the company.
Workers had been preparing for a two-day strike action which would have stopped the company’s domestic waste collection services on Wednesday and Thursday.
SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “Following acceptance in principle by management of the concerns our members raised in relation to the protection of their terms and conditions of employment if a proposed sale of the company takes place, they have decided to defer strike action .
“The decision was made following a meeting of shop stewards and has now been relayed to management."
The deferral period allows for talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) which began today (Monday).
"The WRC talks will occur within a set timeframe with all issues to be discussed," said Mr Kane.
“We believe the most appropriate way to ensure our members terms and conditions of employment are protected is through the establishment of a Registered Employment Agreement.
“It remains the position of our members that selling the last remaining publicly owned domestic waste collection service into the private sector is a backwards step in relation to the future of the industry in Ireland. We continue to seek a meeting with the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien, to discuss the wider context of this dispute and the best way forward for the domestic waste collection sector.”
He added: “Our members would like to thank Bord na Móna Recycling customers, the wider public and many elected representatives for their support in recent weeks. The move by management to accept that the initial guarantees it offered in relation to our members terms and conditions of employment were unsatisfactory is welcomed. It is hoped that this will now provide a firm basis for further discussions at the WRC.”