Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Respect at work campaign call for cross party-political support for greater protections for employees in the workplace
A new campaign, Respect at Work, is calling on the Government to ensure that workers have a legal right to organise a trade union in their workplace and are protected from discrimination and dismissal while doing so.
The campaign is demanding legal protections that would "ensure that employee representatives and union Shop Stewards have the protections they need while representing the interests of their colleagues," campaign spokesperson Ethel Buckley said.
The campaign is timed to coincide with the required transposition of an EU Directive on minimum wages and collective bargaining, which the Irish Government must write into law by November of this year. The Directive requires countries where less than 80% of workers are covered by collective agreements to introduce new measures to promote collective bargaining between unions and employers. It is estimated that around 34% of workers in Ireland currently have their wages and conditions bargained collectively.
Respect at work campaign call for cross party-political support for greater protections for employees in the workplace
A new campaign, Respect at Work, is calling on the Government to ensure that workers have a legal right to organise a trade union in their workplace and are protected from discrimination and dismissal while doing so.
The campaign is demanding legal protections that would "ensure that employee representatives and union Shop Stewards have the protections they need while representing the interests of their colleagues," campaign spokesperson Ethel Buckley said.
The campaign is timed to coincide with the required transposition of an EU Directive on minimum wages and collective bargaining, which the Irish Government must write into law by November of this year. The Directive requires countries where less than 80% of workers are covered by collective agreements to introduce new measures to promote collective bargaining between unions and employers. It is estimated that around 34% of workers in Ireland currently have their wages and conditions bargained collectively.
