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PROTESTERS “BLOCKED” GREYHOUND trucks in Cabra and Tallaght today.
The company said that four to five protesters were involved at each location, and that they dispersed after gardaí arrived.
Collections were held up “for a while” but will be completed, said the spokesperson.
A photograph sent to TheJournal.ie showed three protesters by a truck in Cabra, holding signs.
Last week, South Dublin County Councillor Gino Kenny was the subject of a High Court injunction which ordered him to stop blockading lorries at the Greyhound Recycling plant in Clondalkin.
Kenny said that he would not be observing the injunction.
The court order had been requested by the waste management company as part of a series of injunctions against SIPTU and other individuals.
The rest of the injunctions will be heard this Thursday.
They are in relation to preventing people from obstructing trucks and “threatening contract and agency crews”, said the Greyhound spokesperson.
Greyhound said it is calling on the striking workers to use the arbitration services of the state.
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Keep fighting this fight. We need more of this standing up against exploitation in this country.
What exploitation?
Some of the best paid workforce in the country. One of the Jim Larkin brigade was comparing it to 1913 yesterday. The lefties love being victims, the downtrdden and oppressed. Get a great sense of joy from that.
In the world, not country. Thumbs down from the Commies dressed in slave made clothes!
Stop labelling everyone. This is not a left versus right issue. It affects us all if we let businesses underpay and undervalue their workers’ contributions
That poor man carrying the SIPTU placard looks as if he has not eaten for at least 10 minutes. Are all SIPTU people that undernourished? They clearly need more cash in order to supplement their meagre income.
Nice Adidas shorts too. Class act altogether.
Best wage in the industry would equal the biggest belly
Good job lads. Show us how well mannered and considerate you are of the public’s right to dispose of their waste
So Its wrong to fight for a liveable wage . Wage cuts like these are not acceptable
Brendan are Greyhound offering less than the legal minimum wage?
Workers enjoy free movement of labour and so can move anytime to the higher paid jobs unions claim are out there
Can somebody give us a proper breakdown of their earnings and is it in line with other refuse collection companies ? Obviously they must have been on huge money because in most jobs if you were asked to take such a massive cut u would jump ship as It would be impossible to survive financially.As for these these so called scab workers they are so much more reliable they collect your bins on the days they are supposed to and on time unlike the last bunch who quite often over the last 2 years would not turn up until the following day or not at all, and when u ring the office and get through at the millionth attempt they tell u one of the trucks broke down totally incompetent bunch a lot of ppl were changing over to citi bin because of this incompetent and laziness,maybe the management saw this and were losing a lot of money because of it .
Executioner. My husband is one of those workers you are bad mouthing. Get your facts before you start ranting. These talks with management have been ongoing for well over a year with conditions of work and routes being constantly changed by management. My husband is a general operative whose take home pay is €360 a week. You tell me it’s fair to ask him to take a 35% paycut on that amount and also to sign up to finish new mapped route with no overtime offered. When it is impossible to finish the routes in their normal working hours already. Would you work under them conditions ??? To work until every bin is collected which could mean working from 7 in the morning to after 9 at night for a take home pay of less then €250 a week. I’m sure you would stay quiet and not fight back. Because we all drive BMW cars and go on holidays every year on the big wage the workers of greyhound earn. I am sick and tired of the comments on this when you haven’t even had the decency to see how it effects the workers and their family’s who are fighting for their rights as workers. It always ends up as a political rant or a rant against the union. I would hate for anyone else to be in the position my family are in at the moment with two children to get back to school and trying to feed them pay bills and pay a mortgage.
Well said Karen. I posted some comments in support of the Greyhound workers earlier but they appear to have been removed unless there is a technical problem. As you have explained, the objective of Greyhound is to employ as few people as possible under the worst conditions allowable, work them as hard as they can and pay them as little as possible in order to maximize profit. In parallel, the Buckley brothers who own Greyhound have gone to great lengths to avoid making any contribution to the society which sustains them having transferred their shares to limited liability companies in the Isle of Man. This is the same firm who were forced to make a €1.3 million settlement with Iarnroid Eireann for overcharging on a previous contract.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/shane-ross/shane-ross-stench-as-rubbish-firm-wins-26820749.html
Fair play to the people of Cabra, Tallaght and the other areas protesting for showing solidarity with the workers defending themselves against the exploitation of this notoriously ruthless company.
Again Coddler population of Tallaght 90,000 people total protest number 10 and no conformation where thy are from.
No democratic mandate just like AAA, who think having less than 5% of the vote is a majority
It’s called solidarity Wayne but I would not expect you to recognize that as an FF voter.
Did FF have a mandate to transfer €100+ billion of debt from speculative financial capitalism on to the backs of the Irish citizens as they did in 2008 and subsequent years?
I am not a FF voter, I am a floating non aligned party voter which has been explained clearly to you!
My Last election choices (FF) candidate probably the best local rep on the island and not particularly liked by FF HQ. 2 a socialist candidate with an excellent plan to tackle our local areas biggest issue, (the FF promised to also support this idea) 3. An independent of middle of the road policies with a good proposal for local youth development.
I think maybe 2 GE I have voted for a single FF candidate, but over the years have voted for 2 SF candidates, a number of independents, a labour candidate or two, a PD, and a Couple of Greens.
Solidarity 0.005% of the population of Tallaght showing solidarity! Must be loads of support for them!
Fair enough so Wayne. If your local FF man is ‘not particularly liked by FF HQ’ then that’s an excellent reason for you to ignore FF’s economic destruction of the nation and focus instead on local issues. Your time is much better spent sniping at ordinary workers trying to maintain some decent standard of living in the face of the neo liberal onslaught which is driving down the wages, working conditions and quality of life of the vast majority of the population.
What are you saying well said karen for Coddler?
The woman wants her husbands situation sorted and not turned into another political debate. Yet as you clearly say non stop, all you care about is what political party people on here support.
AAA and you are complete idiots. Just shouting the popular vote. GO back to your cell
In a local election I would normally base my issues on the local issues the Councillors have the power to change and influence. This particular councillors work is broadly accepted to be of the highest order for the local area he represents and has refused twice to run for the Daíl saying he only wants to be a local politician.
I don’t particularly agree with the bank bailout but if FF put forward the best manifesto and candidates for the country at an election I would consider them. Beats Paul Murphy campaigning for an MEP seat based on water charges and thugs he has no power to effect
KAren – Can you show me the company details which you sue to sell your cakes? Is that included in your weekly wage figures? If not your claiming while making a profit undeclared on the sidelines.
Darren I don’t sell cakes. I make them for friends and family as gifts. What is with the personal attack !! Th
Excluding your 15 and 8 euro Christmas cake deal.
IF we cant trust you can we trust the what your saying about take home pay really?
Jeez ,Darren ..That is some serious snooping ;) She makes nice cakes though !
Wayne,
The local issues are the same as the national issues in large part. Most councillors have very little power to influence local issues (e.g. unemployment, services, emigration), the same as most TDs have little or no power to change things at a national level. The real decisions are not taken in the council or Dail chambers. We have a thin veneer of democracy covering the reality that a corporate and political elite call the shots.
We saw how little power our Councils actually earlier this year when Phil Hogan threatened to replace Donegal county council with a single commissioner when it looked like they would not approve their budget. Unions in contrast are democratic institutions where ordinary workers can exercise some influence over their conditions of employment which is exactly what they are doing here in Greyhound.
Believe what you like Darren. If you like nosing on people’s twitter you should notice a friend of mine got me to make cakes for her company as a favour to her. And any other picture is for children who are all relatives. How much is your take home pay ?? It seems you’ve nothing better to do with your time than put down hard working people on this and you are not interested in the actual content of the article being discussed
“Local issues are the same as national issues” you realise how silly that statement actually is, the issues in Central Dublin are very different to those in rural Donegal or North county Dublin versus say Galway.
Yes council powers are limited but they have control and powers over planning, sanitation, roads, housing policy and can pass Bye laws in the interest of the horn community.
Perhaps the AAA should read up on the powers they would have
CSI: Norris. :)
Karen, how many hours a week is your husband working? The maths just isn’t adding up at all for me.
Wayne,
Are unemployment, services, and emigration not local issues Wayne? Do they not affect urban Dublin and Donegal? Are these issues not more immediately pressing than say sanitation which largely takes care of itself once the infrastructure is in place? Local authority housing policy is determined by their budgets which have been slashed under the austerity agenda which is why many council owned properties lie boarded up and vacant while a homeless crisis rages. The national and the local issues are inextricably linked but hey you keep focused on planning permissions and potholes in your local area and the country will soon be back on its feet.
He works from 7 – 4 each day. They eat their lunch on the go. No time slot to pull over for proper break. Any truck you see collecting rubbish after that time is agency workers as the company don’t pay overtime anymore. Overtime was done away with a couple of months ago. When the route maps were made longer. But under the new terms that were still not agreed on, through the labour court. Management are looking for staff to take 35% paycut and stay out and finish routes with no overtime offered. Which would mean workers staying out till probably 9 with no overtime offered and a reduction to take home pay after the cut to under €250 a week. I say 9 because by law no bin is allowed to be lifted before 7am in the morning and after 8pm in the evening due to noise pollution
Very well explained Karen. Under 250 im guessing is after tax excluding benefits etc.
Do the workers they have no replacing your husband currently have to work 7 – 7? Is that legal?
Jesus I agree with you I should be illegal to work from 7-7. So you see where I’m coming from now that my husband and his co workers are fighting for the rights of all workers. As he would be asked to work the same hours if not more.
Less than €250 is after tax. But what benefits ??
What benefits do you get with your take home pay after deductions etc
Set up an online petition to get it before government or to give to local councilors
Darren I can’t understand why the government haven’t been involved. Not only because of work hours. But health and safety issues too regarding the trucks. It was mentioned in the dail. Brought up by an independent td. Enda kenny said he would look into it. All the parties have been out to the picket for their ‘photo ops’ as I see it. Not just independents, sin fein and labour too. Look like they are supporting the working people but doing sweet FA to help. It’s like i was saying earlier any article on the journal always turns political by a few and then the real cause is forgotten. I just want people to know what the workers family’s are going through. And how not only workers but whole family’s are effected by this. It’s going no where fast. Nine weeks on. Looks like we will be in the same situation at Christmas at this stage. Sorry rambling now.
Karen – is it correct that the hourly rate being offered to general operatives is €9.90? Even if it was €8.65, I still can’t understand how his take home pay is €250. I cannot believe someone is such a low wage would pay so much tax. I’m assuming there’s union fees too. If I’m being ignorant of the facts, I’m sorry. I just don’t see how that could be the case. Are you saying overtime will be unpaid too?
Sorry Black Friday. My husband before the strike started was taking home a wage after deductions and tax of €360 a week. When they turned up to work nine weeks ago they were asked to sign new working terms which implemented a 35% wage cut and no overtime. Under the new terms all map routes had to be finished which means working from 7 to whatever time map route is finished. Nine weeks ago map routes were not being finished by 4pm this is when the workers finish so agency workers were starting work at 4pm and working on to finish the routes because the company were not paying overtime at that stage either. Management stopped paying overtime a couple of months back. So therefore the new terms the workers were asked to sign was to reduction of wage of 35% which in my husbands case was a reduction from €360 to just under €250 per week. Not to finish your working day at 4pm but to stay out till all bins collected. And not be paid overtime for anything over your normal working week eg 39/40 hours. I know that greyhound are staying that this was labour court recommendation. But the actual recommendation was that the two sides go and see if they could save money another way. All the striker are asking is that the customers ring up greyhound and ask for the workers to be reinstated under the old terms until the labour court and company and themselves can come to a better arrangement. Sorry ranting again
Get a petition going.
Even Coddler would agree with me that that is a good way to rasie the issues ?
Karen – that is below minimum wage and illegal. Is the pay on offer €9.90 ph or am I incorrect? It’s simply not plausible that he would have a take home pay of €250 per week after working a 40 hour a week. This sounds like a whole load of Joe Higgins spin to me. If my €9.90 figure is correct, I’m told by someone who works in payroll that he would have a take home pay before union fees closer to €340/350, but certainly not €250! Besides all that, I really think he needs to forget about this job and look for alternative employment. There is no way back to their levels of pay working for waste companies. I’m sure it’s a tough dirty job but they’re easily replaced by people who will do it for considerably less. That’s just life nowadays.
Coddler thankfully the electorate see through your bull, and if AAA supporters in the Daíl like CDaley spent more time helping her constituents than trespassing on Airport runways maybe more could be done.
I would say unemployment and Social services are national issues with various regional approached, unemployment issues in Dublinnand it’s surrounds are very different to Roscommon or Mayo.
Maybe take some time to have a look at how Swiss Democracy and it political system works if you want to see what it should look like. But if you truly believe that all national and local issues are the same there is very little hope for you
That’s exactly how I feel and I think the other half needs to come to terms that there is people out there willing to do the work for less. As it stands it seems companies can do what they want in these times with regard to employees
Any chance of an answer on the €9.90? :)
To be honest. I’m not sure of rate per hour. But his take home pay before all this fall out was in or around €360 after tax. Which would be near enough €9.90 Am I right based on your comment above
The rates I have read suggest it was far higher than €9.90. 35% less than 9.90 is well below minimum wage. Please, one of the wannabe Commies giving me thumbs down prove me wrong. Trying not to be condescending Karen, but you and your hubby should look at the true numbers before forsaking another weeks wages. Don’t listen to those trade union loopers.
Wondered where you were getting your misinformation ,so directly from Greyhound ( someone on the payroll) there is only one person doing payroll and if they are giving personal info out , dismissal offence ? But there get out clause is ,you have your facts wrong , you are quoting what Greyhound is spinning again get your facts right.
What has what Karen works at ,does with her spare time ,have anything to do with what her husband earns and his take home pay and Greyhound ?Do you expect that the Greyhound workers wife’s should not be treated as individuals , wow says a lot from where you are coming from ,women’s rights gone ,chattel of men , what’s next I wonder!
Karen whilst I appreciate your situation I have you pull you up on this percentage that us being focussed on…35%
It is simply not possible for all workers to have received a 35% drop in wages.
Why?
Because that would mean that everyone was not getting the same cuts because of different pay rates.
Stop using tge highest percentage to apply to all. Its a lie.
I thought you said he worked until 9pm?
According to the media up until late last year they only did 30 hours per week for the same wages. Then a further nine hours were brought in and productivity dropped by 25%.
Can you explain that?
Audrey you have been proven to be telling half-truths on here and clearly are letting your emotion get in the way of the actual truth.
Nothing anyone connected to these men has made any sense at all. I would also suggest that the reason the political parties wont touch this is because you have involved the people from Eirigi, Dublin Says No, People before Profit and the United Left.
No one will take them seriously or touch anything related to them with a bargepole.
Publish all the evidence you have of your claims on here and lets discuss it.
Audrey, you fool. When did I once mention I talked to somebody from GREYHOUND’S pay roll? I talked to somebody who works with me who did the numbers based on €9.90 an hour. You get your facts right before trying to get innocent people dismissed from their jobs.
If it is €9.90 after a 35% pay cut then it was €15.23 per hour before. Simple maths. 15.23 x 40 hour week is €609.20 per week or €31,678.40 per annum
New rate of €9.90 per hour = €396 per week or €20,592 per annum
From http://www.virtualaccountant.ie/Tools/tax2014.jsp
Old rate €31,678.40 per year on standard allowances was weekly take home of €496.90 per week
New rate €20,592 per year on standard allowances is weekly take home of €349.80 per week
There is this fallacy doing the rounds that Greyhound’s collection times have improved since they started to employ agency workers. Apart from the first couple of weeks of the dispute, this has certainly not been true around my area. It was well after 8pm when my black bin was last collected the other week. These delays have not been caused on days when there have been “political” protestors in our area, either.
I suspect that the first couple of weeks of punctual collections by Greyhound were more of a PR stunt to discredit the disputing workers more than anything.
Must be only your bin then. Mine has never been better and one of the main reasons I started commenting here.
Nope. The entire suburb.
Keep striking lads till some fat rich judge attempts to jail the striking workers… That’ll kick off a nice few riots in the area then…this is only the beginning…!
The genius is back. He thinks rioting is the way forward. Typical trade union thug. Tough guys in a gang.
People talking about lining these workers up with others in the industry who may be lower paid, why dont the bin companies all align at the higher Greyhound rate then? Some of you most stridently against any form of protest or defence of these workers are probably the same spinless wonders who sit in the pub or at home moaning about not getting a pay rise in the last few years or how the government are to blame for the state of the country yet do nothing. Protest on people and to hell with the moaners
What’s with all the censorship on here? I can’t think of anything Coddler or I said that was worthy of deletion.
Anyone know where in Tallaght this was?
the rough part id guess
have your say