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DELEGATES ATTENDING THE first ever Connect Trade Union conference unanimously voted to launch a campaign seeking to increase the number of women taking up apprenticeships in the trades.
The Connect Trade Union was established in January this year. It is the largest organisation for craft workers in the country, including in its membership those employed in the skilled technical, engineering, electrical and construction sectors.
Union member and Kilkenny County Council employee, Aisling Stone, said it is crucial to get women involved in the trades.
She said: “The motion calls upon the union to work with like-minded organisations to promote and campaign for a greater uptake of apprenticeships by women. The union will also work to promote working within the trades as a realistic and sustainable career path for women.
“I am a painter and decorator. I was the last apprentice taken on by Kilkenny County Council and that was 25 years ago. It is crucial that local authorities once again start taking on apprentices as many of their employees qualified in the trades are now retiring.
It is equally important that women are encouraged to take up these apprenticeships. When I began my apprenticeship there were women apprentices in various trades around the country, from sheet-metal working to carpentry, we need to return to a similar situation.
Connect Trade Union Assistant General Secretary, Brian Nolan, said: “Apprenticeships are fundamental to the future of the trades in Ireland. Connect Trade Union is working with the Government and other stakeholders to establish and develop apprenticeships. These cannot just be a way to employ people to do work on lesser terms and conditions but must be a clear path to developing skill sets which are essential to their chosen trades.”
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How about a campaign to get more people into trades? Why is gender an issue?
@KB: Any feminists care to comment?
@KB: I’m not a feminist but I have noticed that friends who went into very gender specific careers found it hard to meet people of the opposite sex. In that respect this is a good move. It’s good to work with and make friends with people of the opposite sex and it also helps you find a partner.
@SC: So you are saying it is a campaign for people of opposite gender to get together?
@KB: not everyone likes tinder.
Pity trade unions didn’t look after trades people during the boom, when they let in every Tom, Dick and Harry from any country build away despite having no qualifications!
now they are wondering why there is a shortage of people taking up trades
@Philip McLoughlin: This sounds somewhat absurd to me, can anyone first demonstrate that apprenticeships are somehow being denied to women, then explain why existing gender discrimination legislation isn’t being applied in these cases?
When they’re finished that can they then explain why we’re only having “Campaigns” for women, I’ve yet to hear of a similar campaign with the same level of funding etc. that doesn’t invite snide comments for gender discrimination against men. This is not equality.
They want to get more women on their books as all of the men have left TEEU/Connect . Paddy Kavanagh and Brian Nolan should work at getting rid of the two tier pay system they created.
Sure they won’t get any work done they will be chatting all day and worrying about getting their nails dirty
@Robert Treston: Yea, seriously I doubt the typical woman would cut it as a brickie, plasterer, site labourer doing 60 hour weeks hard graft out in the elements.
Why don’t we start by ending the highly discriminating advantage girls/women are given in our education system, who’s one dimensional state testing system ensures women are given a head start in third level education…which in turns leads to a gender pay gap between what young women earn versus young men?
Maybe then you’ll get more women into apprenticeships …..just a thought!
@John Smith: I’m the only John Smith around here! Beat it Broseph!
Why do initiatives like this exist when there aren’t any initiatives (to my knowledge) trying to encourage more men to get into female dominated jobs such as teaching and nursing? Genuine question.
@Saorlaith: #Trendy
@Saorlaith: The government are devising strategies to attract more men into teaching.check it out on the into website.
I’d sooner see a focus on getting apprentices and tradespeople into unions, many industries are still very hostile to organized labour
@Wastrel: that’s because certain unions closed down entire sites on the whims of workers who just didn’t feel like working that day, some union officials engaged in fierce bully boy tactics if a person didn’t want to join.
@Vote4Pedro: it’s because the political class is on the side of the owners
The profession probably employing the biggest number of women in this country is nursing and they are overworked,underpaid and treated like dirt. Is it a gender thing ??
Trades are a hap hazard financial life try getting a mortgage with one ,you’d sooner win the lottery
Unions have let the people down badly. after the celtic tiger union meetings were as good as banned to please their buddies in the guberment. they all went native.
And.if they can’t get women do take up apprenticeships for bricklaying, plastering etc. then they can blame the patriarchy and social conditioning, as they usually do.
Pity trade unions didn’t look after trades people during the boom, when they let in every Tom, Dick and Harry from any country build away despite having no qualifications!
now they are wondering why there is a shortage of people taking up trades
They should end the sponsorship linked apprenticeships, its anti competitive and results in a closed shop.
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: please explain, do you mean the bursary for employing females
I’m 6’3, 210lb and blocklaying/stonework is hard physically on me. I struggle to see the average woman maintaining the workload. This kind of silliness will only get people hurt. Clownworld.
And how many women are in top union jobs? Maybe look inward first.
Perhaps a little gentle persuasion by solas, after all its taxpayers paying for theses apprenticeships and subsidising those training for several years.
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh Is that true or FAS
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: apprentices pay tax just the same as everyone else. The money they earn in their first year training isn’t enough to pay tax anyway. After that it’s a total of 20 weeks over 3 years their wages are not taxed.
Pity trade unions didn’t look after trades people during the boom, when they let in every Tom, Dick and Harry from any country build away despite having no qualifications!
now they are wondering why there is a shortage of people taking up trades:-)
A bit of a change from a few years ago when a
Union Boss for Barmen was organizing and participating and picketing at public houses where women were working as bar staff Ha ! I believe it took a High Court Judge to put him right !
Pity trade unions didn’t look after trades people during the boom, when they let in every Tom, Dick and Harry from any country build away despite having no qualifications!
now they are wondering why there is a shortage of people taking up trades
Badly need more female blocklayers
How about increasing the types of apprenticeships there are. More female friendly apprenticeships, look I know it, you know it, women are nkt going to sign up in their droves to be a brickie. But more likely accountancy etc.
Unions in the construction sector are non existent, their last strong hold in any trade
Situation would be the ESB, DAA or other state funded bodies, any factory that they had a strong hold on have long since closed, possibly with the exception of cadburys
Ah ffs
have your say