Jack O’Connor that hot air and rhetoric you talk about is the fundamentals behind all trade unions, namely defence of the workers rights. It was SIPTU that told Paramedics and FireFighters that they were to insignificant a group to represent. It’s the ICTU that are preventing the groups that actually are effected by the croke park “renegotiation” (a term that is as inaccurate as the Nazis calling concentration camps work camps! ) from participating in the negotiations.
Mr.O’Connor are you commenting because you are genuinely concerned for frontline workers or are you more annoyed that the frontline staff are stepping out, identifying themselves as unique and vital which hinders your agenda to sacrifice them in favour of your high earning “majority members” civil servants who have grades, who don’t work for premium payments, Sundays or public holidays ironically all the points on the agenda to be sacrificed? I have a feeling it’s the latter

I presume Jack O’Connor plans to expend more hot air and windy rhetoric than 4,000 people could ever do.

He has had plenty of years of practice.

SIPTU, part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Ultimately we have to accept the the senior civil service salaries and pensions will be preserved and the most vulnerable will suffer.

Two points.
1. Why did Jack not remind the Government that the Croke Park Deal runs until this time next year and that the Govt. said it would honour the agreement. Why didnt he go to war when they told him they were reneging
2. What pain will Jack be taking after he negotiates reductions for others
“Hot air” Jack dont make me laugh.

But will we go to war Jack…..I doubt it very much?

Typical labour party member attacking the workers. You’re an embarrassment O’ Connor!!!

Siptu/jack o Connor, I could go on writing a long message here but ur not worth my time, u know what you and Siptu have done. Sell outs

First the Labour Party sell out the working class and now the unions have turned into govt lackeys… The inmates have truly taken over the asylum!

With clowns like him (and highly paid ones at that) at the helm, what chance is there for the working man, Ireland’s new working poor?

God help us and save us….

Bought and paid for lap-dog. How much is he in again? Does anyone seriously think that he will rock the boat?Workers should get out of these “unions” and form their own co-ops.

Well in ready for that war when it comes. I have no choice this next cut will push me over the line and Into poverty. My mortgage will be in arrears and loans not payed so a war as he calls it is all that is left. You can push an Irishman/woman only so far before they push back which many foreign invaders found throughout history and now it’s our own government making those same mistakes.

All fart and no shit…..

Traitors the lot of them. Jack the man of the people, paid many times more than the people. He’s due to step down just before Croke park II is agreed (dictated). What does that tell us…

Incidentally he has no right to be negotiating anything until the current deal is over…2014 !

Jack o connor do you hear it.Its the sound of Jim Larkin turning in his grave .you’re a sellout mergent

What is the point in having an agreement when one side does not even fulfil the last agreement?

Typical pre agreement speak from O Connor the game from SIPTU now is to frighten his members into accepting more of the same talk about war and strikes and worse saying you can’t win before you start this man is negotiation on croake park 2 while croake park 1 still has a year to run he has no mandate from his members to be in these talks he never bothered to consult them he slated the front line union’s who did consult their members Time for SIPTU members to withdraw their subs in mass and stop proping up this extension of the labour party

The union leadership should be wary of doing the governments dirty work for them. Not saying the don’t have the members best interest at heart but the unions are doing little to resist this failing Austerity policy and agreeing further cuts for the membership will incur the wrath of the members.
Let the government do what they must do and take the entire blame from the working class.

What irony in this year the 100th anniversary of a real union leader Jim Larkin and the great lockout . O’Connor and Begg should get out of the arena and and stop regurgitating the governments mantra, And there is another way – the Iceland way.

While the Dublin Fire Brigade were on all out strike in 1988 and Jack OConnor was their union official from the Federated Workers Union of Ireland, the then Minister for Environment Padraig Flynn told the press that the strike was sorted. Totally untrue. At a general meeting, my late father, fireman Willie Bermingham stood up and proposed that the entire membership of the FWUI march on the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in the RDS and expose this blatant lie. This proposal brought the striking firemen to their feet in support but poor Jack nearly died. His face drained to pure white and he struggled to dissuade such a march.
It seems to me that Mr OConnor never really had the courage to defend workers rights but was always a lickarse and lackey to the politicians. Maybe I’m wrong but ask the former Irish Ferries staff.

Find it interesting that SIPTU have to utter the same lies as spouted by the government whilst some of their members are frontline staff, it’s more than likely related to the fact that their allegiance lies more with the disgraced Labour Party than their members. They have failed to state that those who walked away from the talks were never part of the talks as they’re not part of ICTU. They have failed to state that frontline workers will be cut the most of all public sector workers by agreeing to CHANGING the terms of an agreement that was already made which in some households will amount to €1400 per month. They have failed to state that frontline parents are only getting 29 days per year together as a family inclusive of annual leave not required for childcare reasons due to changes in rosters as implemented by this agreement whilst 9-5 parents get 104 days per year not including annual leave or public holidays including Xmas. SIPTU are failing to tell the whole truth and seem to be singing from the hymn sheet written by the government. Clearly the government are starting to feel the pressure if they need SIPTU to speak out on their behalfs in yet another spin campaign against frontline workers. I guarantee your Labour Party will never allow you go to war SIPTU, the public can see through this facade!

Jackass siptu in favour of the house tax in bed with labour dont start me horrible dis honest man

Siptu + Impact+ICTU= A complete Joke.

Jack O’Connor = overpaid government puppet.

What are ministers and union leaders being paid to be in talks on a sunday

The man, in common with his counterparts at the top of other unions is a bench marking poodle of the highest order

Siptu leadership collaberators, hang your heads in shame

What’s scaring front line workers is that some of the cuts been talked about will specifically hit us and not the majority of public service who might be asked to ballot on an agreement and we will be hit again very hard. Why would someone working 9/5 care about shift and extension of duty rates if they don’t do it but which make up a significant percentage of front line staff wages ?

The comments speak for themselves. Do not underestimate people. People will see through the spins of government and the so called negotiating Unions. Croke park was a deal made untill 2014.

Attacking frontline protest is self defeating, some of his members are those same frontline staff
Jack cuts to basic pay reduced the premium pay of your members also, premium pay is based on basic, wake up, frontline were right to protest
However these comments suggest jacks negotiators aren’t looking after frontline interests , in which case they will have to look at their Siptu membership

SIPTU, do you have any suggestions and make any pressure to push the government to deal with the core of the problem – the debt? How about burning bondholders, undergoing default and establishing own currency? Or how about raising these ideas with the EU to motivate them to help this country? I am baffled by how many people accept this situation without addressing the core of the problem.

“We are prepared for it. It will involve protracted strikes and all that goes with them. While we may not win, the Government will not win either,” says Jack. Brilliant. So everyone will lose. How fantastically stupid but how utterly unsurprising.

This “negotiation” is a farce. The unions are only there to rubber-stamp the govt line. They were there during the “gravy-train era” doing “tough” negotiating but watch them walk away now when things get a bit hot. Reality is finally here to show them the way, or at least the troika is.

SIPTU- my arse . Jim Larkin must be spinning in his grave to see his political descendants throwing their lot in with William Martin Murphys political descendants and combining to destroy the pay and working conditions of ordinary workers . Anyone familiar with George Orwell’s ‘animal farm’ will see that the frontline workers are being treated like Charlie the horse who after long loyal service was consigned off to the knackers yard. SIPTU should be ashamed of themselves

SIPTU leadership are the primary contributors to global warming. It is not just the hot air. The methane emanating from their secondary orifices is a major problem.

Ask yourself this question. Are these bearded gentlemen inside or outside the circle of privilege?

The leadership of SIPTU are involved in blatant self protectionism.

I’m sure jumping jack is on extra expenses for working so hard over the week end.Not just 12 euro for Saturday.

It’s about time somebody said something ! But he needs to publicly do something that demonstrates to everyone that the unions no longer cosy up to the labour party?

Could someone who knows the answer explain how the 25 hour week has been operating to date?

Are these part-time staff? Or is there such a thing as ‘full time’ meaning 5 hours a day in the public sector?

He’s not even a man he’s a puppet hanging out of the governments strings. He and all of them sold us out a long time ago it’s just now we are standing up to him and the government united as one.

Retire to rush jack

was said already and i covers everything two labour ass lickers .and well paid to do the job for gov not the people who they represent,

Don’t worry Jack most of us know you were one of the fat cats around Bertie’s social partnership table. You and your “partners” of that time got us all into this mess. Most of the rest from that table are gone but the union dinosaur’s.
do us a favour and do what you think is important. Building a 26 story monument to your and David Beggs greatness. Less we forget what ye did to our country.

If my name was Jack or O’Conner I would change the name rapid

Five years ago Paramedics and Firefighters across the country seen the writing on the wall for what was to come. That’s why they left SIPTU to organise independent unions to represent the PROFESSIONALISM of the frontline employee of the National Ambulance Service and the Fire Service. Across this whole country these same professionals have been saying publicly that they believe this is the only way forward and yet to date they sit on their hands and on the fence and still will not commit to the only organisations that will represent their profession and no one elses. Make no mistake the front line services of this country provide a blanket of security and emergency care second to none. Too many front line personnel are involved with MABS, negative equity and the inability to retain a lifestyle of non-poverty. Enough is enough, find your voice, empower yourself instead of the fat cats of SIPTU and withdraw your membership that silences your voice and join NASRA and IFESA the only unions that will say NO, That will fight to protect your pay and conditions and who are neither in bed with the YES party of Fine Gael that’s Labour, or the union that cant hear your voice. When the ballot arrives if you remain in SIPTU you will essentially have no ballot, no voice and no say.