TRADE UNIONS HAVE warned that union busting is “rampant” across Ireland, with new research finding that current laws are doing “little” to prevent it or to protect activists.

The Respect at Work campaign conducted the research with the assistance of academics from Queen’s University Belfast. 

The research is based on a survey of 159 workplace representatives from four unions: SIPTU, the Financial Services Union, the Communications Workers’ Union and Mandate.

According to the report, 69% of respondents said they have observed at least one form of anti-union behaviour by employers, with the most common being victimisation of union activists (42%) and discouraging workers from joining a union (40%).

29% of respondents said their employer set up alternatives to the union, such as a non-union staff forum, while 25% said their employer denied union organisers access to the workplace. 

The survey also asked union representatives if, when the union was organising in their workplace, they experienced mental and physical symptoms related to their well-being.

It found that 43% of respondents said their well-being was impacted, with burnout, low mood and difficulty relaxing reported as the most common negative well-being outcome

Sharon Gill, a 999 call centre worker who was subject to victimisation when she attempted to unionise her workplace, said the report showed that union busting is “rampant” across the country.

“As a 999 call centre worker, I tried to organise for the terms and conditions my colleagues deserved. It’s a disgrace that we had to speak in hushed tones in dark corridors about unions, but that’s the reality in Ireland today,” she said. 

“We were told that unionising was an act of self-harm, that monkeys could take the calls. I was demeaned, left with crippling anxiety and low self-esteem because I tried to stand up for better for myself and my co-workers.

“Eventually, my family had to intervene, sit me down and ask me to leave the job. No one should have to go through that.”

Dr. Gareth Murphy, lead author of the report, said its findings “dispel the myth that union busting doesn’t happen in Ireland”.

“It happens and it happens a lot,” he said. “Workers should feel safe and empowered to assist and support their colleagues at work. They should feel safe to join and be active in their trade union.

“Politicians need to listen to this damning report and address workers’ concerns.”

SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Ethel Buckley, speaking on behalf of the campaign, said it has been clear for years that Ireland “has some of the weakest workers’ rights in Western Europe”.

Buckley called for politicians to commit to including protections for workplace representatives as part of a National Action Plan on Collective Bargaining.

“Injustice is rampant in Irish workplaces and, too often, when workers try to stand up for better, they are punished. That climate of fear must end,” she said.

“We’ll be speaking to workers across the country during this General Election campaign and making clear that we’re fighting for a new law to protect their rights.”