The problem of trade union recognition will have to be tackled "either through industrial action or some kind of statutory requirement", the leader of Ireland's largest private sector white-collar union has warned. The Irish secretary of MSF, Mr John Tierney, told the union's Irish regional conference in Dublin yesterday that it would insist "on our right to represent workers who seek to be represented by us, whether they comprise 5 per cent or 95 per cent of employees in a company".
The delegates voted later to boycott Ryanair flights when they travel to the union's annual conference in Bournemouth next month. Ryanair, which has consistently refused to recognise trade unions, has the only direct scheduled flights from Dublin to Bournemouth. The decision means that delegates will have to fly by Aer Lingus to Heathrow and travel by bus or train to Bournemouth, adding about four hours to the round trip.
The union also sends about 200 people a year from Ireland to its training centre at Bishop's Stortford near Stansted. It has been union policy for some time now not to book these members on Ryanair flights. MSF has traditionally been opposed to national pay agreements. Many of its members are in high-skilled, high-demand occupations, where they can expect pay increases above the norms set in Partnership 2000 and its predecessors.
In recent years MSF has modified its position. Securing union recognition for more vulnerable sectors of the workforce would be seen as one of the better reasons for adhering to national agreements.
Mr Tierney said yesterday that the present voluntary code on union recognition was obviously not working when it came to companies like Rynair. "It is unacceptable in the era of partnership that some employers can get away with refusing to recognise the rights of one partner, the trade union movement, to even exist in an enterprise," he said.
"It is even more unacceptable when one considers that most of these employers, including Ryanair, have benefited from grants courtesy of the taxpayer."
Delegates condemned "the rise of racism at a time of increasing economic advantage in Irish society". They called on the union to campaign with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for better immigration appeals procedures.
Proposing the motion, Ms Roisin Ryder of the Dublin technical services and manufacturing branch, said there had been an increase in attacks on asylum-seekers. "But what is more worrying is the Government's zeal in deporting asylum-seekers as quickly as they can."
There was some opposition to the motion. Mr Carl Kelly from the banking and commerce branch said it was not the purpose of trade unions to interfere with the judicial system.
There was a serious illegal immigrant problem in Dublin. "It is not acceptable to think we are going to open our country's doors to everybody who wants to share in our financial gain. We have our own problems - like single mothers, people wanting local authority housing and young people living on the streets."