SIPTU Election for Vice President. Des Derwin running again.

national | politics / elections | news report Friday October 10, 2003 10:18 by Des Derwin dderwin at gofree dot indigo dot ie

To all SIPTU members and SIPTU Branch Committee members.

Des Derwin, President of the Electronics and Engineering Branch, Dublin, runs again.

To fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Des Geraghty, and the appointment of Jack O’Connor to fill the Presidency, there will an election for SIPTU Vice President in January 2004. Nominations of candidates must be in by Friday 14th February 2003. Branches will be holding special general meetings before then to nominate candidates.

I wish to declare that I am seeking the nomination of Branches to go forward as a candidate for Vice President. I am standing, as before, as an alternative rank and file candidate, for change and renewal in SIPTU and for a fighting and democratic Union. I ask all Branches to hold special nomination meeting and to nominate me for the position.

My policies are the same as before, with this extra clarification. Our Union should be congratulated on its clear opposition to the bin tax and to the jailing of protestors. But it is not good enough that (a) the Union has declared the collection of paid bins only as a “legitimate instruction” under the 1990 Industrial Relations Act and confronted the stated wishes of many bin workers, to collect all bins, with an official policy that ‘all bins’ could not be defended by an official dispute.

It is not good enough (b) that a TD and a shop steward, both SIPTU members, should be weeks in prison on this issue without even the threat of industrial action by SIPTU for their release. It is not good enough (c) that the Union cannot bring itself to support the policy of not paying this unjust double taxation. It is not good enough (d) that our Union has not openly broken with ICTU General Secretary David Beggs’ shameful condemnation of the jailed protestors and of the campaign.

This is why we need change. Some of my other policies are:

· The Unions should not be in partnership with the rich and powerful.
· Its time for an end to wage restraint and for the right of members to lodge and pursue substantial claims against their own employers.
· The members’ vote for the National Executive Council, taken away in 2001, should be restored. Rule 193 needs to be changed so that the members can make the Rules of our Union. Conference decisions should be implemented.
· For big changes to the 1990 Industrial Relations Act. This law hinders the defence of individual members, disallows blacking, weakens the picket line and gives the Court greater powers over the Unions.
· The Amendment Act on ‘recognition’ is less than useless. Employers should be legally compelled to recognise a trade union.
· For a real recruitment drive and full resources to the Branches to service the new members.
· Union staff changes should improve not reduce the service to the members. Branches should be consulted over staffing. Shop stewards can be given more release and resources to represent their members
· The Union should oppose privatisations with action as well as words. The Union should clearly oppose the break up and privatisation of CIE and Aer Rianta, whatever the “guarantees”, and combine the CIE and Aer Rianta members’ campaigns into a single programme of action.
· We need an active campaign by SIPTU and the ICTU for greatly improved health and social services and housing, and against health cuts and double-taxation service charges.
· All members resisting job losses should be fully supported.
· SIPTU can recruit and defend Social Economy and Jobs Initiative workers threatened with redundancy and demand that the ICTU stop accepting these cuts in jobs and community services.
· Urgent steps are needed to bridge the gap between the average earnings of women and men.
· SIPTU Officers should be paid workers’ wages not executives’ salaries.

I have been a member of SIPTU and the ITGWU since 1973. I am an Assembly General Operative at the Mouldpro plastics factory in Finglas, Dublin, where I am Chair of the Section Committee. I have wide and varied industrial, negotiation and administrative experience including over twenty-five years on the Unidare industrial site in Finglas. I’ve served on my Branch Committee for twenty-five years and am the President of the Branch. I’m an active delegate to Biennial Conferences, a member of the Dublin Regional Executive Committee and of the executive committee of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions. I’ve been involved in many trade union and single-issue campaigns. I’m not a member of any political party.

If elected I will accept only the average industrial wage. I am well able to carry out the duties of Vice President and I have demonstrated over the years that I can work with people of differing viewpoints and within democratically decided policies and structures.

Des Derwin, President, SIPTU Electronics and Engineering Branch.

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