Some of Ireland’s best-known charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been accused of hypocrisy for failing to allow their employees to be represented by trade unions.
Siptu says thousands of workers in the sector are affected by either blanket refusals to engage with it as it seeks to represent members or a refusal to recognise it for the purposes of collective bargaining and the setting of pay and conditions.
Siptu community sector organiser Brendan Carr described the approach being taken by a large number of employers in the sector as “disgusting”.
“We have a number of cases going through conciliation or with third parties in relation to recognition,” he said. “So far, we’ve been reluctant to take action, but at some point we’re going to have to. It’s disgusting that this continues to happen, completely unacceptable.”
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Mr Carr said he had previously worked with private sector companies “where you get used to a lot of employers not wanting to deal with unions” but that he “found it incredible” that charities and NGOs refused to engage with worker representatives.
“These people want some professional advice, to be treated properly, to have decent representation on issues like pay and conditions, basically the key aspects of their work and yet many of these organisations refuse point blank to deal with them,” he added. “It’s really common across the sector, a sector that asks our members to fund them with charitable donations. It’s simply unacceptable.”
He said many of the country’s best-known charities, including the Capuchin Day Centre, St Vincent de Paul and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, either completely refuse to engage with Siptu despite it having members among their staff, or limit the circumstances in which they would engage.
He said the organisations never provided reasons for their refusal to deal with unions or recognise them for the purposes of collective bargaining, but suggested some argue their staff are free to engage with management on issues when many would prefer to be represented.
Low pay is, he said, an issue across large numbers of organisations, as are the working conditions of many staff with unsocial hours and challenging work settings a common feature.
In response to queries, the Capuchin Day Centre said it places “huge value on its employees and volunteers” but “the centre’s established practice over many years has been to engage directly with employees in relation to their terms and conditions”.
St Vincent de Paul said it “regularly communicates with union representatives for its employees as required under its policies and there has never been an issue in this regard. However, SVP does not recognise a union for collective bargaining”.
It added that “this is not an issue for the society” as it pays above the prevailing rates in the sector.
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind declined to comment.
The Wheel, an umbrella body that represents many charities and NGOs, said the sector is complex and fragmented, but it would “welcome the opportunity to sit down with the Ictu or individual unions about how to improve engagement between employers and their staff”.
