SIPTU in the midlands is leading the way in helping foreign workers settle into Ireland, according to Mike Jennings, the new Midland Regional Secretary of the union.
Nine workers from Hungary who arrived recently in Rooskey to work at the Glanbia meat plant were sent a letter of welcome, in Hungarian, by the Longford branch of the union.
According to Mr Jennings, the letter from the local branch secretary, Seamus McNamee, set out in clear and precise terms exactly what pay and conditions each worker is entitled to.
"The workers were invited to contact the union if they had any problems and they were told they were free to write in their own language as the union has arranged translation expertise," he said.
Mr Jennings, who replaced Jack O'Connor who was recently elected vice-president of the union, said the imaginative and inclusive gesture to non-national workers could be extended elsewhere in the State.
"There is an agreement between SIPTU and the management of Glanbia Meats that all foreign workers must receive exactly the same pay and benefits as their Irish colleagues," he said.
"We are also insisting that all safety and other basic instructions must be translated into the workers' own language and that has been done."
Mr Jennings, whose area also extends into the south-east, said an increasing number of foreign workers were coming to Ireland to work not only in the meat industry but in tourism and related industries.
SIPTU, he said, had the resources to do the same thing as the Longford branch in other areas where there were workers from many eastern European countries and from as far away as Brazil and Argentina.
"I was very impressed with the way the Longford branch has behaved, and Seamus and the local staff and activists are to be congratulated on their progressive and inclusive response to the needs of our immigrant colleagues," he said.