Diageo’s Guinness Truck Deliveries stopped up Victoria Quay in Dublin today. The reason was Unite’s Mechanical Workers third strike day.
They are striking for the restoration of travel time. Travel time was taken off the mechanical workers’ sectoral agreement- ‘temporarily’ according to workers we spoke to- in a deal done by the Mechanical Engineering & Building Services Contractors’ Association (MEBSCA). Unite workers voted to get it back and that includes taking strike action which is in now on its third day in as many weeks.
The strike has now seen pickets on a dozen different sites across each of the three Fridays this September. Pickets have created trouble for MEBSCA-affliated mechanical contracting company like Jones Engineering. Traffic is affected locally. Workers are delayed or call in and say they won’t cross the picket. It was reported that Diageo has complained to Jones Engineering about hassle the picket is causing. In the end it means that Jones Engineering and all the MEBSCA-affiliated building and engineering business are missing a full day every week because they have decided on their side they won’t re-enter talks with Unite on travel time.
Unite’s workers are right to strike. Their strike shows workers can and will fight back when they are practical about what they really need and not talked down from standing up for themselves and their future.
Get behind these workers’ fight for Travel Time. If they win the whole building industry wins and and so does every worker in it. We are 100% with these workers.
