Workers to hold rally on first day of EU Presidency

Workers in Dublin's cleaning, security, and catering sectors are set to rally for improved working conditions and wages on the first day of Ireland's European Union Presidency. The demonstration, organized by SIPTU and UNI Europa, will take place outside the Office of Government Procurement.

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SIPTU is calling on the Government to ensure Ireland's first National Public Procurement Strategy, currently being developed by the Office of Government Procurement, includes strong protections for workers and puts collective bargaining and fair employment standards at the heart of how public contracts are awarded.

Unions emphasize that the EU presidency places the Irish government at the forefront of negotiations for public procurement reform. SIPTU is calling on the government to embed strong worker protections and fair employment standards into Ireland's developing National Public Procurement Strategy. They argue that public procurement policies directly impact the livelihoods of thousands of essential service workers, with contracts often awarded based solely on the lowest cost.

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Public procurement policy has a direct impact on the wages, conditions and job security of thousands of workers in essential contract services. Too often, contracts are awarded based on lowest cost, with little regard for the workers delivering these vital services.

UNI Europa highlights the upcoming revision of procurement rules as a crucial opportunity for EU leaders to positively affect workers' lives, especially amid the current cost-of-living crisis. They view procurement policy as a key tool to promote collective bargaining, ensuring fair pay and good working conditions for service sector employees.

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It is the most effective tool to promote collective bargaining so that workers get a real say, fair pay and good conditions.