Global Union meet in Monasterboice
SIPTU Health members were the special guests of UNI Global Union at their international conference held last week in the Monasterboice Inn, Monasterboice.
Among the speakers at the Global Steering Committee of the trans-national UNI Global Union were Irish Congress of Trade Unions General Secretary, Patricia King, SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Paul Bell, Mayor of Drogheda Pio Smith and Sinn Féin TD for Louth Gerry Adams.
The former Sinn Féin President was a keynote speaker at the event. He focused his contribution on the importance of workers’ rights and the role of the trade union movement can play in protecting workers from the potential negative fail out of Brexit.
“This can be accomplished most effectively through a coming together of progressive forces in the north and south – political parties, trade unions, and civil society groups.
‘Only such progressive partnerships can genuinely resist the onslaught from the political right on the lives of ordinary people,” he told delegates on the day.
SIPTU Health Divisional Organiser, Paul Bell, said: “The fact that these esteemed international trade unionists choose to host such an important conference in Ireland shows how much regard they hold us in.
‘We intend on building on the strong foundations we lay over the course of the week and hope to welcome back our comrades to Drogheda in the very near future.”
UniGlobal Director, Adrian Durtschi, said the theme of the conference was on the growth of multinational companies delivering public services, the urgent need to organise in them and find ways to establish a global dialogue.
Highlights were the presentation of the Ambulance and Section 39 campaign by SIPTU, a look into the future world of work and the care sector in Japan by NCCU President Kubo and the diverse reports in organising in health sector around the world.