Replacing workers in "established trade union jobs" with cheaper migrant labour could lead to tensions in society and "the worst of all possible worlds", Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said yesterday.
In a concluding address to the Siptu biennial conference in Cork, Mr Rabbitte said he supported the union in confronting practices such as those planned by Irish Ferries, which wants to replace Irish-based seafarers with lower-paid agency workers from eastern Europe.
He told delegates he was "shocked" that the company's stance had been defended by employers' body Ibec. It was wrong to suggest that what Irish Ferries wanted to do was the same as the actions of a company moving to the Far East or eastern Europe.
The Irish Ferries situation was "fundamentally and totally different", and had thrown up a litmus test for social partnership.
"If social partnership acquiesces in trampling on established pay and conditions, and trampling on industrial relations machinery that has been there for decades and is dependent on the voluntary allegiance of both sides of industry, then you have to question whether that kind of social partnership has a future."
Siptu, the country's biggest union, is threatening to withdraw from partnership unless it can be assured that steps will be taken to address displacement of jobs.
Irish Ferries has offered its 543 seafaring staff the choice of a voluntary redundancy package or continued employment on reduced pay and inferior conditions. It began new talks with Siptu this week following an intervention by the Labour Court.
Mr Rabbitte asked what would happen if a precedent was established whereby a company could "disemploy" more than 500 workers, call it "redundancy", make out an invoice to the State's redundancy fund, replace the workers with cheap labour and just carry on its business.
"In an economy where we are going to have significant migrant labour for the foreseeable future, that will inevitably lead to displacement of existing workers in existing employment. And apart from anything else, that will lead to tensions between non-nationals and domestic workers and the worst of all possible worlds."
Earlier yesterday delegates passed a motion submitted by Irish Actors' Equity calling for the artists' tax exemption to be extended to include performers.
Branch president Vincent McCabe said despite being "atypical workers" performing artists had very real practical needs which mirrored those outlined by other workers at the conference. They were also encountering practices designed to undermine conditions that had been fought for over the past 50 years.
The motion said that in a country famous for its contribution to the performing arts, it might be expected that Ireland's performing artists were held in high esteem, but the reality confounded this expectation. It called on Siptu to campaign for special social welfare status, pensions, affordable accommodation and a voice for performing artists on relevant State bodies.
The conference was also addressed by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Nuala O'Loan, who said trade unionists came from a proud tradition, one which had sought through solidarity to promote the welfare of union members and ensure employers had regard to their obligations towards employees.
