SIPTU ask all to boycott Coke after treatment of staff

veryangryman

Anyone else doing the boycott? I am. Cant believe its actually easy. Thought i was addicted to the stuff




SIPTU STRIKE AT COCA COLA HBC IRELAND IN SEVENTH WEEK
Dear Member
1. On 4th June 2009 Coca Cola HBC announced that it intended to outsource the jobs of 130
SIPTU members at its warehouse and distribution centres at Ballycoolin in Dublin, Cork,
Tipperary, Waterford and Tuam, county Galway.
2. The company refused to discuss an alternative to the outsourcing plan put forward by
SIPTU representatives which would have protected direct employment.
3. The company also proposed a redundancy package which fell far short of that previously
agreed with SIPTU.
4. On 8th July SIPTU referred all of the issues to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC)
including the alternative proposal which would have saved a significant number of jobs.
The Company said it would not discuss any issues at the LRC other than redundancy
payments and its outsourcing plan.
5. SIPTU members in Coca Cola HBC across the country voted in favour of strike action
against the company’s attempt to unilaterally, and without agreement, implement
proposals to outsource the jobs of 130 workers or make them redundant. The strike action
commenced on 27th August.
6. Three third party operators wrote to SIPTU members employed by Coca Cola HBC and
informed them that the workers would be transferring to their employment at much
reduced wages and greatly dis-improved working conditions. This is in breach of the
Transfer of Undertaking regulations which specify that the same wages and conditions
should apply when workers are transferred by their current employer to a new
employment. The three private transport operators also informed the workers that they
would only be entitled to statutory redundancy terms if there were lay-offs due to
overstaffing.
7. The Company wrote to SIPTU members instructing them to accept a revised redundancy
package on offer by 6.00 p.m. on Monday 7th September or face the sack. The majority of
SIPTU members overwhelmingly rejected the revised offer and the company confirmed
that they were now considered redundant.
Ceardchumann Seirbhísí, Tionsclaíoch, Gairmiúil agus Teicniúil
Services Industrial Professional & Technical Union
8. On 18th September SIPTU and Coca Cola HBC attended the Labour Court which was the
first time direct discussions and third party intervention took place during the dispute.
9. On 21st September the Labour Court issued a recommendation which proposed that the
company offer redundancy packages on the same basis as those in the previous agreement
it had made with SIPTU. It also recommended that the company engage in discussions
with the union with a view to protecting direct employment at the modern distribution
facility at Ballycoolin in Finglas, Dublin. On 28th September the company rejected the
Labour Court recommendation.
10. On 7th October in response to a request for clarification by Coca Cola HBC the Labour
Court repeated its recommendation that the redundancy package should be consistent with
that previously agreed with SIPTU and that discussions should take place between both
parties on the feasibility of retaining the plant and jobs at Ballycoolin. The company still
refused to honour the Labour Court recommendation.
Additional information; Since Coca Cola first came to Ireland over 50 years ago there has never
been a dispute between the company and SIPTU. In 2000, Coca Cola merged with the Greece
based Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. and the new company Coca Cola HBC took over the
distribution of the product across Europe. The global Coca Cola Corporation holds a 23%
shareholding in Coca Cola HBC with 30% owned by the Greek Kartess Group and the remaining
47% by shareholders trading on the Athens, London and New York stock exchanges. Coca Cola
HBC recorded profits of €201 million for the first half of 2009. On 18th September Coca Cola
HBC announced a capital return of €548 million in cash to its shareholders.
I would be grateful if you could distribute the attached leaflets and posters in your workplace.
Please also use your influence with your fellow workers in seeking their support for our striking
and sacked members in Coca Cola HBC Ireland.
Yours in solidarity
Jack O’Connor
GENERAL PRESIDENT

SEPT 23 1989

I prefer to boycott overpaid bearded weirdos

Max Power1

SIPTU and all unions can **** off as far as im concerned

After this debacle of wanting increases or not accepting long over due public sector paycuts I will never support another SIPT/union movement.

dan719

My glass of coke tastes ten times as good after reading that. Maybe we can go columbian coke on the union too.

Odysseus

Well since a family member of mine is one of the strikers I have been doing since day one.

Overheal

Business is going where Unions are not.

Boeing on Thursday announced its latest multimillion dollar expansion is to be located in SC, a Right to Work state. This comes as a major blow to WA state which has a mandatory union law. But with billions on the line and 1000 planes on order that have yet to be built who can afford to be at the mercy of a labor dispute?

The difference between boeing and cocacola here though, is boeing is still abiding its contractual obligations to its operations in WA: its just deciding not to continue expanding up there for the time being. Coke is pulling the **** out and running over the christmasses of small children as they do it. Im not a big union fan, but if they are breaking contracts, they are breaking contracts. (and if theyre not, and SIPTU is making a big distorted hissy, id be extremely unsurprised as well).

veryangryman

Max Power1 wrote: »

SIPTU and all unions can **** off as far as im concerned

Are you the director of the irish company? AFAIK he said the exact same thing which provoked all of this

Max Power1 wrote: »

After this debacle of wanting increases or not accepting long over due public sector paycuts I will never support another SIPT/union movement.

I alsoe disagree with their stance on this and dont support it. But unions are not wrong all the time. In the case of the Coke workers (private industry), i would provide this small token of support for their plight

Kiera

I hate fizzy drinks so in a way i already am

K4t

Yes I am supporting the boycott.

Anybody with even a bit of sense should be able to see that it's for a good cause. Say what you will about the Unions but at the end of the day this boycott is about defending basic workers' rights and should be supported by all.

sunnyjim

My family heard about this, and we won't be buying any Coca Cola products on the shopping. Most of the extended family are doing the same, that's 7 families.

The country needs to stick together, or this kind of crap will hit everywhere.

Voltex

I think what we are seeing is the last days of the unions stamping their feet like petulent children...

CreepingDeath

veryangryman wrote: »

Anyone else doing the boycott?

Nope. Those union feckers can squat on a 2 litre bottle.

Max Power1

veryangryman wrote: »

Are you the director of the irish company? AFAIK he said the exact same thing which provoked all of this

No im not, but if he said that then I would agree. Unions need to accept that paycuts/redundancies are an unfortunate offshoot of the current economic climate

I alsoe disagree with their stance on this and dont support it. But unions are not wrong all the time. In the case of the Coke workers (private industry), i would provide this small token of support for their plight

No.
I saw the coke protest march in dublin a couple of weeks ago. If I had eggs I would have thrown them. Why cant unions accept thatt people working on a lower wage or having some redundancies is better than the company closing or relocating?

sunnyjim

Did you miss the 70's and 80's? The PAYE marches? Sympathy strikes? Now the money's gone, the population will be using their feet soon enough.

btw: Coca Cola can easily afford to pay their workers a decent wage ffs. They aren't a struggling family business or something.

sparksfly

SIPTU are also fighting coca cola on one hand and resisting paycuts for the highest paid public sector in Europe on the other (at the expense of private sector workers). They are a shower of scum.

CreepingDeath

sunnyjim wrote: »

The country needs to stick together, or this kind of crap will hit everywhere.

If the public sector sticks together the crap will hit all the private sector workers who are currently carrying the country.
Were do you think the government gets money from ?

projectmayhem

Unions are doing as much harm as bankers in this country. Their power needs to be curtailed.

I, for one, am enjoying a smooth, refreshing Coors. But if I weren't, I'd be enjoying some Coke Zero.

brianthebard

Max Power1 wrote: »

No im not, but if he said that then I would agree. Unions need to accept that paycuts/redundancies are an unfortunate offshoot of the current economic climate

Did you even read the OP? The probably isn't just that coke are laying off workers, they won't even honour pre-agreed arrangements for these situations. Wonder how anti union you'll be when your employer pulls the same trick on you?

dreamers75

Going to start buying Coke know to cover you all.


****ing unions

veryangryman

Max Power1 wrote: »

No im not, but if he said that then I would agree. Unions need to accept that paycuts/redundancies are an unfortunate offshoot of the current economic climate




No.
I saw the coke protest march in dublin a couple of weeks ago. If I had eggs I would have thrown them. Why cant unions accept thatt people working on a lower wage or having some redundancies is better than the company closing or relocating?

Refer to post 14. Coke are full of money and posted huge profits this year. Are you for real in saying that companies with huge profit margins should get away with pay cuts for staff. You say that unions are on the wrong planet, but ill bet my bottom dollar that so are the management here

Staff should be rewarded for helping create such wealth for the management, not punished

SEPT 23 1989

how much were the drivers who delivered the coca cola on per week?

Odysseus

God why does everything come down to PS workers, if your that paraniod about it, I offer you a cheap rate for therapy to add to my excellent HSE wage, I was thinking of hiring another butler or a extra maid.

Sofiztikated

sunnyjim wrote: »

Did you miss the 70's and 80's? The PAYE marches? Sympathy strikes? Now the money's gone, the population will be using their feet soon enough.

btw: Coca Cola can easily afford to pay their workers a decent wage ffs. They aren't a struggling family business or something.

Wow. A company is trying to reduce wage costs, keeping in line with their reduced sales, to maintain a profit. How DARE they.

Utter boloxology. SIPTU can lick my balls. Yes, they're there to help the staff, but **** me, a company still has to make money. Its what they do.

stepbar

Odysseus wrote: »

God why does everything come down to PS workers, if your that paraniod about it, I offer you a cheap rate for therapy to add to my excellent HSE wage, I was thinking of hiring another butler or a extra maid.

Because the private sector is paying for the upkeep of the public sector. Simple as.

CreepingDeath

veryangryman wrote: »

Coke are full of money and posted huge profits this year.

Do you have any idea how a company that is quoted on the stock exchange works ?

Publicly listed companies prime goal is to increase share price for the shareholders. If their financial results each year/quarter etc aren't good the share price goes down and the shareholders want answers. If they're not happy, they can vote out the board of directors.
A publicly listed company is a selfish entity. If Coke don't meet their projected profit targets their share price goes down.

Can't believe you have such a child-like view of the world.

Max Power1

brianthebard wrote: »

Did you even read the OP? The probably isn't just that coke are laying off workers, they won't even honour pre-agreed arrangements for these situations. Wonder how anti union you'll be when your employer pulls the same trick on you?

Oh rest assured ive been trhough a similar and worse debacle in the not too distant past.
If youve a problem, leave! Simple as that.

veryangryman wrote: »

Refer to post 14. Coke are full of money and posted huge profits this year. Are you for real in saying that companies with huge profit margins should get away with pay cuts for staff. You say that unions are on the wrong planet, but ill bet my bottom dollar that so are the management here

Staff should be rewarded for helping create such wealth for the management, not punished

Unions are in cloud cuckoo land. I was watching reeling in the years from the mid eighties, and there was some beardy chap on demanding a pay rise for PS workers. Glad to see not much has changed as regards their perception of reality

projectmayhem wrote: »

Unions are doing as much harm as bankers in this country. Their power needs to be curtailed.

I, for one, am enjoying a smooth, refreshing Coors. But if I weren't, I'd be enjoying some Coke Zero.

+1 million
I am now opening a nice bottle of coke zero that i bought today, and will enjoy it with fervour, now that i know unions are supportng a boycott. In fact Coke may see their sales rise due to this boycott if the support for unions (or lack thereof) in the general public is anything to go by.

I know that i will now go out tomorrow and buy a multipack or two, that i wouldnt normally buy, with my sunday paper!

FlutterinBantam

SIPTU can lick the sour grease from the underside of my sweaty ballsack.

That's about all I have to say.

mikemac

One of the most profitable companies in the world and they cut staff and offer basic reduncancy packages, at least worse packages then what was offered before? Hmmmmm

Unions still have a place in Ireland. It's not for protecting the incompetant worker who secured promotions simply by serving their time. I've worked in the private sector with Siptu, they had a lot of power in that factory, too much power in fact

But there are exploited employees in Ireland, tens of thousands of them in fact.
Unions are happy to collect dues off public and private sector workers in good jobs, I don't see them always fighting for the kitchen porters and hotel staff in Ireland. If they are, they could make a better show of it as I haven't seen it.
European Working Time directive? lol, if you finish at 4am in a hotel you're told to be in for 10am if you want to keep your job

Agent Smith

I'm supporting our communist socialist Unioned coke workers by Only Drinking Dr Pepper from now on.

Whats the worst that could happen?


oh wait....

Overheal

Something to mull on,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law

Johnnio13

Saw a coke striker at work this week. They follow the delivery trucks around and abuse the delivery drivers. Don't understand the point of it. Security removed the striker for trespass.

Odysseus

stepbar wrote: »

Because the private sector is paying for the upkeep of the public sector. Simple as.

You clearly pay a higher rate of tax on you wage than I do, if it was that simple.

brianthebard

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Wow. A company is trying to reduce wage costs, keeping in line with their reduced sales, to maintain a profit. How DARE they.

Utter boloxology. SIPTU can lick my balls. Yes, they're there to help the staff, but **** me, a company still has to make money. Its what they do.

Yeah cause Coke would definitely go bankrupt if they don't fire these workers immediately and not pay them pre-agreed redundancy.

Max Power1 wrote: »

Oh rest assured ive been trhough a similar and worse debacle in the not too distant past.
If youve a problem, leave! Simple as that.

Well the workers are being forced out and the company aren't going to honour they're agreement,but you think that's a good thing? Why?

Odysseus

Johnnio13 wrote: »

Saw a coke striker at work this week. They follow the delivery trucks around and abuse the delivery drivers. Don't understand the point of it. Security removed the striker for trespass.

My understanding is coke have called the Garda lots of times, on review of cctv stikers where told they were acting within the law. I believe one of the trucks hit a striker breaking him leg that's going to raise tensions.

CCCP^

Ah **** it, Coke rots your teeth anyway, any excuse to drop that toxic **** is good enough for me.

Sofiztikated

brianthebard wrote: »

Yeah cause Coke would definitely go bankrupt if they don't fire these workers immediately and not pay them pre-agreed redundancy.

Point out in my post where I said CocaCola would go bankrupt.

I didn't. CocaCola are a corporate entity, they exist to make money. To keep shareholders happy, profits have to be made.

We don't need unions to "protect" the worker these days. Thats what we have Employment Laws about. Unions seek to look out for themselves, and **** everybody else.

stepbar

Odysseus wrote: »

You clearly pay a higher rate of tax on you wage than I do, if it was that simple.

It is that simple, the private sector pays for your wages. Simple as. Unions seem to ignore this basic fact.

Odysseus

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Point out in my post where I said CocaCola would go bankrupt.

I didn't. CocaCola are a corporate entity, they exist to make money. To keep shareholders happy, profits have to be made.

We don't need unions to "protect" the worker these days. Thats what we have Employment Laws about. Unions seek to look out for themselves, and **** everybody else.

And aren't coke going against the Labour Courts recommendations whilst I don't claim to understand the employment legalities but where is the protection in that. What is the point of having a Labour Court when the company can just say fcuk it to the recommendations?

MagicMarker

I couldn't even be arsed reading the first post, so, eh, no.

stepbar

If the coca cola workers are so perplexed by the suitation at present, why don't they buy a few shares in coca cola and turn up at the next AGM?

brianthebard

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Point out in my post where I said CocaCola would go bankrupt.

I didn't. CocaCola are a corporate entity, they exist to make money. To keep shareholders happy, profits have to be made.

We don't need unions to "protect" the worker these days. Thats what we have Employment Laws about. Unions seek to look out for themselves, and **** everybody else.

I was just pointing out the silliness in your point about making profit-coke would still make a massive profit even if they kept these workers.

As for not needing unions, nonsense. Where do you think these employment laws came about? Most people on this thread giving out about siptu haven't a clue what a union does, and I daresay are not nor never have been represented by a union.

Odysseus

stepbar wrote: »

It is that simple, the private sector pays your wages. Simple as. Unions seem to ignore this basic fact.

That strange so the taxes from the private sector go to pay our wages rather than the state coffers? Where do my taxes go then? it must be so simple that I can't see it. Will you cop on to yourself, do you think I don't pay taxes and that they don't go to the upkeep of the state. Would you like to work for free maybe? Or better still how about I pay to supply my service, would that make you happy?

projectmayhem

Odysseus wrote: »

And aren't coke going against the Labour Courts recommendations whilst I don't claim to understand the employment legalities but where is the protection in that. What is the point of having a Labour Court when the company can just say fcuk it to the recommendations?

Surely the answer you're looking for is in the word "recommendation"

Sofiztikated

Odysseus wrote: »

And aren't coke going against the Labour Courts recommendations whilst I don't claim to understand the employment legalities but where is the protection in that. What is the point of having a Labour Court when the company can just say fcuk it to the recommendations?

See, the important word in the Labour Court recommendations is the third one. Recommendations.

As in, they are recommended to take a certain course of action, but are not obligated to do so.

I'm the same as you though, I in no way claim to understand all the technical jargon. But **** me, I hate Jack O'Connor and his bolox way of doing things.

Mr Benevolent

CocaCola are standing up to the unions and operating within the law. Fcuk the unions, they need to be shown that their power is not unlimited. Look at Ryanair, the most famous publicly listed non-union company in Ireland. Compared them to their unionised competitors, Aer Lingus. Spot the difference. Ryanair are efficient, profitable and expanding. Aer Lingus are bloated, unprofitable and shedding huge numbers of jobs.

Also, I find it ironic that the union's main supporter on this thread is a HSE worker .

Odysseus

Sofiztikated wrote: »

See, the important word in the Labour Court recommendations is the third one. Recommendations.

As in, they are recommended to take a certain course of action, but are not obligated to do so.

I'm the same as you though, I in no way claim to understand all the technical jargon. But **** me, I hate Jack O'Connor and his bolox way of doing things.

But where is this workers protection you speak of then? That's my point I understand the concept of recommendation, but what the point of having a labour court if it can only recommend, it offers as much protection as a toothless dog

Sofiztikated

brianthebard wrote: »

I was just pointing out the silliness in your point about making profit-coke would still make a massive profit even if they kept these workers.

As for not needing unions, nonsense. Where do you think these employment laws came about? Most people on this thread giving out about siptu haven't a clue what a union does, and I daresay are not nor never have been represented by a union.

Yes, they make a massive profit. Thats what a good Multinational corporation does. However, if they cave in to Irish workers demands, thats less profit. Then English workers may do the same. Even less profit. French, German, Bangladeshi, it can snowball, and suddenly, massive profits turn into meagre returns.

And as pointed out before, if a company doesn't please the shareholders, then the directors are in trouble.

segaBOY

Why are we protecting over paid unskilled work? It is obvious that these guys are getting way too overpaid for what they do, breading inefficiency not only in Coca-Cola but the whole economy in general by keeping overinflated wages high and meaning that other sectors have no choice but to pay above the odds too. This is damaging our competitiveness and economy as a whole.

We can't let unions run this country to the ground. Stand up and make the rational voice be counted for once. SIPTU are just another part of what is wrong with the Irish economy.

stepbar

Odysseus wrote: »

That strange so the taxes from the private sector go to pay our wages rather than the state coffers? Where do my taxes go then? it must be so simple that I can't see it. Will you cop on to yourself, do you think I don't pay taxes and that they don't go to the upkeep of the state. Would you like to work for free maybe? Or better still how about I pay to supply my service, would that make you happy?

Ok, who pays for your net wage? The private sector. Every penny.

I don't expect that you work for nothing but I do expect that you acknowledge this basic fact. The Unions seem to have a problem grasping this basic concept.

brian ireland

Siptu are a shower of muppets to be honest. What are coke offering??

Odysseus

Confab wrote: »

CocaCola are standing up to the unions and operating within the law. Fcuk the unions, they need to be shown that their power is not unlimited. Look at Ryanair, the most famous publicly listed non-union company in Ireland. Compared them to their unionised competitors, Aer Lingus. Spot the difference. Ryanair are efficient, profitable and expanding. Aer Lingus are bloated, unprofitable and shedding huge numbers of jobs.

Also, I find it ironic that the union's main supporter on this thread is a HSE worker .

I actually have little time for unions, anytime I had a dispute I found them useless. I am not a member of that union, I am only partaking of this thread for two reasons, a family member is one of those strikers, and the second was I found it unusal that as they are they private sector it turned into the usual attack on the public sector.

I starting to think that anyone who states I'm overpaid just because I work for the HSE should justifiy it by stating their earning, qualifications and experience that entitle them to their wage in the private sector. People I studied with who work for themselves or in the private sector earn more that I do in most cases. I am still in regular contact with alot of them that is how I know that.