Coca Cola - The real thing when it comes to respecting workers

Below is an e-mail I received from Pól Ó Deoráin. He had received it from a worker invoved in the current Coca Cola dispute in Dublin. I have also included a video made by the strikers.

The complete disregard that Coca Cola has shown for its employees is reflected across the country in cases such as Tomas Cook, Dublin Docks etc and working people need to stand together, not only to protect jobs, but also pay and conditions.

I strongly believe that what we are seeing now is a taste of what is to come in both the public and private sector and Sinn Féin must continue to stand with workers in such struggles on both sides of the border.





A Chara

A neighbour sent this to me. He is on Strike in Coca Cola


Now entering my fourth week of strike duty at the Coca Cola HBC’s Ballycoolin plant. A day that myself and my 60 work mates thought we would never see. 18 of us with fixed term contracts joined Coca Cola HBC over a year ago with the promise of permanent employment. How wrong were we? How sad and disappointed are we, as most of us left full time employment to join Coca Cola HBC thinking it would be a job for life?

We were notified recently of the company’s proposal to outsource all jobs in distribution. This will affect over 50 people immediately in Dublin. There are also depots in Cork and Tuam to consider who have no futures. 130 people in total will be affected.

SIPTU balloted staff for strike action with an over whelming “YES” majority. However, some of the people who voted in favour of strike have now returned to work. They went from “YES” to looking at us with disgust as they pass our picket each day. Our protest seems to be only a major annoyance to them. Imagine how we feel. What we strike for now will ultimately benefit them in the future. What little thanks as they could be next.

We believe a company who has made over 200 million profit in the first half of this year are most certainly in a position to keep all staff employed. They openly admit that outsourcing is the cheapest way forward, totally at our expense.

We protest about our 45% to 70% pay cuts and loss of pension rights for staff, only if the third party companies offer positions to us. It is supposed to be a transfer of undertaking, where staff are transferred with the same salaries and same pension rights. Pay cuts of that level are totally unacceptable in modern Ireland with such a high cost of living. A long bleak future of unemployment for the unsuccessful. The average 10% pay cut the majority of Irish people had to take would be most welcome.

Gokhan Bilgic managing director of Coca Cola HBC told the staff we had the highest output per man and that we set a high standard for all distribution points to follow. He was very happy, however this was not enough.

This is the first all out strike Coca Cola has seen in its 50 year history in Ireland. Our pickets are 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We fight for the right to be treated fairly and for our hard work to be recognised and appreciated.

Michael Kerrigan, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
September 18, 2009 5:12 PM

Thomas Cook workers arrested - Fight back now!

Today at 5 am the Gardaí smashed the doors at Thomas Cook in Grafton Street and arrested over twenty workers who were occupying the building in protest at the planned immediate closure of the shop and the terms of the redundancy package being offered.

This is a massive move by this state and clearly an attack on working people who dare to fight back against their unfair treatment. Clearly the authorities have seen the massive support given to the Waterford Crystal workers and also the Visteon workers, and have decided to stop this protest now before the people of Dublin have an opportunity to show their support.

I have today contacted the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and I was told they were organising no protest at the court because they were negotiating to stop it going that far. It seems the idea of doing both of these things does not enter their heads.

I have also tried to contact the TSASA, who represent the staff, but their Dublin number keeps ringing out. I then rang their helpling number, based across the water, and they had not even heard their members had been arrested!

So where does that leave us? It leaves us in a position where we have to get to the Four Courts at 2 PM today and show that we support fellow working people who fight for their rights, dignity and demand to be treated fairly. We cannot let this open attack on working people go unanswered, because if we do then things will only get worse. Any worker who dares to say "No, you won't treat me like that" and decides to fight their corner will be open to similar treatment.

For me the government, judiciary, Gardaí and employers are sending out a message. That message is we can shut you down, throw you out of a job whenever we want ,refuse to negotiate with you and you better not try to resist us in any meaningful way.

Well at 2 pm today we shall see if that approach will be accepted by the people of Dublin. So get off your arse, switch off your PC and get to the Four Courts