Pickets were effective and strong at Leixlip’s Intel site. People Before Profit Representives and activists – like Paul Murphy TD and Mark Kerins- were there in support. We asked if talks were starting and how the fight is going.
Unite had held off on strikes last week in the hopes that the employer group MEBSCA would meet them at the table to get Travel Time back on the Sectoral Employment Order. MEBSCA said they would have done so if the union Connect would also join the talks. Connect did not so the talks did not materialise. Most on the picketers thought this suited the employer group’s strategy. MEBSCA don’t want to re-instate Travel Time. Any delay to talks would be seen as welcome. So the fight has to continue.
In advance of today’s picket, workers learned some managers planned to come in as early as 5am to avoid today’s pickets which technically started at a minute past midnight. At 5am the pickets were on the gates in force
While we were there, people stopped to talk with the picketers holding up traffic on the road for a kilometre in both directions from the site gates. Many went past. Some stopped and turned away from the site to avoid crossing the picket, notably delivery drivers. Others came took a picture of the picket and sent it to their managers saying ‘no’ they wouldn’t cross. Others simply took the day off.
A picket meeting followed the main morning entrance rush. Officials, organisers, and reps discussed how the action would be continued if the workers wanted to keep up the fight. The answer was a resounding Yes. Over 90% had voted to start the strike for Travel Time. There was no surprise that these members straight off a successful picket wanted to keep going. Pickets will be on Mondays and Fridays but the locations and target companies will change. The picketers seem more than up for a continued fight. The strike continues.
