Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Will the Taoiseach agree that any form of social partnership agreement is worthless unless it deals with the actual conditions people face in their workplaces? Will he also agree that there is no so-called social partnership where a system allows workers, in particular the workers in Coca-Cola and dockers previously employed by Marine Terminals Limited, to be treated in the way they have been treated? Will he join me in deploring the actions of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland management in sacking its workers on 8 September last while they were on the picket line? Does he recognise the wider implications for all workers and for industrial relations in the State of the outsourcing by Coca-Cola of the jobs of 130 SIPTU members at the warehousing and distribution centres in Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Waterford and Tuam? Will he further deplore - I did not hear him say this when answering questions earlier - the company's failure to abide by the Labour Court's findings and the company's determination, despite it being a highly profitable one, to dump jobs and to drive down wages and conditions? Will he join me in commending South Dublin County Council which, on the proposal of a former Deputy, Councillor Seán Crowe, voted to boycott all Coca-Cola products until the dispute is settled? All parties, including the Taoiseach's, supported that motion. Will the Taoiseach join me in making the same call for the Houses of the Oireachtas to boycott Coca-Cola products as a symbol of our determination to ensure the labour relations mechanisms are upheld in Ireland given the times we are in?

Will the Taoiseach also deplore the actions of Marine Terminals Limited, which is implementing forced redundancies and introducing new "take it or leave it" contracts, reducing wages and severely worsening the working conditions in this area? Is he aware that more than 60 workers have been on strike there for a number of months and that the management has imported scab labour and heavy handed security from Britain to try to enforce its vision of social partnership? What value is social partnership if employers can act with impunity in these ways?

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