The petition now stands at 432 signatures.
Clare Daly TD has issued a press release in support of our campaign.
We have had articles published in SIPTU’s Liberty newspaper and The Irish Echo, a leading Irish-American publication.
Please continue to follow our campaign on this blog, on our Facebook page Wilson Pickets, and on Twitter @WilsonWorker1.
Thank you all for your support so far.
Serious questions are raised by the minimal and unhelpful answer given by Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to a question about the failure of Ebsco to abide by the Labour Court recommendation in favour of the ex-H.W. Wilson workers made redundant by Ebsco.
Replying to a parliamentary question from his Fine Gael colleague South Kerry TD Brendan Griffin, Minister Bruton confined himself to reminding the questioner of the voluntary nature of Labour Court recommendations. The minister explained, not for the first time, that neither he nor the Labour Court could compel companies to abide by the court’s recommendations.
This is a curious answer, since the minister must think that Deputy Griffin, if he assumes that such compulsion is possible, knows very little about the Labour Court. As Minister Bruton undoubtedly knows very well, though, neither Deputy Griffin nor the ex-Wilson workers are unaware of the voluntary character of Labour Court recommendations.
The obvious follow-up question, to which the minister offered no hint of an answer, is, now that we know what you can’t do to help us, what can you do? If the answer is nothing, then are there questions to be asked about allowing vital labour arbitration mechanisms to remain voluntary?
Perhaps the minister’s position is that it would be inappropriate for him to get involved in a labour dispute. This claim would conflate two very different things, though: While it would obviously be inappropriate for the minister to comment on a Labour Court case before it is decided, this surely does not mean that legislators must remain neutral on the question of whether or not a Labour Court recommendation, once issued, should be respected. Minister Bruton’s “answer” to Deputy Griffin seems to remain neutral between those who are refusing to abide by a Labour Court recommendation, on the one hand, and those who are seeking to have it upheld, on the other. Is the minister saying that disrespecting the Labour Court is just as valid as abiding by its recommendations? This is what he seems to imply when he says that the responsibility for settling a dispute rests with the parties involved, even when the Labour Court has already issued its recommendation in relation to that dispute. The implication is that the party defying the recommendation is no more in the wrong than the party seeking to have the recommendation upheld.
At the very least, we’d like to know what the minister’s government colleagues in the Labour Party have to say about this!
Some of the signatories of our petition have personal knowledge of or experience with EBSCO. Here are their reasons for signing:
I purchase EBSCO databases for a college library. I am a proud member of American Federation of Teachers – Massachusetts, as are many of our faculty, staff, and mid-level professionals. I am proud to be Union and glad to show my support for these Irish workers. Solidarity! – Maida Tilchen
Ebsco hosting was used by college students in the United States at our library so I know this company can afford to pay their workers. Imagine all the colleges who paid their access fees? That is Trillions of dollars and British Sterling. Pay your workers, Ebsco. Reinstate their jobs. – James Hoffman
As a former employee of H.W. Wilson and customer of EBSCO, I’m appalled by the treatment of the Wilson’s workers. – Denis Condon
I am embarrased to be a client of a company that would treat its employees this way, especially a company whose main mission is to serve the public. – Jeffrey Brigham
As a college student in the United States, and with myself and a number of my peers facing down a future of paying tuition and credit card debt after graduation, one tends to relate to the little guy. As we are the future, perhaps this company should heed the adage of being careful on who they step on, on their way to the top. – David Clarke
An open letter to Harold Regan, former director, president, and CEO of The H. W. Wilson Company:
Dear Mr. Regan,
I’m writing to you as one of your former employees. I worked in the Readers Guide department of H. W. Wilson in Dublin. As an abstract writer and assistant editor, I didn’t have much interaction with you, but I do remember your presence at my interview, back in 1995. As I recall, you played “good cop” to George Lewicky’s “bad cop” during the questioning. This was my first big interview and only my second job since I finished college, so I was quite intimidated and consequently grateful for your softer approach.
Over the many years I worked at H. W. Wilson, I would occasionally glimpse you and other high-level executives when you visited from New York. The word that filtered down to us was that New York was very happy with our work; we were productive, thrifty, and loyal employees who produced high-quality abstracts and took pride in our work. Even when the company was restructured a few years ago, we struggled to maintain those high standards in the face of cost-cutting and outsourcing.
It was therefore quite a shock when we heard that EBSCO Publishing was acquiring H. W. Wilson and that we were all to be made redundant. Even more shocking was the way we were treated – we felt as if Wilson’s had turned its back on us after years of loyal service. EBSCO provided the legal minimum for our redundancy payments, despite the Irish Labour Court’s recommendation that we receive twice that amount and despite the fact that 60 percent of the figure was claimed back from the Irish government.
For the sake of your former employees, I am asking you to urge EBSCO to abide by the Irish Labour Court’s recommendation.
Please, Mr. Regan, be the good cop.
Yours sincerely,
Colette Willis
Clare Daly supports struggle of sacked HW Wilson workers for justice.
After Vita Cortex, La Senza and Game employers know that this government won’t lift a finger to defend workers’ rights.
”The struggle by 19 former employees of HW Wilson for the enhanced redundancy terms recommended by the Labour Court following the closure of that firm in Ireland is the latest example of employers showing two fingers to the industrial relations machinery of the state in which this government tells working people they should have faith when workplace conflicts emerge.
The non-unionised US based firm closed after being taken over by Ebsco discarding a workforce who have served an average of 13 years in the company. The Labour Court recommended a modestly enhanced redundancy package of four weeks pay per year’s service, inclusive of the statutory minimum of two weeks, to help soften the blow of being made unemployed.
The company have taken a high handed approach of not engaging with the workers. After the experience of Vita Cortex, La Senza and Game questions are legitimately being asked as to why this government won’t lift a finger to defend workers rights. The conclusion will rapidly be drawn by workers that the Labour Court is a paper tiger and that people will have to resort to more traditional militant tactics that helped us achieve what rights we have in the first place in order to obtain our rights today.
My office will do everything we can to publicise this case and back the workers in their struggle for justice.”
An article in the latest issue of SIPTU’s Liberty newspaper:
Ex H.W. Wilson workers redouble efforts to secure payouts
FORMER employees of US publisher H. W. Wilson have called on new owners Ebsco to honour a Labour Court recommendation on redundancy payments.
The 19 workers, who lost their jobs when the long-established firm closed its Dublin offices, are using a range of means – from public protests to social media – to highlight their fight for justice. US corporation Ebsco offered the workers the legal minimum of two weeks pay per year of service but the Labour Court recommended that employees should receive double that amount. Ebsco will recoup 60% of any payment from the Irish state and is continuing to publish and market products under the H. W. Wilson brand.
The former H.W. Wilson employees have sought help from other workers and trade unions and have underlined the general principle that Labour Court recommendations should be respected. Their campaign can be followed on Facebook [WilsonPickets], on Twitter [@WilsonWorker1] and on a campaign blog [wilsonpicketdotcom.wordpress.com]. The ex-Wilson staff also plan to protest at an “information day” Ebsco is holding at Clontarf Castle on Tuesday, 15th May.
Supporting the workers’ stand, NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said: “What has happened here is a disgrace. Ebsco should honour the ruling of the Labour Court. H.W. Wilson took part in the hearing and failed to convince the Labour Court that workers should only receive the legal minimum redundancy. “It follows that the determination of the Labour Court should be respected. The new owners have a moral obligation to the workers, only a handful of whom were union members, since H.W. Wilson had refused workers the right to collective representation. “This case clearly illustrates the need for urgent legal reform in the area of employment rights and the absolute imperative for legal recognition of the right to collective representation.”
The petition now stands at 413 signatures.
Senator David Norris has emailed Ebsco CEO Tim Collins on our behalf and promised to raise the issue in the Seanad given an appropriate opportunity.
Senator David Cullinane has also emailed Tim Collins and has pointed out that “… of course you are right to continue to demand what is just and proper, particularly in a context where a company such as Ebsco is still trading and prospering.”
Gerard Gallagher, the Equality Officer of the Union of Students in Ireland, has pledged the support of the union.
Please continue to follow our campaign on this blog, on our Facebook page Wilson Pickets, and on Twitter @WilsonWorker1.
Thank you all for your support so far.
“I’m a serials librarian & my library does a lot of business with EBSCO and (formerly) H.W. Wilson. I’m saddened by this, as EBSCO is a company I like and admire.. sorry to see them behaving in this rapacious manner to loyal employees.” – Robin Hutchinson, Canton, New York.
Multinational corporations have a bad reputation in the current climate, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Consumers don’t like to see companies behaving irresponsibly or unethically. It is always cheering to see a big conglomerate taking the effort to safeguard the environment, or enrich the local community, or uphold workers’ rights, regardless of where those workers happen to be located.
Ebsco has a choice: Abide by the Irish Labour Court’s recommendation, or disappoint customers and citizens worldwide who want to see companies behaving responsibly. Although the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, cannot, for obvious constitutional reasons, involve himself in an industrial-relations issue, his Secretary General, Adrian O’Neill, said that the president “hopes that this dispute can be satisfactorily resolved, with respect for the rights of those involved and the structures for their determination, as quickly as possible.”
Come on Ebsco. Do the right thing.
The Wilson Pickets were most heartened to receive a strong message of support from the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
The union’s equality officer, Gerard Gallagher, confirmed that USI are fully supportive of our campaign and wish us every success in our ongoing battle with Ebsco. Mr. Gallagher went on to say that USI’s leadership have contacted all of the individual USI branches in Ireland’s universities and colleges to ask for their support in the Wilson Pickets’ campaign to get Ebsco to abide by the Irish Labour Court’s recommendation that the ex-H.W. Wilson workers in Dublin should receive not just the minimum redundancy payment allowed under Irish law but also an ex-gratia payment in line with industry norms.
USI’s strong message of support is especially welcome because it shows that those who represent the readers at whom Ebsco is primarily aiming its library and information products are not prepared to remain silent when they see workers’ rights and Irish institutions being disrespected. Perhaps Ebsco have adopted the cynical view that, ultimately, students and other users of Ebsco products will not care enough to challenge a corporation that seeks to sell its products in the Irish market while simultaneously disrespecting Irish workers and the central Irish institution for resolving labour disputes. The impassioned messages of support we are seeing every day suggest otherwise.
The many teachers and lecturers who followed the lead of their trade union, IFUT, in showing solidarity for our campaign have now been joined by the union that represents the interests of the Irish student community. Given that every sector of the third-level educational community in Ireland is now offering us such strong support, Ebsco must realise that the cynical policy of ignoring the ex-H.W. Wilson workers is badly mistaken. Learn from Ireland’s students and teachers: Implement the Labour Court’s recommendation without further delay!
