Restaurant Workers Action at Irish Restaurant Awards

Members of the Restaurant and Catering Workers Forum organised an action at the Annual Irish Restaurant Awards, hosted by the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) on the 25th of May 2011. The action called on the Association to stop its attack on workers' minimum wages and conditions. Outside the awards members of the Forum offered gift bags to dinner guests, asking fellow chefs, workers and restaurant owners attending the event to support their call for fair and decent wages and conditions for restaurant workers. Inside the event members organised an action to support this message.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland has continued to call for abolition of the Catering Employment Regulation Order which sets the minimum pay and conditions for restaurant workers. The Catering ERO is one of a number of agreements established to provide protection to workers in sectors of the economy with a particular propensity for exploitation.

The restaurant industry is driving an attack on minimum wage rates and basic protections for workers, while lower-wage workers are struggling to survive. This is not about saving jobs -- the government's recent review of the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) mechanisms has shown that abolishing these minimum standards will not generate jobs. The industry's attack on wages for the lowest-paid workers is shameful. Now, more than ever, we must ensure protections remain in place for those who need them most.

The Restaurant and Catering Workers Forum believes that a successful industry is possible while providing fair and decent conditions for workers.

The Restaurants and Catering Workers Forum is a joint initiative of MRCI and SIPTU.

For more information go to http://www.mrci.ie/our-work/work-labour-migration/

Видео Restaurant Workers Action at Irish Restaurant Awards канала Migrant Rights Centre Ireland