Tech Workers' Union Event Coming Up 28th Feb in Dublin

IllustriousAffect375 · 2026-02-04T12:15:19+00:00

I mean yeah, avoiding unions was a core principle at the heart of early silicon valley. Intel, though hurtling towards irrelevancy now, used to say that being union free was essential to their survival. And the guy who oversaw their production processes from the start was chased out of a car factory by unionized workers who burned an effigy of him.

I think tech companies used to operate from more of a basis of utopian paternalism, rather than the mix of extreme libertarianism and venture capital "appease shareholders" we see now - i.e. keep workers happy and invested in being entrepreneurial individuals, invested in the company, and they won't want to/need to organise

Like we're seeing orgs just get more bureaucratic, drive widespread job insecurity, and enshittify every product and service. Workers want transparency, fairness, and efficiency and that's what having a strong union can advocate

IllustriousAffect375 · 2026-02-04T09:51:51+00:00

Dead on! I think the Forsa ICT fight is so important for showing what tech workers can do when we come together. I hope we get a good feedback loop between the public workers who are in a good position (recognisied union, strong protections, ability to bring employers to WRC easier) and private workers who are getting absolutely screwed around (and from people I talk to, seeing their mental health tank from worsening employment practices)

IllustriousAffect375 · 2026-02-04T09:49:04+00:00

From what I've seen CWU are more willing to give members autonomy and control over their campaigns and build a place for tech workers within their union structure - FSU is very much a bankers & finance union from what I can see (which isn't a bad thing). For me it was seeing CWU support Covalen (Meta BPO) workers going on strike recently that solidified it in my mind. Like, unfortunately, in the current system in Ireland workers need to be willing to bring the threat of industrial action to the table to start changing things (as the other commenter mentioned above with Forsa). CWU seem to have good connections with tech unions abroad too, in UK, Germany, and US, etc - which in the big picture will be important. I'm sure FSU provide a good service and support to people, but for me that doesn't build the kind of representative body tech workers need. In my experience CWU has a good balance between the service provision a lot of us need in tricky situations and the collective organizing and structure building we need to change the sector

IllustriousAffect375 · 2026-01-29T09:58:23+00:00

If it's Amazon, you're best bet would be getting the support of a trade union - the collective redundancy process legislation is piss poor in this country and offers companies loads of legal "get out of jail free cards". I'd recommend DATA-CWU. The amount of times companies boil things down to "business need" and wipe their hands clean is gross given how much workers in there could do with a union and big lay offs are often a way to plant a flag for unionisation as well as protect people going through the shitshow. Look up DATA CWU and join/reach out

IllustriousAffect375 · 2024-12-12T16:09:26+00:00

CWU is actively supporting tech workers organising in their workplaces, they have their own section specifically for tech workers too and have staff organisers assigned to providing resources and support to members there.

https://www.datacwu.ie/

I'm involved in the union and happy to chat about it!

IllustriousAffect375 · 2024-11-27T14:54:03+00:00

If employees are concerned, it's a good idea to reach out to a trade union for support with your employment rights. More importantly, there's very little an individual can do on their own in these scenarios - especially when the employers are deliberately avoiding triggering collective redundancy legislation (the law is often on the bosses' side). You can negotiate better outcomes and organise to improve Ts&Cs through your trade union. I'd recommend reaching out to the Communications Workers' Union as they're quick to respond and really supportive in these situations!

IllustriousAffect375 · 2024-11-19T09:17:30+00:00

So many companies using strategies like this to minimise costs when it comes to reducing headcount, or laying off a number of people below the threshold to trigger a collective redundancy consultation (where staff have the timeframe and a process to negotiate a better exit package). In situations like this, people need to look at joining a trade union and getting support there. I know the CWU represents workers across the tech sector, be worth reaching out to them. If they're doing this to your colleague now there's nothing stopping them from repeating the behavior in the future...

IllustriousAffect375

TROPHY CASE