Nolan drivers fight strike by Juliet Parish • Drivers working
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for strike-hit Nolan Transport blockaded a main road in the Irish Republic last week—in support of their employer.
The 14 drivers used their artics to block the main road between Rosslare habour and Cork last Thursday to demonstrate against workmates who are striking to win union recognition. Nolan management says the strike could kill off the company.
The four-hour blockade at New Ross was designed to demonstrate that, unlike the pickets, the demonstrators are happy with their pay and do not want union recognition for the 75 workers.
But all they managed to do was to give themselves adverse publicity, says the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union: "They shot themselves in the foot by bringing media attention to the heart of the problem which management does not want to talk about—and that is their pay," says SIPTU branch official Tony Ayton. He claims that in another attempt to thwart the industrial action last week some of the eight pickets were assaulted. Nobody was hurt but Ayton says that if police do not press charges he will take the case to a civil court.
The drivers were in their second week of picketing as Commercial Motor went to press on Tuesday, defying a threat of High Court action. They are determined not to return to work until the union is recognised and until two drivers who were sacked after trying to win SIPTU recognition are re-instated.
Only eight of 30 SIPTU members at Nolan are picketing, but the action is taking its toll on the County Wexford-base haulier.
A number of its customers have postponed deals, claims Ayton.
A cable manufacturer which generally used Nolan for 16 collections a week has suspended the work: "We don't want pickets at our gates and we don't want to escalate the situation," it says.