NEWS Top Stories


n By Alex Klemm


solidarity


November brought a landmark win for Unite and four members who had been dismissed by Murphy International, the Irish subsidiary of the Murphy Group, after seeking implementation of nationally-agreed travel and subsistence rates.


The men – dubbed the Murphy Four – had been employed by Murphy International at a site in Aughanish, Co Limerick, but their case soon attracted attention throughout Ireland and beyond as a far-reaching campaign sprung into action.


The campaign, to Reinstate the Murphy Four, was to last over a year


and involve every region of Unite, with protests organised from Cork to Cardiff –and include Unite’s inflatable union-buster rat making appearances at events associated with the engineering group.


Although the campaign focused on a simple demand its execution was anything but simple, requiring meticulous research, planning and coordination.


The campaign soon took on an international dimension, as Unite


for union Result for Unite’s Murphy Four


teamed up with French unions to engage with one of the Murphy group’s potential joint venture partners in a flagship UK project.


Unite organising and leverage director Tayra Lopes-Lister was based in


Ireland during the Murphy Four campaign and recalls some of the challenges involved.


“At one stage organisers were coordinating multiple actions – from protests to petitions – in multiple regions each week,” she said. “What kept the campaign going was the determination of the four lads and the solidarity displayed by Unite members throughout Ireland and Britain.”


Fourteen months after the men were dismissed, the dispute was finally settled following negotiations between Unite and Murphy International. While the exact terms of the settlement remain confidential, an offer of


reinstatement was rejected by the Murphy Four and they received compensation.


Unite general secretary Sharon Graham congratulated the Murphy Four for their determination in standing


5 Unite buildingWORKER Spring 2024


firm and fighting for justice. She said that the successful outcome of the dispute “totally vindicates Unite’s approach of never backing down – but instead giving total and unwavering support to our Unite reps.


“We left no stone unturned to secure the vindication of our members in Ireland who were dismissed by the Murphy group of companies on what Unite believed to be spurious grounds,” Graham noted.


Unite regional secretary Susan Fitzgerald added, “The outcome of


the cases for the ‘Murphy Four’ sends a clear message to employers: Unite will let nothing stand in our way when it comes to defending our members and reps.”


As Tom Power, one of the Murphy Four, put it during the campaign, “The


most important weapon of trade unionism is solidarity, and that is what the Murphy 4 received from every region of Unite the union.”


The successful outcome of the dispute


was a victory for Unite and the Murphy Four, for the trade union movement – and, above all, a victory for solidarity.


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