A-Infos (en) Ireland, Organise: Third Rally in Solidarity with Obsidian and Echo 5 (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The third rally took place in solidarity with the sacked workers from 
Obsidian and Echo Piercing Studios in Belfast at 2pm on Sunday 14th 
June. Members of Organise! IWA and our Piercing Industry Union were 
joined by other Union members from Belfast and beyond. --- The five 
young workers, 4 women and one trans man, were sacked on April 30th in 
what, a speaker from Organise! IWA informed the rally "was clearly 
revenge for winning a health and safety dispute". We also heard from 
Gray, one of the sacked workers, who described longrunning issues with 
victimisation, no reasonable adjustment by the management for a chronic 
health condition and the arbitrary withdrawal of apprenticeships as 
"punsihment". These and other collective issues prompted the workers to 
get organised, start discussinng their concerns (which of course their 
employer did not like) and attempt to get them addressed collectively. 
The workers joined Organise! IWA and set up their own Piercing Union and 
requested a collective meeting with management.

As this developed the workers became aware of the seriousness of not 
having been fully vaccinated against Hepatitus B in a working 
environment in which they were routinely exposed to bodily fluids. As 
their employer continued to refuse to move on any concerns - including 
their safety - the workers removed themselves from an unsafe working 
environment on Saturday 7th of March. Simultaneously the Belfast 
International Working Women's Day parade was making it's way through the 
city centre. Just over two weeks later, on Friday 20th March, the 
workers were invited back to work in roles that guaranteed their safety, 
"focused on non-piercing or non-fitting tasks," with no loss of pay for 
reduced roles. They also received pay for the shifts they would have 
worked had they not been forced to remove themselves from an unsafe 
working environment. Antibody tests and vaccination appointments took 
place on the 24th and 26th of March and the issue with vaccinations 
resolved. This was a significant victory.

However it was a victory that would not go unpunished. The first 
fulltime workers started returned to work on Thursday 26th and Monday 
30th of March followed by part-time workers as their shifts were 
rostered. The final part-time worker, Sofia, returned to work in her 
part shop floor role on the 1st April, having been told to expect a back 
to work interivew and "retraining". Instead Sofia was left to cover the 
managers lunch. On the managers return she was handed a letter informing 
her she was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation that could 
result in dismissal! Over the next day or two the entire non-management 
staff of Obsidian and Echo Piercing Studios received the same letter.

Disciplinaries were arranged with the employer and her HR company 
Peninsula HR to accomodate representation from Organise! IWA. Twenty 
minutes into the first disciplinary thaat representation was declared 
"not legal" and kicked out of the online meeting. Under threat of 
deciding the findings without them one worker went ahead with his 
disciplinary under protest and the other workers submitted written 
responses. They were allowed no opportunity to arrange alternative 
representation and their protests about the legality or Peninsula HR's 
actions were ignored. With new staff already employed the workers were, 
unsurprisingly found guilty of gross misconduct and sacked on the eve of 
May Day. Their request for appeals have been ignored - contrary to the 
company's own disciplinary procedure and Labour Relations Agency guidance.

As at previous rallies speakers reminded those gathered in solidarity 
and passersby that the ex workers have called for a boycott of Echo and 
Obsidian Piercing Studios, that the case is being brought to tribunal 
and that we will be protesting outside Obsidian Piercing Studio until 
the workers have won reinstatement.

To help keep the dispute going and to alleviate the hardship these young 
workers are facing as a result of their vengeful and unfair dismissals 
we also urge supporters to contribute to their crowdfunder

https://organiseanarchistsireland.com/third-rally-in-solidarity-with-obsidian-and-echo-5/
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