Happy New Year to Praxis members and to all of our followers!
2024 has been a big year for Praxis, we became affiliated with SIPTU, the largest trade union in Ireland. This now means we are officially recognised as a trade union, meaning that we have the legal powers to bargain on behalf of members for better pay and conditions and to represent you in employment matters at the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission.
The transition to SIPTU affiliation has seen our council members undertake a lot of work and organising, we were thrilled to hire an organiser for the first time who led the transfer process and began mapping out a route for recruiting the majority of artists in Ireland to the union.
2025 promises to be an exciting year for Praxis, with the SIPTU affiliation complete we are ready to grow. We are building an arts community based on solidarity and we will continue to advocate for artists in the workplace, in the arts sector and in the political arena.
We firmly believe that artists should have better pay and working conditions, however our strength is in our numbers. The larger we grow as a union the more power we have to negotiate on behalf of artists. If you are not already a member of Praxis make 2025 the year that you join. If you are already a member, inform your colleagues about Praxis and convince them to become a member, divided we beg, united we bargain!
Finally we would like to call attention to the ongoing genocide in Palestine being perpetrated by the Israeli state and military. At our 2024 AGM there was a unanimous vote in favour of Palestinian solidarity, our solidarity will resolutely continue in 2025. We will continue to forge connections with artists groups, trade unions and organisations which are standing against the genocide and injustices everywhere and to promote protest and solidarity within the arts and beyond.
