‘Dissident contractors’ spark electricians’ anger

THE High Court in Dublin granted an injunction this week to stop a Labour Court hearing that may bring a pay rise to 10,000 electricians.
A newly-formed employers’ group, the National Electrical Contractors Ireland (NECI), has argued that it was not party to the negotiations which secured the Registered Employment Agreement that sets the electricians rates of pay in the 26 Counties. The agreement has already been approved by the Labour Court and was negotiated by another employers’ body, the Association of Electrical Contractors in Ireland, and the Electrical Contractors’ Association. The latter employs the majority of contracted electricians in the state.
If the contractors’ body’s challenge is successful it could have major implications for other trades workers whose pay rates are subject to the same type of pay agreement.
The Technical Electrical and Engineering Union (TEEU) has accused the “maverick employers” of attempting to undermine a state-wide agreement to defer paying workers a rise which they are entitled to.
Dan Miller, Assistant General Secretary of the TEEU, said:
“Maverick employers are showing gross disrespect to our union, the courts and over 10,000 workers by their efforts to frustrate a tried and tested system for setting pay and conditions in the electrical contracting industry.”

EMPLOYMENT BREACHES
Speaking about the NECI he said:
“This organisation, which does not even have a negotiating licence, obtained an injunction on Friday that was only served on the Labour Court late that evening, long after the close of business, and was only received by us at 9am this morning, an hour before the Labour Court was due to sit.
“As far as we are concerned it is an attempt by a group of dissident electrical contractors to frustrate a system that has worked well for over 60 years in meeting the needs of workers and employers in the industry.
“It is no coincidence that some of these contractors have been found to be in breach of employment rights legislation. For instance, in one recent case a contractor was found to owe €211,277 in arrears of pay to its employees and had not paid another €64,271 in pension contributions.”
The case is awaiting further hearing at the High Court and the TEEU executive is meeting (as An Phoblacht is published) on Thursday to consider holding a strike ballot in the event that the increases under the pay agreement are not paid.

Trade unions welcome rejection of Lisbon

A RANGE of trade unions has welcomed the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
Unite Irish Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly said:
“We read the treaty, we considered how the European Court was likely to use it to further economic rights at the expense of social rights and this should point to a greater prominence for the rights of all the people of Europe taking precedence now that Europe’s political leaders are being forced to draw breath.”
TEEU (Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union) General Secretary Designate Eamon Devoy also welcomed the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
“The TEEU favours a social Europe but, unfortunately, recent key judgments by the European Court of Justice show that the pendulum has swung against workers’ rights and in favour of big business. In the circumstances it would be foolish to provide the institutions of the European Union with any more power.
“Our concerns were heightened by the refusal of the Government to give any commitment to SIPTU to vindicate the right to collective bargaining of Irish workers if they voted for the treaty.
“Until such time as the Irish Government is prepared to recognise the right of workers to collective bargaining and the concomitant right to organise and take industrial action in defence of their living standards, the TEEU will not support institutional reforms that only strengthen big business.”

HSE jobs to go in cutbacks

JOBS and various healthcare services are to be cut in Dublin and mid-Leinster by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The IMPACT trade union said its members have been told the cutbacks will be made over the next few months.
Officials from the trade union met with senior managers from the HSE earlier this week about the long-running dispute between IMPACT and the HSE over the cutbacks.
Kevin Callinan of IMPACT said that members are determined to resist any further cutbacks but are realistic about the chances of a satisfactory outcome.
“Health workers were bound to be sceptical of an early resolution, not least because the HSE’s staffing restrictions remain in place four months after the Labour Court ruled they were in breach of Towards 2016, the social partnership agreement.”
IMPACT has stated that substantial job cuts are planned in Crumlin Children’s Hospital and the Dublin and Mid-Leinster community health services.