Capital Dock and Hanover Quay sites of today’s pickets, rolling strikes to continue next week

June 29th: Unite, which represents crane operators, today held the first in a series of rolling strike actions.  The union said that the strong picket at the SISK site in Capital Dock and the Cairn Homes site at Hanover Quay reflected workers’ determination to ensure appropriate recognition for crane operators’ skills and the level of responsibility they carry.

Approximately 20 Unite members are currently on the picket lines, while up to 200 other construction workers have refused to pass the pickets on the two sites.

Commenting, Unite Regional Officer for Construction Tom Fitzgerald said:

“Today is the first in a series of strike days being held by our members in pursuit of pay rises originally proposed by the union in a draft collective agreement submitted to the Construction Industry Federation at the end of April.

“The industrial action being taken by crane operators, starting with today’s actions at SISK and Cairn Homes, follows a failure by employers to engage meaningfully with the union and a ballot of Unite members in the sector which resulted in an overwhelming mandate for industrial action.

“SISK was part of an employers’ delegation which attended the Labour Court on Monday seeking reductions of up to 30% in their workers’ pay – at a time when the company has enjoyed an estimated increase in profits of around 53% over the past two years.

“In our view, it is irresponsible of the Construction Industry Federation and its members to seek reductions in workers’ pay while the industry is booming and generating significant profits.

“The strong picket at SISK in Capital Dock and at Cairn Homes at Hanover Quay today signals our members’ determination to ensure that the recovery in the construction sector is reflected in their wages and conditions.

“Unite members will be holding a General Meeting tomorrow (Friday) to decide the dates and sites for further strike days”, Tom Fitzgerald concluded.