Overwhelming vote to extend dispute

July 6th: Unite, which represents 90% of crane operators in Ireland, today  announced that it has served notice of industrial action on the Construction Industry Federation following a near unanimous vote by members to extend their industrial action, which to date has only involved crane operators employed by agencies or firms outside the CIF.

Commenting, Unite Regional Officer for Construction Tom Fitzgerald said:

“The fact that our members voted almost unanimously to extend their industrial action to relevant CIF sites is a reflection of their frustration at the CIF’s refusal to engage meaningfully with us in respect of crane operators’ legitimate demands.  Our members are determined to pursue all avenues open to them in pursuit of pay rises which reflect their level of skill and responsibility.

“This action comes at a time when profits per employee in the construction have more than doubled since 2012, while construction wages remain below 2004 levels in real terms.

“It is in the interests of both CIF members and their workers to ensure that construction jobs are decent jobs paying decent wages”, Tom Fitzgerald concluded.