Employers warned refusal to engage puts stability of sector at risk

Unite members working as plumbers, fitters, welders and apprentices are set to down tools tomorrow (Friday) in a second day of action to secure the reversal of the austerity-era cut to ‘travel time’. 

Official pickets will be placed from 00.01 am to 11.59 pm tomorrow (Friday 13 September) on four construction sites where members of the Mechanical Engineering & Building Services Contractors’ Association (MEBSCA) are carrying out works, including two flagship Pfizer projects in Grange Castle and Ringaskiddy (see note to editors).

Last month Unite mechanical members voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in pursuit of restoration of the first hour of ‘travel time’, which was cut in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. Unite served notice of industrial action on MEBSCA members after talks with the group and its parent organisation, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), broke down as a result of the employers’ refusal to engage.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “MEBSCA employers and the CIF should be under no illusions regarding our members’ determination to secure a reversal of this shameful cut. If the employers want to resolve this dispute, they need to engage with Unite and make a meaningful offer”.

Restoration of the first hour of ‘travel time’ would mean a significant increase in pay for mechanical construction workers at a time of ongoing cost-of-living pressures.

Unite’s Irish secretary Susan Fitzgerald warned: “Last Friday Unite members on picket lines around the country were heartened by the support shown by other grades and trades. The employers’ refusal to engage with our members’ demands is putting the long-term stability of the sector at risk”.