Plans for a series of one-day strikes intended to close down large building sites have been criticised by employers who say the union involved agreed a multiyear deal on pay just eight months ago.
Unite, the union which represents plumbers, fitters and welders on construction sites across the State, says it is seeking the restoration of a travel allowance worth more than 12 per cent of pay.
The allowance was discontinued more than a decade ago as a measure related to challenges faced by the sector in the wake of the financial crash.
The union says the move was supposed to be reviewed but this never happened.
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It has announced that it will serve notice of industrial action this week on employers who are members of the Mechanical Engineering and Building Services Contractors’ Association (Mebsca) after 90 per cent of members voted in favour of a strike.
The initial intention, it said, is to stage a number of one-day stoppages at some larger construction sites but excluding sites where new homes are being built, the union said.
In a statement on Monday, Mebsca said it was “extremely disappointed” by the proposed action.
“It is only eight months since Mebsca entered into an agreement with Unite which will yield pay increases for Unite members of 12.7 per cent. Unite is now seeking to double this increase despite the fact that this agreement does not expire until May 2026,” the group said.
It said no other union was seeking increases during the lifetime of the agreement.
Mebsca argues that the travel allowance at the heart of the dispute was incorporated into basic pay in 2011 as part of an agreement that “had the effect of increasing the hourly rate which also resulted in a higher rate being paid for overtime and holidays”.
“Unite is now seeking to maintain the higher rate of pay while also seeking to reverse the agreement that was freely entered into by Unite at that time,”
The Labour Court previously backed the Mebsca position, saying it could find “no reasonable basis to recommend concession of the claim”.
Unite regional officer James McCabe said that “mechanical employers should be in no doubt regarding our members’ determination to have this cut reversed”, adding that employers should prepare for “significant disruption” if a “meaningful offer” was not made.
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