Bricklayers are to mount a mass picket on the 200-acre Park West site in Dublin this morning in a dispute over direct labour. The employer, P.J. Doherty (Derry) Ltd, is one of the few major contractors in the city which has not yet reached agreement with the Building and Allied Trades Union (BATU) on the use of direct labour.
The site is owned by Harcourt Developments, whose chairman is Mr Pat Doherty and whose high-profile board includes the actor and RTE presenter, Mr Mike Murphy, and the chairman of ICC bank, Mr Phil Flynn. Mr Flynn is a former president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and former general secretary of IMPACT.
BATU members claim that the contractor is failing to honour the registered employment agreement (REA) for the sector in relation to direct labour. They are also alleging that some sub-contractors on site are making "cash in hand" payments to workers who want to be employed on a PAYE basis.
BATU officials say they have been threatened on the site and have received threatening phone calls. One union official is understood to have lodged a complaint with the Garda in Ronanstown over the incidents. Union members have expressed concern over health and safety conditions at the site.
The Irish Business and Employers Confederation has told BATU that it should seek resolution of the problems "at industry rather than company level".
The company "rejects absolutely" allegations of "cash in hand" payments at Park West, says IBEC. It also says it is not aware of any threats to union officers or officials.