Building workers yesterday picketed another Crampton site, without the official backing of their unions, and in defiance of High Court injunctions. More than 100 workers picketed a new hotel site at St Stephen's Green, Dublin, yesterday morning, starting at 7.30 a.m. for approximately two hours.
The picketing, organised by a group called Building Workers Against the Black Economy, is in protest at the company's practice of using sub-contractors rather than direct labour.
A spokesman for the picketers said yesterday that all the major companies employed building workers directly, but Crampton employed sub-contractors.
He said the sub-contractors were refusing to employ them within the PAYE system so that they were paid basic cash in hand and deprived of pensions and holiday pay.
The protesters are also campaigning against the growth of sub-contracting in the construction industry generally.
In the past week the building workers also mounted pickets at the company's £11 million development at Dublin City University in Glasnevin and at a £29 million development at the Smurfit Business School in University College Dublin.
They also picketed a Crampton site in Thomas Street, Dublin.
G.& T. Crampton Ltd, Ballsbridge, Dublin, was granted High Court injunctions arising out of disputes at its sites at DCU and the Belfield Office Park, Clonskeagh.
The injunctions bar the Building and Allied Trade Union from picketing the sites on the basis that the dispute is with individual sub-contractors and should not disrupt other work on the sites.
The union was also found to have failed to comply with proper strike ballot procedures at the DCU site.