Crane drivers stop work

Dublin's building site cranes came to a standstill yesterday as more than 200 crane drivers met in SIPTU headquarters in Liberty…

Dublin's building site cranes came to a standstill yesterday as more than 200 crane drivers met in SIPTU headquarters in Liberty Hall to voice their grievances on conditions and pay.

SIPTU construction secretary Mr Eric Fleming said that the "information meeting" had been called primarily to protest that issues of health and safety were not being addressed by employers.

Also high on the agenda was a 65 per cent increase in the hourly rate of pay and improvements in their pension scheme. The Construction Industry Federation expressed anger that so many drivers had walked off site while negotiations were going on.