Building workers protested outside Mountjoy Prison in Dublin last night over the High Court's jailing of two colleagues. There are threats of stoppages in sympathy at some city building sites today.
The jailed men, Mr William Rogers and Mr Dave McMahon, both from Tallaght, were arrested on a picket line during an unofficial dispute at a site in Merrion Road. They were protesting against alleged black economy practices in the construction industry. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions last night rejected the use of the courts to jail picketing workers.
The Democratic Left TD for the constituency, Mr Pat Rabbitte, urged all sides involved in the dispute to address the issues involved to facilitate the men's release.
"I do not believe that the use of court injunctions to jail workers is an appropriate way to seek a resolution to difficult industrial disputes," Mr Rabbitte said. There was now widespread pressure on building workers to accept subcontractor status, he said, which denied them rights to conditions available to PAYE workers.
The Socialist Party TD, Mr Joe Higgins, left the Dail in protest yesterday when the Ceann Comhairle refused to allow a question on the jailings.
An ad-hoc group representing most unions in the industry, Building Workers Against the Black Economy, said yesterday the Merrion Road dispute arose after two bricklayers were removed from a Capel Development project on the site of the old British Embassy on the grounds that they were not properly insured and were not fully qualified bricklayers.
A spokesman for Capel Development categorically denied there were black economy operations on its Merrion Road site.
The High Court issued committal orders for Mr McMahon and Mr Rogers for picketing the site in violation of an injunction.
ICTU begins a health and safety initiative today in co-operation with construction employers. Work will stop on building sites between noon and 1 p.m. as workers are told of the safety measures they should adopt on site. This year, 18 people have died on building sites in the Republic.