Construction unions propose 7.5% wage- cut
national |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report 
Thursday September 09, 2010 10:36
by banbora
Trade unions representing Irish construction workers called for a 7.5 % cut in their members’ wages after meeting in Dublin yesterday.
The seven unions - SIPTU, UCATT, BATU, TEEU, Unite, as well as unions negotiating on behalf of sheet metal workers and plasterers- say the reduction of construction workers’ wages that they are recommending is necessary to save the Registered Employment Agreement (REA), by which the unions and The Construction Industry Federation (CIF), representing employers, regulate wages and conditions in the sector.
The unions’ wage-cut proposal came in response to a threat from the CIF to withdraw unilaterally from the REA unless what they termed a “realistic reduction” in wages of 20% was agreed for the 100,000 workers in the industry. The CIF has now indicated that employers will be prepared to agree to the union’s proposal for a 7.5% cut, which if accepted by workers, will reduce the sector’s current industrial wage of €17 an hour by €1.27.
Fergie Whelan, industrial officer with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, admits that it will be difficult to sell the union plan to workers who have been offered nothing in terms of job security in exchange for accepting the wage-cut proposal. Whelan made clear yesterday that the union leaderships’ priority will be maintaining the harmony they presently enjoy with the CIF - even though the employers are exploiting the current economic slump to push through their offensive against workers’ hard-won wages and conditions in the building industry.
Explaining the unions’ corporatist strategy to reporters after the joint union meeting , SIPTU official Whelan told reporters that what was at stake was , “whether we're going to have an industry which is done by agreement or is done by exploitation and abuse “ .
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4It's like the unions are playing the good cop / bad cop routine with the employers . Either you accept the 7.5 per cent cut we're negotiating on your behalf or else the bosses will impose 20% cuts on you.Why should workers have to accept any cuts?
I have worked in the construction industry for most of my life. I have worked within the REA and through circumstances beyond my control worked outside of the REA.I have worked in the black economy(my dole bringing my wage up to a decent wage). I have been so-called self-employed(a way of not having to pay holiday money, travelling time,overtime, PRSI and pension etc. I have to say the REA is my most favoured.
If as we have and are being told "Its the only deal in town" what will construction worker's get in return?
All through the Celtic tiger years all construction worker's witnessed worker's being exploited and let it happen as they either felt its not effecting them or didn't want to rock the the boat. We(brickies laourer's) with the last firm I worked for tried to right some of the wrongs, we had some success's but management and sub-contractor's are as slippy as wet eel's. there is even more blatant exploitation at present.
Now if the union's are to ask us to accept this wage cut(lots of the major contractor's have already introduced wage cuts). What are they going to demand from the employer's? What I want to see at least is.
1. A visible commitment to direct employment from the main contractor's. This would go a long way to stamp out wrong rates of pay, bogus self-employer and health and safety etc.
2. That all sub-contractor's prove beyond a doubt that their employee's are working within the REA.
These are my two main demands as I do not want to see what has has been happening during my time happening again.
The bureaucrats of the trade union movement now obviously view their role to be one of managing the attacks on workers. Years of partnership between management and union leaders have resulted in a new industrial order with union bureaucrats taking the side of the ruling class and implementing the savage cuts necessary to increase profits and share prices. Little wonder trade union membership has reached record low levels.
is it another sweetheart deal like the imdemify agreement batu boss signed with the cif(cartel) to remove bricklaying contractors off sites at start of the celtic tiger
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