Electricians strike hits Corrib

Electricians strike hits Corrib gas site


Áine Ryan

HALF the workers on the largest construction site in the country, the Corrib gas refinery site at Bellanaboy, passed the picket implemented yesterday morning by the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU).
The TEEU has confirmed that hundreds of workers, including lorry drivers, refused to pass the picket which started at 5,30am.
Shell has confirmed that there are 1,000 workers still employed on the refinery site, whose three entrances were picketed by up to 200 TEEU members until lunchtime yesterday.
Speaking to The Mayo News, a picketer said while those taking strike action ‘would have preferred if these workers didn’t pass the picket’, he understood that ‘a lot of them cannot officially go on strike’.
“I don’t feel too good about the demand for the pay increase because of the recession everybody has to take some of the pain. But I am concerned that some employers want to tear-up the Registered Employment Agreement which will erode our rights and introduce semi-skilled workers,” the source said. 
He gave little hope for an early resolution even though various moves were afoot for talks.
The TEEU announced yesterday it is set to apply to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) for an all out strike at locations where it is in dispute to further ‘consolidate the support’ already being given by other workers.
Over 10,000 electricians staged yesterday’s strike in a dispute over pay, after the collapse of talks at the Labour Relations Commission over the weekend.
The electricians are looking for an 11.3 per cent increase which they claim is overdue. On the other hand, employers say their claim is unrealistic in the current economic climate and have sought a 10 per cent pay cut.
Tánaiste and Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment, Mary Coughlan has appealed to union representatives and electrical contractors to hold further talks.
The country's largest trade union, SIPTU, has backed the strikers.
Pickets were also placed on hundreds of other construction sites throughout the country. Two of the more high-profile projects  include Terminal Two at Dublin Airport and the Lansdowne Road stadium projects.