Pressure is mounting on a local authority to scrap plans to lease vacant council houses to housing charities after Siptu opposed the move last night.

A trade union has expressed serious concerns about a local authority’s plans to lease some of the vacant social houses it can’t afford to repair to voluntary housing agencies who could do the work.

Plasterers picketed a major housing regeneration scheme yesterday and demanded tighter controls on subcontractors working on public projects.

A KERRY construction company has been ordered to pay five years’ worth of contributions totalling up to €160,000 to its workers’ pension and sickness scheme in a ruling by the Labour Court.

GREEDY sub-contractors are fuelling tensions by hiring cheap, foreign labour, an outspoken TD claimed yesterday.

CORK’S city manager vowed last night to root out rogue contractors working on public projects who were found to be flouting agreed rates and conditions.

UNION officials who exposed widespread immigrant abuses last week were in Poland yesterday on a fact-finding mission.

UNION officials who exposed widespread immigrant abuses last week were in Poland yesterday on a fact-finding mission.

WORKERS at Gama have voted overwhelmingly in favour of official strike action following a month-long series of unofficial stoppages.