Members of Mandate trade union have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed new national wage deal.

Thousands of workers at the biggest local authority in the UK will stage a 24-hour strike tomorrow in a row over employment contracts, which will close schools, museums and libraries and hit other council services.

ESB workers are today expected to signal if they are going to force nationwide power blackouts ahead of the General Election over their ongoing dispute with the Government.

WORKERS formerly employed by Greencore Sugar in Mallow are awaiting a decision by the National Implementation Body on their dispute with the company over redundancy payments.

UNIONS representing Irish Sugar/Greencore workers have asked Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan to delay the allocation of a €144-million restructuring fund until management implements a Labour Court recommendation on redundancy terms.

UNIONS will demand a crack-down today on rogue developers who are flouting agreed industry pay rates by paying foreign workers as little as €8 an hour.

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

Hopes of averting a strike by 1.5 million council workers and civil servants dramatically rose today after a breakthrough in a bitter dispute with the Government over pensions.

Thousands of workers in the UK who build and maintain council houses, schools and other local authority buildings are to be balloted for strikes in an escalating row over pensions, it was announced today.

Four craft unions have signalled their intention to lodge a 10% pay claim for the coming 12 months with the Construction Industry Federation.

Union members marching in protest over statutory redundancies heard speakers criticise the employers' body IBEC.

EMPLOYERS were last night accused of bullying workers with threats of disciplinary action and lawsuits if a planned nationwide protest goes ahead on October 4.