LRC ordered to intervene in electricians row

LESS than 72 hours after its mediation failed to resolve the pay dispute between electricians and their employers, the Government has ordered the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to intervene for a third time.

Electricians will today mount pickets for a third day at high-profile companies and construction sites around the country, protesting at employers’ refusal to increase their pay by 11% from €21.49 to €23.98.

At the Irish Congress of Trade Unions biennial delegate conference in Tralee yesterday, the ICTU executive gave the go-ahead for members of other trade unions at the picketed sites to be balloted to join the members of the Technical Electrical and Engineering union on their protest.

It is understood the Government, fearful that such an escalation of the dispute could be disastrous for the economy, requested LRC chief executive Kieran Mulvey return to Dublin from the ICTU conference to chair further talks. That was in spite of the fact his organisation made it clear after the last failed round broke down on Saturday that the two sides were poles apart.

Yesterday, sources from both sides admitted little has changed in the intervening days meaning there is very little hope of a resolution. One informed source pointed out the only potential move for the LRC was to convince both sides to accept a 5% increase as recommended under the 2008 registered employment agreement and to forgo the 6% electricians are claiming for 2009.

However, that is unlikely to be accepted.

Employers are still adamant that any increase is untenable and are demanding pay cuts of up to 10%.

Tom Parlon of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said the situation was so serious in the construction sector that “we can’t afford to let lunatics be in charge”.

“We have to sit down and I would call on whatever sane council is there to come forward and discuss the issues,” he said.

However, David Begg, of ICTU, described Mr Parlon’s comments as intemperate and said the CIF leader should take a “Trappist vow of silence”.

Tánaiste and Employment Minister Mary Coughlan came under heavy opposition fire in the Dáil for not taking a more active role in trying to end the potentially massive dispute.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore told the Taoiseach that Ms Coughlan had powers under industrial relations law to force the LRC to intervene and should use her authority to “knock heads together”.

Brian Cowen said the use of such powers was no guarantee of resolution in the dispute, and Ms Coughlan later told TDs she had not invoked them as both sides had agreed to return to the negotiating table.