Electricians return after suspending strike action

STRIKING electricians were due back to work this morning but with a warning that they were only suspending, not ending, their strike action.

Their next move will be determined by the response of employers to the weekend’s Labour Court recommendation that they give in to demands for a 4.9% pay rise and remain open to negotiations for 6% more.

The two recognised employers’ bodies, the Association of Electrical Contractors Ireland (AECI) and the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA), are expected to meet in the coming days to consider the recommendation. The executive of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), which represents the electricians, will meet on Thursday to consider their responses. Some 10,000 TEEU members had been on strike since last Monday, virtually shutting down all major construction sites, prompting an emergency Dáil debate followed by a Government order to the Labour Relations Commission to intervene.