Electrical contractors agree to pay 5% rise

ELECTRICAL contractors employing more than 5,000 of the country’s electricians have accepted a Labour Court recommendation which calls for almost 5% pay increases across the industry.

The Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) became the first contracting body within the industry to confirm it was willing to pay the increases.

Its decision was welcomed by the union representing electricians whose strike, last week, brought some of the country’s major building projects to a halt. The union had been demanding more than 11% pay increases which it said its members were entitled to under the industry’s registered employment agreement (REA).

However, it accepted the Labour Court recommendation of 4.9% when it was accompanied by a commitment to keep the REA intact.

The association met in Portlaoise yesterday and its members were briefed on the implications of the recommendation. They were told acceptance would mean the 4.9% would have to be paid over two stages.

The first phase would take effect on September 1 and would mean an increase of 2.5% on each point of the scale. The second phase, kicking in on January 1, 2010, would mean an increase of 2.4% on each point of the scale.

“The membership of the ECA agreed to formally accept the Labour Court recommendations aimed at concluding the industrial dispute,” an ECA spokesman said.

The Technical Electrical and Engineering Union, which represents 10,500 electricians, welcomed the ECA decision.

However, as it pointed out the Association of Electrical Contractors in Ireland (AECI) must still decide whether it will accept the decision. While its members employ less electrical contractors, it has more members than the ECA and a rejection by those people would scupper the court’s recommendation and possibly mean further strikes.

The AECI’s executive met last night to discuss the implications of the recommendation. Their members are due to be balloted over the weekend on whether they accept or reject what the court is proposing. A result is expected to be known by lunchtime on Monday.

Even if they do decide to adopt the Labour Court’s recommendation, the deal could still be subject to a legal challenge by the National Electrical Contractors of Ireland (NECI) which is opposed to any increases for the electricians given the state of the economy in general and the construction sector in particular.