Pay and pension framework promised

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton has promised a new framework for pay and pension agreements in the construction and other industries.

The move follows a decision last year by the Supreme Court to strike down the registered employment agreements, which were ruled unconstitutional despite being in place since the 1940s and covering up to 300,000 workers.

Mr Bruton could not say when the new measures would be brought in, but said they would bring “certainty for staff and businesses tendering for contracts, promote industrial peace, and ensure Irish firms are not placed at competitive disadvantage”.