Electricians call off nationwide strike

A nationwide strike by electricians was called off tonight after agreement was reached with employers over a new pay deal.

The dispute was expected to cause massive disruption to the construction, manufacturing and service industries across the country on June 10, the day before the European and local elections.

The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) said it was calling off the strike action after securing a 5% pay increase.

Union leaders said electrical contractors had conceded a pay rise of 89 cent per hour to 6,000 employees and had abandoned attempts to secure a six month pay freeze.

Eamon Devoy, the Acting General Secretary of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, welcomed the outcome of the negotiations at the National Joint Industrial Council.

“This agreement represents a major victory for our members in the electrical contracting sector,” he said.

“The employers were persuaded to relinquish their demand for a six month pay pause and implement the full terms of our long-standing agreement with them.

“If they had maintained their stance it would not alone have meant that next Thursday’s strike would have gone ahead but that the agreed process for determining pay in a very important sector of the economy would have been fatally compromised.

“Members in the sector can now rest assured that the process, which is distinct from the national pay talks taking place under ‘Sustaining Progress’, will continue to operate.

“It also shows that it sometimes takes a determined stance by workers to ensure that employers meet their commitments to employees and their unions,” he added.