Union applies for all-out picket

The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) today applied to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for an all-out picket, escalating the dispute between electricians and their employers which has seen electricians down tools countrywide.

If successful, it means other unions would join TEEU picket lines at construction sites and manufacturing plants around the country.

The strike by more than 10,000 electricians has already forced the closure of several major building works.

High profile construction projects like Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2, the new Lansdowne Road Stadium and Corrib gas project were hit after last-ditch talks at the Labour Relations Commission collapsed at the weekend.

TEEU Regional Secretary Ian McDonnell says the action will continue until demands are met.

The TEEU are demanding implementation of an 11% pay rise from three years ago which was never paid, while employers have disputed the claim and are demanding a 10% cut in wages.

Mary Coughlan, Tánaiste and Enterprise Minister, earlier urged both sides in the dispute to come together in the understanding that the economic climate had changed.