Rogue builders face pensions crackdown

HUNDREDS of construction firms are being pursued by the Pensions Board for ripping off employees by not paying pension contributions.

It is estimated as many as half the country's 4,000 construction firms have illegally avoided their pension obligations since the scheme began in the 1960s.

Under law, all building firms must register workers in the Construction Federation Operatives Pension Scheme (CFOPS) and pay pension and sickness contributions.