Construction Unions Condemn CIF 'Sabotage'
8 Dec 2008
The Construction Industry Group of Unions today (December 8) condemned attempts by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to sabotage the recently-agreed national pay deal and said it will meet with employers to convince them that the deal is in the best interests of the industry.
Following a meeting of the Construction Industry Group of Unions - organised under the auspices of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions - it was agreed to request that the Labour Court amend the Registered Employment Agreement that governs the sector, to reflect the increase awarded under the pay deal. The deal has been ratified by Congress, Government and employers' body Ibec
The unions condemned the CIF attempt to cut wages and its obstruction of efforts to find an agreed way out of the current crisis. Rather than sharing the pain the CIF are opportunistically using the downturn to stick the boot into the workers who delivered huge profits to their members over the last fifteen years.
The last thing the construction industry needs in the present climate is industrial unrest, the group of unions said. By refusing to ratify the agreement that he negotiated, Mr Tom Parlon has now brought uncertainty and unnecessary insecurity into the industry.
Congress Construction Representative Fergus Whelan is available for interview: 087 9154863
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