Statement of support for electricians

SIPTU General President Jack O’Connor has pledged his support to the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union in its dispute with the electrical contractors. The TEEU has served notice of strike action by its 10,500 members in the sector starting tomorrow morning. Mr. O’Connor has said that if the TEEU applies for an all-out picket from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions SIPTU will ballot members with a strong recommendation to support the electricians.

In a statement today Mr. O’Connor said, “The TEEU is entirely justified in the action it is proposing and our union believes it is most regrettable that electricians in the TEEU have been forced to engage in such action by reason of the employers’ refusal to negotiate, despite a recommendation from the Labour Court that they should do so.

“The electricians have only served strike notice having exhausted every possible alternative procedure against a background of the declared intention of the employers to implement a pay cut of the order of ten per cent and detrimentally alter other conditions of employment, all of which are in contravention of the Registered Employment Agreement for the industry.

“Ultimately the electricians must be supported by all workers because the employers’ objective of cutting pay and tearing up agreements reflects the primary aim of the wealthy elite in our society, which is, above all else, to preserve their own assets and privileged position. Their shallow analysis of the crisis therefore sees attacks on workers living standards as the best way of repairing the damage done to our economy by the array of speculators, developers and their cronies.

“As soon as the TEEU seeks the support of other trade unionists through the Irish Congress of Trade Unions by applying for an all-out picket, SIPTU will immediately ballot its members affected, with a strong recommendation that they support the electricians.”