Irish strike threatens construction projects

By Ashley Beston

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A union representing thousands of striking electricians in Ireland said on Monday it would call for an all-out picket of over 200 construction sites, escalating a dispute that could shutter major development projects.

"Our members have sent a very clear signal to the employers by their actions this morning that they will not be rolling over and meekly accepting cutbacks to bail out developers and speculators," the general secretary-designate of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), Eamon Devoy, said in a statement.

"We will now be seeking to consolidate the support we are already receiving from other workers through an application for an all-out picket."

About 10,500 contractors are taking part in the indefinite strike, the first major industrial action since Ireland went into recession last year. Pickets have been set up at building sites at Dublin Airport and companies such as Intel, Pfizer and Microsoft.

SIPTU, one of Ireland's biggest unions with 200,000 members, has said it would support an all-out strike and if umbrella group ICTU, which represents most unions in Ireland, agrees to the electricians' request that could close most of the affected construction projects.

A decision from ICTU is expected within days.

The dispute centres around wage increases of about 11 percent the electricians say they are owed for a number of years. A contractor currently earns 21.49 euros (18.49 pounds) per hour.

Employers have said they cannot afford to give them more money and instead are looking for a wage cut of 10 percent.

"No one could survive on what they are offering us," said Pat Mooney as he picketed outside Dublin's Lansdowne Road Stadium, which is being redeveloped.

"Our members are determined to see this through, otherwise we might as well throw our tool boxes in the (river) Liffey."

The electricity supply will not be affected by the strike.

NOT A GOOD TIME

From factory floors to corporate suites, wages and salaries have been falling in Ireland as businesses adjust to plummeting demand and try to claw back competitiveness lost during the boom years of the "Celtic Tiger" economy.

"I'd love to know who's advising the guys that it's a good time to look for an 11 percent pay increase," said Joe Byrne, a Dublin shopkeeper. "I'm not denying or debating that they're entitled to it but it's not a good time.

Employers have been able to push through wages cuts of 10 percent or more in Ireland as unemployment balloons.