Lack of basic facilities discouraging women from taking up building and other trades, says union

Efforts to encourage women into taking up trades continue to be undermined by the lack of basic facilities to cater for them on many construction sites and other workplaces, a trade union conference has heard.

“Whereas other industries are now discussing increased supports for women dealing with menstruation and the menopause, the construction and other sectors which employ trades workers have not even dealt with the issue of adequate toilet facilities,” Connect’s assistant general secretary Brian Nolan said.

Speaking at the engineering union’s biennial conference in Wexford, he said: “Unfortunately, this issue is not one which is isolated to Ireland. Even in what are perceived as more progressive European neighbours, such as Denmark, female participation in the trades is only estimated to account for 3 per cent of the workforce. In Ireland it is even lower.

“That is why our delegates will now debate including clauses dealing with full maternity pay and parental leave with enhanced supports, as well as other measures to support women’s health and welfare in every agreement our union enters into,” he said.

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The union is also calling for the Government to provide financial supports to firms to take on women for retraining and for the abolition of charges currently imposed on those entering many apprenticeships.

“Why would we want to charge women to join the trades when what we should be pursuing are policies of positive discrimination?” said Mr Nolan.

The union’s general secretary, Paddy Kavanagh, also told delegates on Friday that the Government must take a more active lead on helping people to play their part in combating climate change by establishing a new semi-State company specifically tasked with the retrofitting of the country’s housing stock.

Mr Kavanagh told the event’s 250 delegates and guests that such an initiative would be in the tradition of successful State-backed enterprises such as the ESB and Bord na Móna, which have played an important role in the development of the country’s energy infrastructure since their establishment.

“The Irish Government has committed to putting into legislation a reduction in carbon emissions of 51 per cent by 2030 and a complete move to a zero-carbon economy by 2050,” Mr Kavanagh said.

“According to the ESRI, by 2030 alone, in order to meet the changes required to reduce emissions by 51 per cent, we must install 43,000 heat pumps in older housing stock.”

More than 50,000 deep retrofits will be required to non-compliant ageing housing stock, and almost 3,000 homes will have to be retrofitted with solar PV,” he told delegates.

“This is only the beginning of the work that will be needed to maintain our economy while radically reducing carbon emissions. In order to meet such historic tasks, the State in the past has formed companies such as the ESB and Bord na Móna… and we are now calling on the establishment of a similar organisation to meet the great challenge of our time, which is combating climate change in order to ensure our country for further generations.

“Such a semi-State would need to have a long-term mindset; this would include working to develop the range and number of apprenticeships necessary for its operation. An available workforce is already there, with workers in enterprises such as Bord na Móna available to be reskilled and redeployed as part of a genuine just transition for workers,” he said.

The union’s conference, at which representatives of its almost 40,000 members will celebrate the organisation’s centenary, is taking place in Wexford over Friday and Saturday.