The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has said that claims by electricians for a pay increase of 11.3 per cent are "completely unwarranted".
In a statement yesterday the CIF also express regret at the decision by the electricians' union, the Technical Engineering and Electricial Union (Teeu) to threaten strike action in pursuance of its pay claim and maintained that this could put jobs at risk.
The TEEU last week served strike notice on electrical contractors around the country over a pay claim that would raise the hourly rate from €21.49 per hour to €23.98.
It warned that up to 200 major construction sites around the country could be hit by the threatened strike which could involve more than 10,000 electricians.
The CIF's senior industrial relations executive Jean Winters yesterday said the increases being sought by the union were "completely unwarranted" at a time when workers across the economy were taking pay cuts.
"A recent Government report shows that 200,000 construction jobs have been lost since 2007. A report from the Construction Industry Council indicates that another 100,000 are at immediate risk. It is extremely surprising that the TEEU wants to initiate strike action in this environment".
"Electricians earn a basic hourly rate of over €21.00 and other expenses. Annualised, the basic pay is in excess of €43,000, well above the average industrial wage. This does not include, travel time, country money and other expenses", she said.
Ms Winters said that it had to be borne in mind that there was "significantly less work available for construction companies and this is particularly pronounced in the specialist areas, including electrical contracting".
"Companies in the CIF's Electrical Contractors' Association cannot afford to pay the increases being sought from the Teeu. Pursuing this action will put jobs at risk", she said. .
The strike could begin on July 6th and the Teeu said last week that if it went ahead, it could have a serious impact in sectors such as energy, manufacturing and construction, causing widespread lay-offs across the economy.
The union said that among the construction sites that could be affected by the proposed dispute were: Terminal 2 at Dublin airport; the new Lansdowne Road stadium; the National Conference Centre at Spencer Dock and the Point Village in Dublin's docklands; the Corrib Gas project in Co Mayo and the new Intel development in Co Kildare.