Building unions are threatening industrial action at the Huntstown power station project if Gama Construction, the Turkish company which has the main building contract, does not grant union recognition and full implementation of industry agreements.
The chairman of the construction industry council, Mr Tommy White, has sought an urgent meeting with Construction Administration Services (CAS), which looks after personnel and industrial relations issues for all companies on the site, seeking clarification on whether Gama is paying agreed industry rates.
The unions are concerned because Gama is set to become a major player on the Irish construction scene and may use its own Turkish workforce rather than recruit locally.
Besides Viridian's 340 MW station at Huntstown, Gama has won the contract for the Ballincollig bypass in Cork and seems set to win another for a major local authority housing development at Balgaddy in south Co Dublin. It has been significantly undercutting all Irish tenders.
In a letter to CAS, Mr White said there had been "deep concern" within the trade union movement when it was announced that Gama had obtained the Huntstown contract.
The construction industry officer of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, Mr Charlie Prizeman, said he met senior Gama representatives on Monday to explain the unions had "nationwide agreements on pay and conditions for the industry".
They said they had met with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and been told they would not have a problem with unions. They also had legal advice that they did not have to recognise unions."
By the end of the meeting, he said Gama had asked for a week to respond and has said it would encourage employees to join the relevant unions. He described the meeting as constructive and hoped they would respond positively.
Mr Prizeman said 86 of Gama's 90 employees at Huntstown are Turkish and not in any union.
CAS has already sought clarification from Gama on its operations at Huntstown. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment said Gama had sought information on union recognition and been informed it did not have to recognise unions. However, it had been advised of industrial relations arrangements in the construction industry before it began operations in Ireland.
A spokeswoman for Gama said it complied "with all appropriate construction industry labour agreements". Gama had written to all employees encouraging them to join unions, and had put up a notice to that effect in Huntstown.
