Scaffolders and crane drivers in Dublin will meet tomorrow to consider industrial action over the refusal of employers to make "proficiency" payments to them.
Work stopped yesterday on many Dublin sites after several hundred workers gathered at Liberty Hall to report that they had not received the payments which, they claim, were due from the be ginning of the month.
The chairman of SIPTU's construction branch, Mr Paul Hansard, said that when his members accepted the new agreement in the construction industry last August, it was on the basis that bonuses negotiated for crane drivers and scaffolders would be reflected in the new rates.
According to Mr Hansard, 65p an hour was to have been added to the basic rate and the balance converted into a proficiency payment reflecting the higher productivity and skills of the workers concerned. In the case of crane drivers, this would be £2.35; in that of scaffolders, £1.35.
The new agreement came into force on October 1st, but according to Mr Hansard, none of his members appeared to be receiving the new payments. "Are we getting proficiency payments or not? We want to hear what the employers have to say," he said.
"The CIF [Construction Industry Federation] is supposed to be meeting its members tomorrow to discuss the issue, and we expect a response. If the answer is no, we will be meeting on Friday to consider what form of action we will take, official or unofficial."
A CIF spokesman said he knew of no meetings planned by the federation to discuss the issue. The CIF "is honouring the agreement fully and will continue to abide by the terms agreed with the unions". He added that he was also not aware of any member who was in breach of the terms.