Will Labour Court split the difference in construction pay row?
Construction sector workers have lodged a claim for a 12 per cent pay rise over three years. Given that labour costs account for 40 per cent of the price of building a house, that is likely to reduce the output from the state’s social house building programme
It is often tricky for a big union to represent the interests of one membership sector without affecting the fortunes of another.
SIPTU is a case in point. It is taking part in the ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign to demand that everyone in the state be given a legal right to housing.
But at the same time, as this newspaper recently reported, it represents workers in the construction sectorwho have lodged a claim for a 12 per cent pay rise over three years. Given that labour costs account for 40 per cent of the price of building a house, that is likely to reduce the output from the state’s social house building programme. Fewer roofs will be raised.
