TEEU pickets mounted accross city

Its important to build relationships. In this case you can feel for the electricians and tradesmen, but on the otherhands cojntractors and feeling the pinch of the economic climate.

Greedy bastards and nothing more. They should realise that as valuble as they think they are, their job can still be done by anyone following steps from a book. Get back to work you lazy fuckers, or move on so some real hard working people can take over your jobs.

They don't deserve any support.

@laughie

Try and keep up sunshine. Cuts to the 2007 rates of pay would mean €5.60 per hour for first year apprentices: http://www.teeu.ie/enjic_downloads/Rates_leaflet_25_06_09.pdf

Since I posted however, the TEEU have forced the employers into withdrawing the pay cut demand. Making a stand pays dividends again!

If an electrician worked for €21p/h for 40 hours a week for 52 weeks a year, he'd earn €43,680 per annum. A little over the average industrial wage. That's not outrageous for skilled workers who perform a very necessary and important function in our economy.

And as I stated before, the electricians struggle is a struggle in defence of the REA system and consequently a struggle on behalf of 100s of thousands of low paid and mostly non-unionised workers across this country.

SUPPORT OUR SPARKIES!

Whats a disgrace is that if you're really experienced and at the Job 20 years you get €21p/h and if you're on the job (qualified) 5 mins you get €21 p/h.

so its 1st year apprentices that you meant to say he is talking about getting 5.60 and hour. Well sorry Dafydd but people that choose to go to college for 4 years would love to be getting 5.60 an hour for their efforts...these guys are earning a trade like any student - but they have the privilege of getting paid for it at the same time...How bad. Also €43,680 a year is well above the average industrial wage of €35 k a year...and that was in the good times...and thats not even taking into account tom jobs and what they were charging house owners for small jobs until recently....please get your facts right before you start bleating.....you sound like soemthing off a monty python movie......you are a disgrace....

While I do feel the electricians and Unions are making a mistake in calling this strike I despair when we have comment from the unemployed and workers on being anti - union and anti a decent wage. Our corrupt government have done a great job turning workers against workers.

Greedy shower of bastards holding the country to ransom. They robbed everyone blind with extortionate pricing for the last few years so they should be told to f**k off back to work, they are lucky to have jobs at all.

Right on Jimmy. They are a shower of selfish .... who should take a look at the dole queues before they bitch about earning only 21 euro per hour

Thatcherism is dead. Get over it.

Workers weren't going to allow themselves be trod on forever.

A backlash was inevitable. And this is just the beginning.

Dell workers had to hold just one meeting before Dell management cracked. The improvement was still a pittance from a profitable company but it was an improvement nonetheless.

Waterford Crystal workers would have been out on their ear without any pension and no jobs if they hadn't occupied their plant. If the company was bought out down the line they would have had to reapply for their jobs in competition with each other, which would have meant everyone's pay and conditions would have been driven down. Instead, they held their ground and secured some gains.

Likewise, in Belfast, Visteon workers occupied their plant after the company liquidated itself and left them with nothing. Not a penny. After a period of heroic struggle, the company conceded that they did have some money after all and paid them redundancy.

All small victories, and some pyrrhic, but nothing would have been gained without a little bit of gumption on behalf of the workers.

The electricians are holding out in defence of Registered Employment Agreements, which regulate pay in industries as diverse as electrical works to fast food workers and cleaners. The only thing standing between them and poverty wages are the REAs and if IBEC/CIF/ECA succeed in breaking the electricians they will have succeeded in undermining the REAs and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of low-paid Irish workers.

Tom Parlon wants apprentice electricians to work for €5.50 an hour. If we let them get away with this, you could be next.

If you see a picket, don't just walk by, thank them for making a stand on behalf of all of us.

But sure you CAN NOT compare those incidents with the sparks on strike. They were companies that were laying off their workers???? The sparks are looking to go from 21 euro to 23 euro an hour (or something like that). Those kind of arguements just make people dislike the sparks strike more and more......I have never heard such crap in my life. Where did Tom Parlon say he wanted them to be working for 5.50 an hour????

If I was owed money since 2006....fair enough you wuld be pissed off.....but considering i am still earning over 20 quid and hour I think I'd get over it and would bawk at the idea of striking for it......The big long queues up in Doinik street should march down to the picket lines and maybe that would make the sparks re-consider......

irfrkorfk if you were awarded a payrise in 2006 and you still hadn't received it would you be sore? would you want the thousands in backpay that your employer has pocketed of YOUR money?Or would you say "ah sure keep it, for the good of the economy"....

Why are they only looking for the money now three years later. Why have they waited so long. Surely it would have been more effective to strike when their services were in huge demand.
I wonder why they are now deciding to strike now when loads of construction projects are being cancelled construction jobs are being finished and new sites aren't coming along to replace them.

I also think that picketing private companies that they don't work for directly but who employ a contractor company to provide sparkies is beyond contempt. Why are they putting the jobs of the people in these companies at risk because they have a problem with their own employer. It's not the manufacturing companies decision to set the sparkies rates of pay. They pay the contractor and teh contractor provides the sparkies.

i would be a bit pissed but I would be more concerned about keeping my job.

Its more than likely the employer didn't pocket any money as they can only charge out the extra money on big tenders once they actually pay the money themselves. The fact is that its now a different world and all these employers have possibly suffered losses in the last 2 years and for them to be forced to pay out the "backpay" would result in them going under meaning no jobs for any electrician.

They are looking for €23.98 an hour, the equivalent in the US after 20 years experience is $25.43 or €18.24 and in the UK its £12.60 providing own transport or £14.11 in the London area (€16.34). I think a reality check is needed here and the union general secretary Eamonn Devoy should be committed, he is a total plank. He was a disgrace on Pat Kenny this morning with his threats. 1980's crap.

No pity for any electrician going on strike, these people made alot of money robbing people over the last 10 years, the cheek of them going on strike.

If they can't stay in work and their their wages are high they are hardly going to get work on higher pay.

Fair enough, the electrical companies were wrong to hold back on pay rises sanctioned 3 years ago, however the whole situation in this country has changed now and I think these people striking have some neck looking for a pay rise in what is being called the worst recession since the 30's. These people should be happy to have jobs at the moment, their actions will only result in job losses if they continue with their action.

Just calling a spade a spade.

This strike is going to bring down the country. The money is not here to pay these people. builders are going bust all over the country and the electricians want more money. Ok its unfortunate they didnt get what they were due in 2006......but the money isnt there....Simple as...so they will have to grin and bear it till the place picks up again....if ever.....
Private companies are taking pay cuts left right and center while people try to cling to their jobs.....striking over money is just not on at the moment.....and the guy on the radio representing these unions is doing them no favours whatsoever...he is an arrogant pig......I really cant believe this carry on....

Country needs a major strike to lance the boil that is the unions, Comrades Begg and O'Connor need to realise that they are not running the country. Fair play to the sparkies hope they can afford to stay out for a few weeks, server them right if they lose their jobs and drive public opinion fimrly against their ridiculous demands and selfish attitude. They are only stalking horses for the public sector unions who I bet are watching things closely from the sidelines. Its simply treason to strike when there are over 400 thousand people on the dole.

If the situation is that simple Daffyd I wish the sparks the best of luck. Unfortunately I think they are in for a tough time of it.

This money was awarded in 2006, in the middle of the bubble, and contractors negotiated contracts on this basis. Except they've refused to pay the money and now have the gall to ask electricians to take a 10% pay cut on their 2006 levels of pay. Millions in profits over the past decade isn't enough.

The contractors have effectively pocketed the sparkeys money, and are now looking for even more!

The barefaced cheek!

Your point has been taken but you have to realise that if the sparkies get their way and get pay rises, then the unemployed sparkies will not get an opportunity to get their jobs back as they are pricing themselves out of the market and no developments will happen

The world has changed from 2006 and no one has any sympathy for trades men any more who can't help but show their greed.

If the sparkies win this battle they will lose the war as other tradesmen will start off looking for payrises.

The sparkies should just be grateful they have a job and not be greedy.

I am sickened by these selfish bastards who are not happy at making over €40,000 a year. Electrical work is not rocket science.

As far as I am concerned Tradesmen started the property price disaster by being greedy and constantly looking for payrises.