Electricians strike July 6th

Doodoo

Just got home to find the attached letter from the union. Just wondering what other people thought about the new terms the electrical contractors want to bring in for electricians and apprentices.

Personally with the way the country is i would be happy to stay on the same hourly rate but some of the other terms like not being allowed to do nixers and having to supply your own drill is just mad.

the_syco

Looks fairly bad, esp with the lack of nixers, and reduction of the apprentice rates, but in the current climate, I'd wonder how a strike would affect businesses?

thecribber

Dont know how well you guys Know the agreement which has been in force since 1990 but under clase 14 (Spare Time Work) of the existing agreement Nixers have never been allowed.

14 SPARE TIME WORK

No member of the Union for monetary consideration carry out electrical work on his/her own account on his/her spare time,while employed. The posession by the employer of a mans/women RSI form been reguarded as evidence that he she is in employment.

Link to Registered Employment Agreement
http://www.epace.ie/REA%20(2).pdf

Also have a look at the Toolbox listed in section 9(a). I think that it is a little out of date (Test Lamps and Rawl Tool etc)

LegacyUser

That's a great idea TEEU - go on strike today, maybe no job tomorrow?

The reality is that all electrical businesses are suffering big time with the downturn in the economy. Why should electricians get a pay rise as almost all other sectors take pay cuts? If the contractors are forced to implement this pay rise there will be a lot of contractors who will go out of business - things are tough enough without this!

It's ludicrous, another fine example of the unions not understanding the longer term consequences to strike action. As for the "new" rules on nixers.. the poster above is correct, that has never been allowed.

dvpower

So the electricians are going on strike for more pay in the middle of a recession triggered by a burst property bubble.

Yeah. That'll work.:rolleyes:

LegacyUser

This proposed strike will only serve to make the already well paid electricians look greedy and out of touch with reality. The TEEU seem to have lost the plot and their members need to tell them to get real.

LegacyUser

I'm an engineer on a large building site.The electricians are not the only ones thinking like this let me assure you!
Can't give people what you don't have. They'll figure it out eventually.In the meantime, the strike might delay work long enough to keep me in a job for a few more months!

Kippure

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055318942

Have a read.

LegacyUser

Just a quick one
Why is there a diviide now in the TEEU Union between Contract and Maintenance Electricans
Are we not all in one Union????????? If Maintenance were to go out us Contactors would have to follow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who ever said we will be the laughing stock was on the button
What the hell is going on?????

Darragh29

I'm not a fan of unions, but I'd strike on the basis the following:

(1) Possible dismissal for nixers: What you do in your own time is your own fu*king business, end of discussion on that one.

(2) Refusal of pay increase for failing an exam: We've all failed an exam at some stage or another. If you are continually failing exams then you are probably unsuitable for the trade and your employer is at fault for letting you through the selection process.

Pay reduction of 10% if transport is provided: This 10% cut will be on top of your BIK liability which is around 250 Euro a month for even a basic car such as a Mk5 14.CC VW Golf. I'd strike for this alone. If your employer doesn't want to give you transport, then grand, charge them a rate per mile for you using your own transport and they'll find it's twice as expensive for them. You can get around this rediculous proposal by telling your employer you have your own car and do not use their transport for personal use.

As for other matters raised:

Overtime only available after a 39 Hour week. This should have been the case all along, the standard working week is now 39 hours.

Possible employment of "underqualified" electricians for 25% less pay. If this is to carry out duties such as changing light bulbs, then I don't see the problem. No business can afford to pay folks on 20 Euro an hour to change light bulbs.

As for union members having to supply their own tools, I can't imagine why this wouldn't have been the case all along.

Darragh29

thecribber wrote: »

Dont know how well you guys Know the agreement which has been in force since 1990 but under clase 14 (Spare Time Work) of the existing agreement Nixers have never been allowed.

14 SPARE TIME WORK

No member of the Union for monetary consideration carry out electrical work on his/her own account on his/her spare time,while employed. The posession by the employer of a mans/women RSI form been reguarded as evidence that he she is in employment.

You cannot be legally bound like this by your employer or anyone else. What you do in your spare time is entirely your own business.

WindSock

They haven't had a pay rise since 2006 or something, took it to court, were due to have one as a result of the court ruling and it didn't happen. In the meantime they are told they are still getting a 10% cut on top of it.

Sparky84

Whats the srory about taking pay cut for using company vehicle ????

LegacyUser

union will only picket large sites countrywide on monday.i am a paid up member who does not agree with action who is policing small sites.also is this a rolling strike i.e indefinite

wexford202

Hi there

As an employer of 30 electricians and apprentices I can honestly say to ye all, that the union are there soley to make profit for themselves and also to eliminate all competition to the bigger contractors in the industry as the big guns are the ones keeping the union in business.

With regards to the nixers thing. It is against the law to do a nixer. A nixer is something that you do not declare to the taxman and it is something that you are not covered by insurance.

Yes every person does it and what you do in your own time does not involve me and I never mind. I just do not want to know about it.

I do not have anyone striking next week as I have a very good working relationship with my employees and increasing anyones wages by 95.00 per week will actually only result in a pay increase of 30.00 which is not worth putting the construction industry in a worse situation.

Remember if you do not work sites will close and there will be very little support from other construction workers who are also going to lose pay as a result.

It is a decision you will need to make yourself ao please thinnk this one wisely.

Plus the weather is meant to be bad next week. Not ideal for picketing.;)

LegacyUser

I work on a site down the country. There were a lot of very worried people there today. mainly because most electricians don't necessarily agree with all of this.And more worrying for most guys, the one's in other companies are worried about Monday - can they pass the picket lines and what the reactions might be? Will they lose pay and how long will it go on for? Nobody is really supporting this cause, the timing is terrible. I'd think long and hard about this one.

LegacyUser

I am the employer of 5 electricians. We are a small company and I work on the tools with my employees. None of my employees are in the Union. I am not represented on any of the trade associations who have a say in the industry.

We will be working as normal next week. We have had a visit from two Union activists who told us they were going to picket the job on monday. We have decieded that we will pass the picket as both myself and my employees are glad to have work to go to in the current climate. The boss of the job has informed us that he will stop work on the job for 3 months if we have trouble because of a picket on the gate.
We are in the situation that we might not have work to go to because of a fight between a union and trade associations that we have nothing to do with. Crazy Stuff

LegacyUser

ok no one seems to understand why the TEEU has called for this strike, hopefully i can explain it a little better.

every year electricians get a pay increase because of inflation and the usual reasons. BUT since 2007 they haven't. thats two years worth of wage increases. thats where the 11.3% comes from. they are already on an 11.3% decrease because of not recieving this.

Now employers want an extra 10% decrease. thats a total of 21.3% decrease. i cant think of any sector where such a decrease has occured.

PLUS this is from two years ago, before the country sank into recession.

PLEASE don't be one of those ignorant people that read and listen to everything thats in the media, and inform yourself of the full information before commenting on such a situation.

electrical apprentice

LegacyUser

What do people think of a union that doesnt want to pay its members strike pay even though they are fully paid up members.I think i will stop paying my dues till they cough up.

thebearded1

Unregistered wrote: »

What do people think of a union that doesnt want to pay its members strike pay even though they are fully paid up members.I think i will stop paying my dues till they cough up.

The TEEU have no money and will do anything to avoid pay electricians the small amount of strike pay the arte entitled to.