THE VAST MAJORITY of Ireland’s crane workers will go on strike from tomorrow morning.

Unite trade union, which represents over 90% of workers in this sector, said their members will be engaging in a second day of industrial action.

The strike will be nationwide and pickets and protests will be placed on four key Dublin sites from 6am to 3pm.

A Unite spokesman said: “Members will hold a demonstration outside the Dublin headquarters of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to highlight concerns that workers are being issued with crane operator certificates without fulfilling the relevant training and experience criteria. A letter outlining crane operators’ safety concerns will be handed in to the HSA.”

Unite regional officer for construction, Tom Fitzgerald, said that the organisation is looking for wage rises of around 10%.

He previously told Fora: “At the moment there is an industry agreement that crane drivers are paid a minimum of €16.69 an hour,” he said, adding that some get as much as €22 or €23 an hour depending on the circumstances.

We believe that crane drivers should be earning between €25 and €27 an hour.

“We took the highest rate in terms of what crane drivers (currently) earn and added 10% to it.

“The reason why it is 10% is because then they would match the highest rates in the construction sector, which are for workers in mechanical grades, like plumbers and welders.”

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