The group representing the country's largest electrical contractors has joined a campaign to cancel the Registered Employment Agreement setting pay and conditions for employees in the sector.
The Electrical Contractors Association represents the top 50 contractors in the State and operates through the Construction Industry Federation.
A spokesperson for the CIF said this reflected frustration among employers within the sector at difficulty in securing an ‘adjustment’ to pay rates to reflect the changed economic circumstances.
Up to now three groups took part in negotiating the legally binding Registered Employment Agreement for electricians: the ECA, the Association of Electrical Contractors in Ireland, and the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union.
However, the AECI has already written to the Labour Court seeking to have the agreement cancelled, because the terms are unaffordable in the current economic circumstances.
It is understood that the ECA has written to the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union confirming that at future negotiations it will back the AECI position on seeking cancellation of the agreement.
A Labour Court hearing on the matter is not expected until June.
However, the TEEU said the three parties will meet on 13 April to discuss the matter.
Meanwhile, a review of the entire system of Registered Employment Agreements and other statutory mechanisms of setting wages is being carried out as part of the EU-IMF bailout agreement.
Between 200,000 and 300,000 workers have their pay and conditions set by such mechanisms, and could face significant cuts if the mechanisms were abolished.
