More than 1,000 building workers crammed into Liberty Hall, Dublin, yesterday morning to demand action on the growing use of agency workers on the city's building sites. A smaller rally was held to highlight the problem in Limerick.
The workers are mainly members of SIPTU but the protests, which caused unofficial stoppages on many sites, were organised by the Dublin Alliance of General Construction Operatives (DAGCO) and its Limerick counterpart (LAGCO). The workers gave union representatives two weeks to agree a mechanism with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) for reducing the use of agency workers and ensure sectoral rates were paid.
Most workers at the Dublin meeting were directly employed by major contractors but also included some agency employees. One man from Glasgow said he had worked 18 months for agencies and was unable to find direct employment. If no resolution to the problem is found, DAGCO members threaten to mount pickets on sites using agency workers.
SIPTU branch secretary Mr Eric Fleming said: "There has to be regulation here. Workers are being highly abused."
The CIF said it was available "at all times to meet and discuss the issue of agency workers", but it could not do so while DAGCO took unofficial "wildcat" action in breach of national agreements.