Twelve people were arrested after scuffles broke out at an unofficial picket line next to Leinster House yesterday. The incident follows six months of dispute between bricklayers and the building contractor, McNamara & Co.
The 12 were arrested for obstruction under the Public Order Act, according to a Garda spokesman. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The incident occurred when protesters attempted to prevent a vehicle from crossing the picket line at Merrion Square, where the company is erecting an extension to Government Buildings. More than 50 building workers later joined the protest there and at the new National Gallery site on Clare Street.
Other sites being picketed are at Trinity College, Beaumont Hospital and the Eircom network centre at City West.
The Building and Allied Trades Union, which is bound by a High Court order to refrain from picketing, distanced itself from the unofficial protests.
The union's chairman, Mr Neville Farrelly, said: "We don't want this. We just want to sit down with the company and resolve the issues."
The union alleges the overuse of casual bricklayers, who are not entitled to the same holiday pay, insurance cover or security as PAYE workers.
Talks between the two parties broke down eight weeks ago when a director of McNamara & Co refused to continue negotiations until the illegal pickets were lifted. Two brief meetings were held last week between the parties but both ended without any real discussions.
Last month the High Court granted the company several orders injuncting the union, its trustees and officials, including Mr Farrelly, from engaging in any industrial action.
A spokesman for the company said yesterday, "There is no trade dispute between any employees of McNamara's and the company or any contractor at the site." He stressed: "None of the individuals arrested are employed by McNamara's."
Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins accused the company of taking "an approach of confrontation rather than serious negotiation to resolve all of the problems at the core of the dispute".
He also called on the Minister for Finance, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works which awarded the contract to McNamara & Co, to urge the company to begin genuine negotiations.
