THE LABOUR Court will sit this morning to make a non-binding determination on the dispute between electricians and employers, and sites may be reopened by Monday.
Labour Relations Commission (LRC) chief executive Kieran Mulvey said he was “confident this represents a formula to bring an end to the dispute”.
The decision to go to arbitration was agreed by parties on both sides during talks yesterday.
The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) will call off pickets by Monday, “subject to a satisfactory recommendation”, Eamon Devoy of the union said last night.
The executive council of the TEEU is expected to make an announcement after its meeting tomorrow to decide whether to call off the strike involving more than 10,000 electricians.
“Hopefully, if it is a favourable recommendation, this dispute will be over,” Mr Devoy said.
The dispute has caused serious disruption to the construction sector and manufacturing industry over the last five days.
Fergus Frawley, president of the Electrical Contractors’ Association, said he hoped the decision to refer the matter to the Labour Court would “pave the way” to getting its employees back to work and getting sites back to action.
Chris Lundy of the Association of Electrical Contractors of Ireland said he trusted that “the court will now be able to consider the fullness of our arguments and issue a favourable decision in favour of our contractors’ position”.
The hearing is expected to focus on the issue of pay.
It is understood that talks broke down over the timing of when the 4.9 per cent increase of €1.05 an hour would be paid.
In a document issued by the LRC last night, employers agreed to withdraw any proposals to reduce pay or diminish conditions. Employers withdrew a 10 per cent pay cut proposal on Thursday.
All parties have agreed to jointly review the Registered Employment Agreement within four months. Parties have asked Tánaiste Mary Coughlan to examine the issues giving rise to the dispute, Mr Devoy said.
Earlier, addressing trade unionists in Tralee, Taoiseach Brian Cowen criticised the electricians and electrical contractors, who he said had caused serious disruption in the construction sector and in parts of manufacturing industry in recent days.
In an address to the biennial delegate conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, yesterday, he said the dispute reflected little credit on either side. “There is an onus on both sides to engage constructively in that process and to reflect in their behaviour the reality of the impact the dispute is having on the wider economy and its reputation,” he said.
Mr Cowen warned against the State returning “to the failed models of industrial conflict” at a time when we need “to apply all our energies to positive innovation and creative change in order to preserve jobs and living standards”.
In his speech, Mr Cowen warned that there would be more “pain” ahead, defended the social partnership process, and called for greater public-sector reform. He also urged the trade union movement to back the Lisbon Treaty.
The Taoiseach said that, while he accepted that Europe or the Lisbon Treaty may not be perfect, this could not be a credible reason to reject it or to oppose the significant improvements for workers that it represented.
Mr Cowen said that, while the measures taken to restore stability to the public finances had proven to be difficult and painful, there would be “more pain ahead”.