THE Dublin Council of Trade Unions wants the Government to introduce legislation to jail builders guilty of serious breaches of safety regulations. It also wants Dublin declared "a high-risk zone for building workers.
The council passed a special resolution at a meeting last night which criticised the Government, the Health and Safety Authority, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the courts. It claims they are not taking safety on sites seriously enough.
Accidents in the Irish construction industry increased from 1,000 in 1992 to 1,800 last year.
The motion was proposed by the council's secretary, Mr Sam Nolan, who is a former full-time official of the UCATT building union.
"It's a rough, tough, greedy industry with many unscrupulous employers. We have to instill a greater sense of urgency," he said.
The HSA "has to prosecute employers and it should be able to bring them to court and have them jailed. Only by making an example of a few unscrupulous employers will we achieve the dramatic improvement needed."
A SIPTU construction branch secretary, Mr Eric Fleming, told the meeting: "If I'm mugged walking along the street I can call for a policeman, but if my employer tells me to put my life at risk and work in dangerous conditions there is nobody I can turn to."
Mr Fleming, who is also a member of the HSA, said it was time the authority was seen to exercise its power effectively and time the industry was "cleaned up once and for all."
He said the HSA should set up a specialist team which could take a no-nonsense approach on the ground to unscrupulous employers. In tandem with this the DPP has to consider these offences in a much more serious light."