NECI understands that the ECA (Electrical Contractors Association) has demanded a 7.5 % pay cut for all Electricians working in the Electrical Contracting Sector. This demand follows a similar Pay Cut which has been applied to all workers to whom the Construction Industry Registered Employment Agreement (REA) applies. The Electrical Contracting sector has its own REA and this REA is currently only supported by the UK based ECA and the TEEU. We understand that the Union have been informed that unless they accept the wage cut, the ECA will follow the AECIs lead and withdraw from the agreement. This would lead to the automatic collapse of the agreement as all employer groups will have withdrawn support for the agreement. As usual the majority of Contractors who are lawfully bound to apply the terms of the REA have not been afforded the oppuritunity to express their opinions.
Outside the Industry it is not common knowledge that the two stage 4.5% Pay Rise recommended by the Labour Court to settle the July 2009 Strike has never been ratified by the Labour Court and therefore has never been implemented. This in effect means that nothing was achieved for workers by the 2009 Strike. Electricians now face a 7.5% pay cut on the rate they have held since 2008. It is difficult to see how the TEEU can refuse this request as if the ECA stick to their word, an automatic collapse of thje REA would follow. This would lead to the Union having no effective control of the Industry. It is Ironic that the ECA was the only employer body who freely supported the now famous 1 euro 5 cent (5%) pay rise in May 2008. This proposed pay increase lead to the current challenges to the REA in the electrical sector. The ECA did the first of many U-Turns and not only withdrew support for the pay increase but went on to look for a 10% Pay Cut during the hearing to cancel the REA in Early 2009. This is the same 10% which ECA took off the table on the first day of the July 2009 strike. ECA were the only body to support the two stage 4.5% pay increase in August 2009 and once again they withdrew support during the hearing to vary the agreement in early 2010. It is clear that ECA have a habit of agreeing pay increases (which we are all liable to pay) and then avoiding actually implementing them.
Given its track record it is difficult to see the ECA sticking to its guns on the current Pay Cut request. Despite the fact that ECA hold all the cards it is likley that this association will do what is best for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) who seem to have control at the top of the ECA. It seems clear that the requirments of Electrical Contractors are second place to the requirments of the CIF on the ECAs Agenda. NECI would now once again like to object to the fact that while decisions which we are lawfully bound to implement, are being made, we are excluded from having any input into these decisions. We would also once again like to state that we will never part-take in a tidying up excerise of the current agreement. For the Industry to move forward the existing agreement must be torn up and a new all inclusive agreement put in its place.