At Listowel District Court on Wednesday, 19th September, District Judge Mary Larkin imposed a fine of €1,000 on Daniel McAuliffe & Sons (Construction) Ltd of Listowel, Co. Kerry, for failing to comply with a Labour Court Order.
The Labour Court Order was issued under Section 32 of the Industrial Relations Acts 1946 to 2004, and directed Daniel McAuliffe & Sons (Construction) Ltd to pay over to the Construction Workers Pension Scheme the sum of €17,389, in respect of pension, mortality insurance and sick pay cover for the period from January 2008 to December 2009.
SIPTU Organiser, Patrick McCabe, who attended the Court as a witness, said: "The imposition of a quarter of the maximum fine that can be applied for this breach of the law is no deterrent to construction firms failing to obey orders of the Labour Court. The firm did not make an appearance in Court, and was not represented. However, the Judge saw fit not to impose the maximum €4,000 that could have been applied.
"Some of the workers affected by this business's activities had more than the fine amount deducted from their wages over the period reviewed, in some cases in excess of double the amount. IPTU members contrast the lenient treatment afforded to this contractor with what may happen to an ordinary worker who fails to appear in Court to answer a summons for failure to hold a current TV or dog licence, where the Court will often apply the maximum fine."
Mr McCabe added: "Construction workers that are not organised in trade unions leave themselves open to abuses of the industry's Registered Employment Agreement. Our advice to workers is to get organised in a union in order to ensure that the correct minimum pay and conditions are applied to you and your co-workers."
(CD)
Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Construction News
26/09/2012
Union Disappointed At Lenient Treatment Of Construction Firms
Latest Construction News
20/11/2024
MDE has been awarded the electrical services contract for the Clondalkin School Development Project in Dublin. Working alongside Cunningham Contracts Ltd., the company will serve as the specialist electrical contractor for the construction of new facilities for Gaelscoil na Camóige, Gaelscoil ...
20/11/2024
In celebration of European Week for Waste Reduction, the Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN) has launched an environmental education programme to promote zero-waste principles among young people. Three schools from the ABC Borough—St Francis Primary School in Lurgan, St Patrick's Primary ...
20/11/2024
Work has begun at hospital sites across Northern Ireland as part of preparations to eliminate car parking charges by May 2026. Health and Social Care Trusts are installing the necessary infrastructure for a new traffic management system, following the passing of the Hospital Parking Charges Act by ...
20/11/2024
Fine Gael has accused Sinn Féin of abandoning its commitment to protect consumers from rising energy costs, claiming that the party's policies could lead to increased costs for 2.1 million customers. The criticism comes after Sinn Féin's alternative budget last month proposed retaining the ...
20/11/2024
SDLP Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has urged Minister Andrew Muir to take decisive action to protect the environment, rather than launching additional reviews. The comments came after Minister Muir announced a review into environmental governance during an ...
20/11/2024
Alliance Strangford MLAs Kellie Armstrong and Nick Mathison, along with Alliance East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly, recently visited the tidal research experiment at Queen's University Marine Laboratory (QML) in Strangford. The project, funded by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), is ...
19/11/2024
Phoenix Energy has been awarded an international standards accreditation from the British Standards Institution (BSI) in recognition of its inclusive service approach for customers in vulnerable situations. The certification highlights Phoenix Energy's commitment to providing fair, flexible, and ...
19/11/2024
Seating Matters is investing £3.7 million to enhance and improve its manufacturing facilities in Limavady and L'Derry. The company is aiming to support its bold strategy to triple revenue by 2027. Making the announcement while visiting the company's Limavady site Economy Minister Conor Murphy ...
19/11/2024
SDLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has urged the Minister and the Executive to take immediate action to address problems within Northern Ireland Water. Mr Durkan warned that the current state of the wastewater system is creating significant delays for infrastructure projects across ...
19/11/2024
Galway City Council will hold a public information evening on affordable housing on Monday, November 25, 2024, from 4pm to 8pm at the Connacht Hotel, Old Dublin Road, Galway. The event will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about how affordable housing operates. Council staff will be ...