Poll: Do you think unions are right to push for wholesale pay rises this year?
Crane drivers are the latest to lodge a claim for more money as the economy bounces back.
LAST WEEK, FORA reported that crane drivers are the latest to join the campaign for pay rises as unemployment drops and the economy picks up.
The union representing the bulk of the sector’s workers, Unite, is pushing for a 10% pay increase – with no accompanying productivity pledges.
Its regional officer, Tom Fitzgerald, said there was “no basis for any conversation other than pay progression” in 2017 and both workers and employers were expecting those negotiations.
The move follows high-profile campaigns for better pay in both the public and private sectors, beginning with Luas drivers agreeing pay rises of up to 18.3% over the next four years after a series of strikes last year.
The pay push follow years of largely stagnant wages for workers, with the latest CSO figures showing average weekly earnings have risen by less than 3% between late 2011 and the last quarter of 2016.
During the same period, housing costs have soared – although overall consumer prices have increased less than 2%.
Nevertheless, business groups have decried the public-sector pay claims, in particular, as unjustified when investment is badly needed in state infrastructure, housing and public services.
Similarly, many firms argue they’re unable to afford higher wages as the impact of the UK’s Brexit vote and the weaker pound eats into revenues across multiple industries.
The latest survey from the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, which represents more than 10,000 companies, found more than one-third of members don’t expect to increase pay this year – while around one-quarter were likely to raise wages between 0.5% and 2.4%.
With that in mind, we’re asking Fora readers this week: Do you think unions are right to push for wholesale pay rises this year?
