Storm Eowyn - employers try to cheat workers

As record breaking winds from Storm Eowyn tore across Ireland, leaving 725,000 properties without power, construction employers were busy trying to cheat workers out of a day’s leave.

On Friday (24 Jan) winds of 113 mph were recorded near Galway, and hundreds of buildings across the country were damaged. However the very workers who will play a vital role in repairing these buildings were being told by bosses to take unpaid leave.

Unite has accused employers of shifting closure costs onto workers, and demanded ‘extreme weather’ legislation as workers were told to take unpaid day’s leave.

Unite, represents construction workers throughout Ireland, and said today (Sunday 26 Jan) that some construction employers instructed workers to take an unpaid day’s leave when sites were closed on Friday because of Storm Eowyn.

Unite pointed out that withholding pay when employees are unable to work could be considered an unauthorised deduction from wages, and thus unlawful.

Unite said it will be supporting workers affected by this practice and challenging employers to ensure that wages are paid.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “By demanding that workers take a day’s leave when sites closed during one of the worst storms in living memory, highly profitable employers are trying to avoid their responsibilities.

“Unite will not tolerate such behaviour and construction employers should be in no doubt that we will be challenging this on behalf of our members.”

Noting that the incidence of extreme weather events may increase because of accelerating climate change, Unite said that new legislation is needed to protect workers from the impacts of extreme weather events such as storms, periods of excessive cold and heatwaves.

Unite regional officer James McCabe said: “We know that accelerating climate change will result in more frequent and extreme weather events. Workers are on the frontline of climate breakdown, and there is an urgent need for legislation and mandatory protocols to protect them. 

“Such legislation must make it clear that workers will continue to be paid when extreme weather forces workplaces to close in the interests of health and safety.”

By Keith Hatch