Tradespeople picket site of National Children's Hospital

Plumbers, pipefitters, welders and apprentices, who are members of the Unite trade union, are staging a picket outside the National Children's Hospital site in Dublin in a dispute over travel allowances.

The workers have been engaging in a fourth 24-hour work stoppage since midnight.

The strikes and pickets have targeted construction sites where members of the Mechanical Engineering & Building Services Contractors' Association (MEBSCA) are carrying out works.

The workers are seeking the restoration of a payment for the first hour of their travel time, which Unite said was cut as a temporary measure following the 2008 financial crash.

The union said that while it did receive an approach from MEBSCA this week, it will be proceeding with tomorrow's action.

"It is thanks to the determined action of Unite members over the past three weeks that MEBSCA has made contact," said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham.

"But the employers need to remember that making contact is a long way from resolving this dispute."

"This is a highly profitable sector, and our members will continue to have Unite's unstinting support as they fight to have the first hour of 'travel time’ restored," Ms Graham said.

MEBSCA has said that the first hour of travel time has been incorporated into hourly rates since 2011 as part of an agreement reached with Unite, which resulted in higher rates of pay.

The association has accused Unite of seeking to maintain those higher rates while also seeking to reverse an agreement that was freely entered into at that time.

MEBSCA said that continued industrial action by Unite is causing reputational damage to the sector, which will result in job losses.

"MEBSCA is extremely disappointed that its member firms are being targeted once again by being served with notice of further industrial action by Unite to take place for two days a week for the month of October," a spokesperson said.