A charge of corporate manslaughter should be introduced as part of a package of measures to improve workplace safety in the construction industry, a gathering of workers in Dulbin was told today.
Around 3,000 members of construction industry unions gathered outside the Dáil today to protest at what they see as inadequate punishments for errant employers and an insufficient number of site inspections. A letter of protest was also handed into the Taoiseach.
Twenty two people died last year in construction work accidents and several hundred were injured. Workers in the industry sustained thousands of minor injuries including broken bones, unions claim. SIPTU says 150 workers have been killed on site in the past 10 years.
Mr Eric Fleming of SIPTU, and a former member of the board of the Health and Safety Authority, told today's rally that that unions were not arguing over pay. "All we are asking for is a safe environment to work in," he said.
"If 22 gardaí or 22 soldiers or 22 teachers [were killed] there would be an outcry and a public inquiry. But because it's building workers and it's the building industry, we're expected to accept that," Mr Fleming said.
But the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) today criticised unions for failing to address their concerns to the federation and said considerable improvements in safety had been achieved in recent years.
They said fatalities in Ireland had fallen to below the EU average in 1999 and 2000 despite 120,000 new workers being employed in the industry. Official figures for 2001 onwards are not yet available, the CIF said in a statement.
They pointed to ongoing training programmes and what they said was a €140 million investment in safety measures and the Safety Partnership Plan which involves state agencies, employers and unions.
"If the unions are serious about bringing about further improvements in health and safety on Irish construction sites then they should utilise existing channels to enter into dialogue with employers.
"While it may be convenient to continually point the finger at employers, employees too must live up their responsibilities and help create a safe environment for themselves and their colleagues," the statement said.
Mr Jimmy Ferguson of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, UCATT, criticised the inability of the courts to deter employers operating dangerous sites, saying employers have "quickly realsied the courts have no teeth".
"Taking into account that the maximum fine at District Court level is less than €2,000 per charge it's understandable that some fly-by-night contractors are prepared to operate outside the law," he said.
Mr Dennis Farrell of the Building and Allied Trades' Union, BATU, said money was being saved by cutting back on workplace safety and that more severe penalties were needed to deter errant employers.
"We are calling for a charge of corporate manslaughter ... we are saying that people who sit in offices should be fined, should be brought to account. It's time the courts started jailing builders, not workers," Mr Farrell said.
Mr Brendan Howlin, Labour Party Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment issued a statement in support of the workers.
He said: "In a year which saw 22 people killed in on-site incidents and countless other injuries, there has been no sign of the promised new legislation on health and safety in construction sites."
He criticised the Government's failure to introduce tough penalties for employers where accidents happen and said more health and safety inspectors must be appointed to prevent further tragedies.
A minute's silence was observed at today's ICTU-organised protest in memory of workers who died in the course of their duties and their bereaved families and friends.