A 10,500-strong strike begun Monday by Ireland's Technical, Engineering, and Electrical Union (TEEU) has disrupted construction at 240 sites across the nation, and raised already taut tensions between Irish workers and employers. The union has asked the Irish Business Employers Confederation for an 11% raise, which they feel entitle to, and has said that they hope the employer will at least come up with a "meaningful offer." If the strike continues, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions plans to campaign to extend the strike to affiliated unions, effectively preventing the crossing of picket lines, with the Employers Confederation maintain that a continuation could put jobs at risk. The union leaders and employers are scheduled to meet in talks Wednesday.
See "Irish union and employers seek to end electrician strike", Quentin Fottrell, The Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2009