In 2002, the Labour Court recommended changing a pay proposal for sheetmetal workers represented by the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers of Ireland and employed by the Sheet Metal Manufacturers Association. The recommendation, signed on 27 February, brought the proposed agreement’s end date forward to 30 September 2003 and asked both sides to put the modified proposal to their members for acceptance. The union had sought a basic hourly rate of €16.67. Proposals developed in conciliation by both sides would have provided €15.62 an hour from 1 April 2003, but union members rejected them. The association argued workers had already received increases of more than 38% since July 1999 and that firms were facing a downturn and pressure on contract prices. The union cited workers’ skills and concerns about unpaid travel or allowances during annual leave at some member companies.