Labour Court rejects bricklayers' transfer claim

In 2008, the Labour Court did not recommend conceding the Building and Allied Trades Union's claim against Bowen Construction Limited to transfer four bricklayers to another site when work was available. The recommendation was signed on 6 May 2008. The union argued that its members should be transferred to any company site in the State where work was available, rather than being laid off. Bowen Construction Limited said it had recalled the four workers and would assess each contract's staffing needs, including whether to use direct employees or subcontractors. The workers had about eight years' service and had faced repeated lay-offs and uncertainty about work prospects.