Labour Court finds Noreside metal stud fixers covered by construction agreement

The Labour Court found that metal stud fixers employed by Noreside Ceilings & Partitions Ltd were covered by the construction industry agreement on pensions assurance and sick pay. In its decision signed on 21 November 2007, the Court found a prima facie case that the complaint was well-founded and said it would seek an inspection of the company’s records before considering the complaint in detail. The Operatives Plasterers' And Allied Trades Society brought the complaint on behalf of two employees, alleging Noreside had failed to comply with the agreement. The company argued that metal stud fixers were outside its covered classes, though it accepted it was a building firm within the agreement’s scope. The union said the workers’ on-site work was normally carried out by plasterers. The Court reasoned that excluding workers who erect internal walls and install ceilings would undermine the agreement’s intended coverage of construction workers.