An Irish trade union, which represents builders in the country, has called on the government to ensure collective bargaining rights for Irish workers.

The Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), which represents over 200,000 workers from employment sectors across the Irish economy, said it would be prepared to recommend its members to support the Lisbon Treaty.

At the weekend, SIPTU reiterated its demand for the government to guarantee its commitment to ensure the right to collective bargaining for Irish workers.

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Collective bargaining agreements are contracts between an employer and one or more unions. Terms and conditions detailed in these contracts can include agreement on wages, hours of work, working conditions and grievance procedures.

It will usually detail the rights and responsibilities of trade unions.

According to SIPTU's Jack O'Connor, collective bargaining is one of the key provisions of the Treaty, which his organisation is willing to support.

Mr O’Connor said the government needs to prove it is serious about enshrining, what he referred to as, 'a fundamental right' for Irish workers.

Ireland will hold a national referendum on the EU’s Lisbon Treaty on Thursday; it is the only member state to do so.

Should the Irish public fail to ratify the treaty, pundits have suggested the Union could face one of its biggest challenges since the institution’s inception.

For the new treaty to be implemented all member states need to be in agreement.

The treaty is derived from the shot-down EU constitution, which previously failed to gain EU-wide backing.

(PR/KMcA)