Contractors warn of inflated budgets after bar-bender pay increase

Contractors warn that rising labour costs, with bar-benders getting a 14.1pc increase, will push up bills for infrastructure works

The construction industry is in high gear, with a parade of new projects and tradesmen angling for hefty pay rises to match.

But while workers negotiate for more money - spurred by a recent record 14.1 per cent settlement for bar-benders - contractors are warning about the strains on project budgets that this will create.

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