The first stoppage is set for this Friday with another two strikes planned on November 14 and 21.

Ucatt has written to contractors warning them not to draft-in agency labour during the strike which is set to shut down sites across the country.

General secretary Steve Murphy said: “Any contractor that is contemplating the use of agency drivers to undermine this legitimate dispute should think again, such action will not go unchallenged.

“I would suggest contractors time and energy would be better spent persuading HTC to enter into meaningful negotiations that reflect the massive boom the industry is experiencing, in order to resolve this dispute”.

The 180 plus Ucatt members at HTC voted, 94% in favour of strike action on a turnout in excess of 80%.

Ucatt are also warning that if anyone undertakes crane driving duties without the full training and without being fully familiar with the particular crane, than there are huge safety implications for all workers on that construction site.

Murphy added: “The safe use of tower cranes is the most safety critical part of any construction site, an accident or a driving error by a tower crane can have huge potential safety implications for all workers on a site.”