Union to lodge 5pc pay-hike claims in wake of talks collapse
Wednesday August 13 2008
A trade union is set to lodge 5pc pay claims with Irish Life and Permanent, EBS, Allianz, Royal and Sun Alliance, Standard Life, and Axa within weeks.
Unite has confirmed it will have served its first raft of claims with financial service firms by September following the collapse of national pay talks.
The claims come after the private sector unions' announcement that they were seeking a pay rise of €1.6bn for 1.4 million workers after the social partners failed to secure a deal.
Unions officially began the process last Friday when the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' private sector committee sent guidelines to members on lodging claims.
Chairman of the group, Jerry Shanahan, revealed they were instructed to serve pay claims of 5pc or seek a flat-rate increase of €30 a week -- whichever was of most benefit to members.
A deluge of claims is expected following the lapsing of agreements with employers under the terms of the last pay deal, Towards 2016.
Trade unions have threatened that local bargaining will become the norm unless employers improve their offer of a 2.8pc-a-year deal.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said he might seek a "review" with the social partners within a few weeks but relations have been acrimonious since talks collapsed earlier this month.
The gap between unions and employers is still very wide with unions insisting on a pay rise close to or above inflation.
Example
SIPTU last night welcomed comments from Finance Minister Brian Lenihan in the Irish Independent that employers should "lead by example" on pay awards.
It said that the minister's claims were a "dose of reality" after he said employers should not "expect all the restraint to be on the part of the unions or workers".
But there is no indication from employers' group IBEC that it has any intention of increasing its final offer.
It has also told members to take no action on pay claims until it becomes clear whether the Taoiseach will reconvene the pay talks.
Last night, Mr Shanahan said ICTU's private sector committee was forging ahead with pay claims.
"Agreements with many financial service companies have expired or are due to expire in the coming weeks," he said.
"We have circulated a template to all officials for lodging claims. It covers the five per cent cost of living increase, annualised over 12 months, and local bargaining over and above that where a claim can be sustained.
"Issues like holidays and working hours, where there has been no movement in the last 10 years under social partnership, will be reviewed, as will maternity and paternity benefits."
Some claims were already lodged ahead of the the private sector committee's guideline document.
Meanwhile, industrial action is in the offing at a national book chain in a row over pay.
Members of Mandate have voted for strike action at Byrne's Bookstores Group next Tuesday. The union claims the company failed to pay a 3pc wage hike due since January 1 this year.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
