Labour Court recommends pay and productivity talks at Chilton Electric

In 1989, the Labour Court recommended that Chilton Electric Limited and the Irish Transport And General Workers' Union negotiate practical, self-financing productivity arrangements that could benefit pay and production. The recommendation was signed on 3 October 1989. The union had sought a bonus incentive scheme at the company’s Dunleer plant, which employed 210 people. It said pay rates compared unfavourably with industrial averages and those at a sister company. Chilton Electric argued that a scheme could increase labour costs, undermine competitiveness and create operational difficulties. The Court noted that adult basic rates were low by generally accepted standards and that staff had been flexible and cooperative as the business changed.