Labour Court recommends acceptance of Central Bank catering structure

The Labour Court recommended that the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union accept the Central Bank Of Ireland’s proposed catering structure, while the parties discuss related working arrangements. The recommendation was signed on 14 October 1996. The dispute concerned plans to reorganise catering at the Bank’s Dame Street and Sandyford sites, including reductions in catering assistant positions. The union said the Bank had promised to maintain staffing and consult before making changes, and sought a 3% increase under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work for changes workers had accepted. The Bank said costs were excessive and the changes would bring staffing into line with industry norms. The Court considered the proposed structure reasonable but said there had not been enough discussion of working arrangements. It recommended that discussions be completed within one month; if the parties could not agree, the Court would issue a further recommendation.