Labour Court recommends central talks on pension provision for Lourdes workers

The Labour Court recommended that the pension issue for three workers at Lourdes Youth Community Services be taken up centrally, with a view to reaching an agreement. The recommendation was dated 25 April 1997. The workers’ salaries were funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Comhairle Leas Óige, whose funding had not provided extra resources for a pension scheme. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU) argued that the lack of pension provision was unfair when other staff funded by FÁS had access to a scheme. Management said it could not fund a scheme without additional resources. The Court said pension provision based on funding source created an unfair and unsatisfactory situation, particularly within the same employment, but regarded it as a wider national issue.