Labour Court recommends further talks on Irish Ale Breweries pensionable pay

In 1999, the Labour Court recommended further talks between Irish Ale Breweries and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union on pensionable pay. The recommendation was dated 23 June 1999. The unions sought five improvements for about 200 workers, including counting more earnings towards pensionable pay, lowering the retirement age and increasing death-in-service benefits. The Court said the pension scheme did not meet the agreement's threshold for processing improvement claims, so it could not recommend granting them. It recommended pursuing the company's proposal to discuss pensionable pay during restructuring and possible introduction of annualised hours. The company said new employees had contributed 5% of pensionable pay since 1997 and that the retirement age was 65 in 83% of Irish schemes; it also said state pension integration was used by 74% of Irish companies.