Labour Court recommends Central Bank gratuity top-up capped at €10,000

The Labour Court recommended that the Central Bank offer cleaning staff a gratuity top-up of €500 per year of service, capped at €10,000 per case, in return for agreement to compulsory retirement at 65. The recommendation was signed on 2 August 2002. The proposal covered existing staff and four people who had retired since 2000, and was to be paid in addition to the normal superannuation gratuity. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union had sought €38,000 per person; the bank had offered €1,300. The Court said the cleaning staff were entitled to continue working until 75 and described their pension arrangements as wholly unsatisfactory. It urged the parties to address those arrangements through the appropriate forum as a matter of urgency.