Labour Court recommends €500 per worker in P.J. Carroll bonus dispute

In 2004, the Labour Court recommended a once-off payment of €500 to each worker concerned in P.J. Carroll & Company Limited’s dispute with the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union, and Amicus. The recommendation, dated 2 July 2004, followed changes to the bonus criteria that the Court found were against the spirit of a 1997 agreement. The dispute concerned separate performance targets for workers at the Company’s Dundalk and Dublin plants. The unions said the changes were made mid-year without negotiation and reduced bonuses. The Company said the scheme was discretionary, accepted it should have consulted, and defended the separate targets as part of its new owner’s worldwide system. The Court noted that the unions accepted the different weightings in the current system and urged the parties to use the 1997 agreement for future changes.