Bord Na Mona foremen to get €2,500 basic pay increase, Labour Court recommends

The Labour Court recommended a €2,500 increase to the basic pay scale of 25 Bord Na Mona foremen, alongside the company’s offer of a separate €2,500 annual allowance. The recommendation, dated 20 November 2006, concerns changes to the foremen’s responsibilities. Amicus sought a €10,000 increase in pensionable basic pay, arguing the new duties were significant and that an allowance would erode established conditions. Bord Na Mona said its offer was a fair response and cited a €13.3 million deficit in its staff pension scheme. The Court recommended that the new basic pay increase be backdated to 1 January 2005. It also recommended that the €2,500 lump sum already paid should not be offset against the recommended payments, and endorsed the company’s offer to contribute up to 6% of the new overscale allowance to a defined contribution scheme. The status of the overscale payment should be reviewed after two years.