Labour Court sends BMS Ireland outsourcing dispute back to conciliation

The Labour Court recommended that BMS Ireland and the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union return to conciliation over plans to outsource facilities management at the Swords plant. The recommendation was signed on 11 March 2011. The union opposed outsourcing, citing job security and concerns about the skills and costs of using outsourced staff. BMS Ireland said the changes were needed to save costs and would not lead to redundancies or changes to employment terms. The Court said the conciliation proposals were reasonable and safeguarded workers’ interests. It recommended further discussions based on both sides’ proposals, with the union to accept the company’s proposal in principle while safeguards were agreed.