Labour Court sends Cork City Fire Service promotions dispute back to conciliation

The Labour Court recommended on 25 February 2013 that Cork City Council and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union return to conciliation over a proposed competitive promotions system in the Cork City Fire Service. The union sought agreement on the selection board and said a long-standing agreement required at least 10 years’ service before workers could apply for promotion. The Council said the existing system was outdated and supported its proposal. The Court said a definitive recommendation on one part of the dispute would be futile while the selection board, qualifying service and written examination remained unresolved. It recommended that the parties seek agreement on the whole dispute and jointly refer any outstanding issues to the Court if they could not reach agreement.