Labour Court recommends Townlink and union follow redundancy dispute procedures

The Labour Court recommended that Townlink Construction Ltd and the Building And Allied Trades Union ensure all aspects of the Construction Industry Registered Employment Agreement are observed and understood. Its recommendation was dated 24 September 2007, after a dispute about procedures following two redundancies. The union said Townlink refused to meet after two members were made redundant in September 2006. The company said it had not known of a grievance before receiving the union’s letter of 2 October 2006, but later attended a Construction Industry Disputes Tribunal hearing. The Court found conflicting evidence and no direct evidence that the required local discussion had taken place, so it could not decide whether the complaint was well founded. It also noted the workers’ issues formed part of a separate claim referred under section 26(1).