Talks to avert strike by bank’s IT staff


30 Jul 2003

Talks have recommenced between the Bank of Ireland and the Irish Bank Officials Association at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to avert a planned strike by the bank’s IT staff on Friday. The dispute centres on a proposed seven-year €650m outsourcing deal between the bank and Hewlett-Packard, announced earlier this year.

Last Friday IT workers at Bank of Ireland subsidiary ITSIS rejected terms offered by the bank in the run up to its seven-year contract with Hewlett-Packard.

The 350 ITSIS employees rejected the offer on the grounds that they were only given job guarantees for two years. Another key sticking point for the workers was the bank’s failure to guarantee that staff would be re-employed by the bank if the outsourcing project failed. As a result both sides were invited to talks at the LRC.

The 350 workers at the ITSIS operation in Cabinteely in South Dublin are planning to stage a 24-hour work stoppage from midnight this Thursday to midnight on Friday.

By John Kennedy