Staff vote for industrial action over Hibernian's jobs transfer

STAFF AT insurance group Hibernian have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action over the company's plans to transfer more than 500 posts to India.

The trade union Unite yesterday said there would be no co-operation with the company on its proposals to transfer work or to move jobs.

Unite national officer Jerry Shanahan said the union was also mandated, if required, to organise one-hour stoppages "to bring the message home that these proposals in their current form are not acceptable".

"If there are cost/profitability issues to be dealt with, creative solutions can be found on this island. We have already reached agreements in a number of other insurance companies that found themselves in similar situations.

"In light of this mandate, it is now up to current management to commence negotiations with us and this must be with a view to reaching an agreement," he said.

Mr Shanahan also said the revelation that Hibernian's parent company Aviva had sold its Indian operation to another company there put a new twist on the controversy surrounding the transfer of the jobs to India. He said the transfer of the jobs from Ireland had been a part of that deal.

He criticised the "commoditisation" of jobs, that could then be packaged and sold without any consultation.

Unite urged Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Mary Coughlan to support the campaign "to maximise the number of sustainable jobs and stop this unnecessary flight of jobs off this island".

Hibernian, in a statement yesterday, said the decision of the members of Unite to vote for industrial action was "disappointing".

However, it said it welcomed the willingness of Unite to enter talks on maximising the number of sustainable jobs throughout Hibernian's business in Ireland.

Hibernian said its re-organisation plans were designed to secure sustainable growth in the short, medium and long term.

"The company is committed to engagement with Unite and all Hibernian's 2,200 staff to avoid the one-hour stoppages and other industrial action. Industrial action, if taken, will obviously cause some inconvenience to our 1.2 million customers and Hibernian is committed to avoiding this," it said.