Bank of Ireland has agreed to a series of meetings with the Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA) as efforts continue to avert a strike by 350 workers at its IT support unit which is due to be redeployed to Hewlett Packard.
The Bank of Ireland staff have voted in favour of an all-out strike if the bank implements their transfer to the US computer giant without guaranteeing their full terms and conditions.
IBOA general secretary, Mr Larry Broderick, said yesterday that, if these discussions failed to progress, the staff might consider taking "limited" industrial action, which could include withdrawing their co-operation.
The bank has concluded a €556 million outsourcing deal with HP, which is due to come into effect in about 90 days following a due diligence examination.
The strike ballot would come into effect as soon as the bank attempted to transfer staff to HP while their outstanding concerns remain unresolved. If staff were to withdraw their co-operation in the interim, it could affect services Bank of Ireland provides for its customers. HP has also agreed to enter talks with the IBOA.
Some 150 IT workers in Northern Ireland and Britain are also due to be redeployed to HP under the deal. In February, Bank of Ireland made 350 staff redundant following the merger of two loss-making UK subsidiaries.
HP is among the largest employers in the Irish technology sector, with 4,000 staff.
