Eircom and its four trade unions have accepted an invitation from the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to attend a meeting next Monday afternoon aimed at breaking the deadlock in their pay dispute.
Kieran Mulvey, the LRC's chief executive, wrote to both sides yesterday inviting them to talks "with a view to obtaining a resolution" to the dispute, which centres on Eircom's failure to make a 2 per cent payment on May 1st due under Towards 2016.
In spite of the LRC's move, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) and Impact both served Eircom with seven days notice of their intention to take industrial action.
The notice takes effect at 12.01am on July 19th, when the unions will inform the company of their intentions. Commenting on this move, Steve Fitzpatrick, general secretary of the CWU, said: "If we're making any progress at the LRC then there is no problem in suspending our notice if an extra period of time is required for talks," he said.
Mr Fitzpatrick called on the company to immediately make the 2 per cent payment to the company's pensioners, who are also affected by the pay dispute. He declined to say what form of action the unions might take if the LRC talks are not successful.
Its options, however, include a ban on overtime, non co-operation with certain activities, one-day stoppages, an all-out strike, or sectional stoppages.
Eircom welcomed the LRC's intervention. "The company will seek to fully engage with the unions in an attempt to reach an amicable settlement," it said.
Tony Olthof, Eircom's group human resources director, said contingency plans were being worked on. "It depends what action they take, but it would have a minimal impact on our services in the short- to medium- term," he explained.
"If it were a severe and prolonged action then obviously it would have a significant impact on the business." About 80 per cent of Eircom's 7,100 staff are unionised. In the event of industrial action, Mr Olthof said Eircom expected non-union members to attend work as normal.
