British Council staff to vote on strike action over redundancies

Staff at the British Council are to be balloted for strike action which could involve pickets of its offices in a dispute over redundancy plans.

Two members of staff who rejected an offer of voluntary redundancy on Monday have since been served with two weeks' notice of compulsory redundancy.

The British Council, which promotes British trade and culture abroad, is proposing to make three staff redundant in its Dublin offices as part of a European-wide £7.5 million (€11 million) restructuring programme which will see more resources being committed to its operations in the developing world.

One member of staff has accepted the offer, but Amicus regional officer Colm Quinlan said the others, who had 20 years' service between them, had reacted with "revulsion and disgust" to proposals that would involve compulsory redundancy.

He said the two workers involved were holding out for an enhanced redundancy deal which would involve eight weeks' rather than six weeks' pay per year of service in keeping with precedents in the public service.

"We were willing to go to the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court. They served notice of compulsory redundancy on statutory terms. Unless they withdraw that notice, there will be industrial action," he said. "The two long-serving members are very hurt by how they are being treated. They [ the British Council] are trying to expediently dispose of them."

Mr Quinlan said they intend to picket the British Council offices in Lower Mount Street if the workers involved vote for industrial action.

British Council director Tony Reilly said it had "no option" but to issue compulsory redundancy notices after its voluntary package was rejected on Monday.

"We offered six weeks of uncapped per year of service, plus financial support for outplacement services plus time off in lieu to find another job which was our best offer given the legal advice we received.

"We made it absolutely clear to them that if they didn't choose to take that, then unfortunately we would have to move to voluntary redundancy which was our last option and that would be on statutory terms. It's an outcome that is very regrettable."