FAS employees have voted by almost three-to-one to accept a radical restructuring agreement. However, the settlement has been jeopardised because one of the smallest sections of the 2 000 strong workforce has rejected it.
The vote for the agreement which could resolve a three-year-old dispute, was 922, with 364 against and two spoilt ballots.
To be accepted by the union, SIPTU, all sections must accept the terms. The canteen supervisors section, which has 10 members, voted 7-3 for rejection. Canteen facilities are to be privatised under the restructuring deal and the supervisors would probably be redeployed elsewhere in the organisation.
Discussions are now taking place between FAS and SIPTU over how best to resolve the problem.
There are no compulsory redundancies under the restructuring scheme, so canteen supervisors who do not want to leave FAS or be redeployed, could conceivably hold their existing positions when the catering facilities are contracted out.
The largest group to oppose restructuring in the past had been the instructors. They face a longer working week and other significant changes. However, they are also being offered pay rises of up to 27 per cent and on this occasion they voted by 357 to 220 to accept.
A significant factor in the ballot was probably concern that the alternative might be the breaking up of FAS, which is favoured by the employers. The much leaked Government White Paper on Human Resource Development, which was finally launched on Wednesday, proposes comparatively minor changes to FAS. But it is well known that an earlier draft called for FAS to be broken up.