A pay dispute which threatened to disrupt the 2006 Ryder Cup at Ireland's exclusive K Club has been resolved after management today agreed to increase greenkeepers' wages.
The club faced having no gardeners for the world famous competition after bosses rejected demands for improved salaries.
Staff wanted a 50 per cent pay rise to bring their hourly rate up from under €10 to near €15.
A round of golf on the renowned Palmer Course, where the Ryder Cup will be played, costs €350 in high season.
Union bosses at Amicus demanded more than a dozen greenkeepers be paid adequately for their work after spending the last two-and-a-half years preparing the hundreds of acres for the prestigious clash between the best golfers from Europe and the US.
The long-running dispute was eventually sent to the Labour Court in July after arbitration talks twice failed.
Officials there recommended a pay rise made up of six phased increases dating back to April 1st this year and running to January 2008, which would bring their pay up to €14.50 an hour.
The K Club issued a statement revealing the recommendation had been accepted in full. "It has always been our intention to follow and apply the appropriate procedures for solving labour relations issues between employers and employees and we now view the matter as resolved," the club said.
"The entire team here at The K Club remains committed to, and focussed on, delivering a wonderful Ryder Cup that will showcase Ireland to the world."
Greenkeeping staff have been working since January 2004 to prepare the course for the Ryder Cup.
A number of holes were remodelled, new tees built and changes made to bunkers to ensure the Palmer Course will be at its most challenging. The only work remaining is in relation to presentation. The 36th Ryder Cup, starting on September 19 at the K Club near the village of Straffan, is virtually sold out.
Tickets are only available for the practice day on Tuesday before the main event begins. Following unprecedented demand, corporate packages, running to thousands of euro, sold out within four months.