Hotels' union to ballot on court findings

Great Southern Hotels and Siptu have both welcomed Labour Court recommendations that could allow the sale of the hotel group to go ahead.

Tomorrow is the deadline for expressions of interest to buy the group's eight hotels.

Siptu shop stewards will meet today to discuss the court's findings and will make recommendation for members to ballot.

The hotel group, which employs 700, said it "accepts the recommendations in full" and urged the unions to do likewise.

"Acceptance will provide clarity and assurance for customers and employees of the hotels as the sale proceeds."

Donal Tobin, Siptu Killarney branch organiser, said the union's initial response was positive.

The Labour Court heard the case last week after differences emerged between the hotel group and the trade unions, Siptu and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, about the two unions' collective bargaining rights with potential new owners over the pension scheme and the calculation of redundancy pay.

The court has recommended that "it should be a condition of the sale that the new owner or owners recognise the existing trade unions for collective bargaining purposes".

The court also recommended that a defined contribution pension scheme should be established for all employees of the former Great Southern Hotels with the same employer and employee contributions as currently apply.

A third recommendation provided that the calculation of redundancy should take full service into account from the start of employment.

Mr Tobin said the recommendations "safeguards the unions' right to negotiate" on behalf of employees. The union interpreted the recommendations on redundancy payments as including benefit-in-kind for calculation of the payment.