‘Considerable progress’ made in talks to avert threatened strike at EBS

The trade union Unite said considerable progress was made in talks with management at EBS tonight over a bonus payment.

EBS is a subsidiary of the AIB group.

Unite said its representatives would meet tomorrow to assess the situation.

Staff had been planning a one-day stoppage later this month if there was no progress.

The dispute centres around the payment of a bonus, known as the 13th month payment, which the union maintained was a contractual element of annual pay but which was discontinued in 2011.

Following a one-day strike in late 2011, half of the bonus was paid to EBS staff.

Earlier this year, the Labour Court ruled that the bonus payment should be discontinued, but that the remainder of the amount due from 2011 should be given to staff.

The union said that the management at EBS/AIB had failed to pay the balance of the 2011 bonus payment as proposed by the Labour Court.

Unite has maintained that the amount outstanding represented the equivalent of two weeks wages for staff.