The Labour Court has recommended a 50 per cent pay rise for greenkeepers at the K Club, in Straffan, Co Kildare, within the next 18 months.
The court's recommendation issued yesterday recommends six phased pay increases dating back to April 1st this year and continuing to January 2008, which would bring their hourly pay up from €9.87 to €14.50.
In addition, the Labour Court recommended that any wage increases introduced under the new national pay agreement should also be implemented by the K Club.
The wage dispute, which has been going on since January, centres on the pay rates at the K Club which trade union Amicus claimed were not in line with the industry standard.
During hearings at the Labour Relations Commission and at the Labour Court, the union claimed its members were being paid less than €10 an hour when the standard rate is €15.
Amicus branch secretary Colm Quinlan yesterday said the union, which represents about 20 of the K Club greenkeepers, would be calling an immediate general meeting of its members.
"If the K Club indicate before then that they are to accept the recommendations, then we will hold a ballot on Thursday evening and have a result by Friday evening," he said. "We didn't get everything we wanted, but in labour relations, if you get everything you wanted, you obviously didn't ask for enough."
Mr Quinlan added that if the K Club accepted the court's recommendations, there would be no disruption to the Ryder Cup next month.
"The greenkeepers just want to get on with showcasing their work to the world at the Ryder Cup and want this issue resolved once and for all."
Following the recommendation, Mr Quinlan criticised recent comments by the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, who said the dispute was "a bit like the postmen threatening to strike just before Christmas. I don't believe this represents a real threat."
Mr Quinlan described the comments as "ill-timed", "provocative" to greenkeepers and "insulting" to postmen.
Before a meeting of the Labour Court last month, arbitration talks between the two sides at the Labour Relations Commission in April and May had failed.
The Ryder Cup takes place on the Palmer course at the K Club next month. The visitor's green fee for a round of golf on this course is €350 in high season.