AIB and union make case on job losses

BANKING UNION IBOA and management of AIB have made presentations to the Labour Relations Commission about the bank’s plan to cut 2,000 jobs.

The director of the LRC’s conciliation services, Kevin Foley, and the deputy director of conciliation, Anna Perry, heard the two sides’ position yesterday.

The LRC will decide later this week if it there is enough common ground between the bank and the union to proceed with a conciliation process.

AIB executive chairman David Hodgkinson said in April that there would be 2,000 job losses at the bank.

Since then, the IBOA has sought more information on the bank’s plan for redundancies, as well as a commitment that any redundancies would be voluntary and that payouts would match industry norms.

However, talks broke down between the two sides in June, after AIB management was unable to give the union the reassurance it was seeking or provide any details of the planned layoffs.

“We’re still to see the flesh on the bone,” IBOA spokesman Séamus Sheils said.

If the Labour Relations Commission believes that conciliation is not possible at this time, the issue may proceed to the Labour Court or another third party.

“It’s a complicated situation because it’s not just about talking to a group of employees on one hand and an employer on the other,” said Mr Sheils.

The Department of Finance and the European Commission, which must approve any restructuring plan at AIB, will also have a role.