Protest over job losses at institute for accountants

Members of the Unite trade union will take industrial action at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland next week as part of a dispute over compulsory redundancies.

The union said the first protest against the redundancies would take place at the offices of the institute on Pearse Street, Dublin, on Tuesday.

Last month 11 staff at the institute were told their roles were being made redundant as part of a cost-saving initiative.

A spokesman for the institute said last night that the staff were let go yesterday and would be paid in lieu of notice. The staff concerned worked in different parts of the organisation. The institute was facing a deficit of €1 million this year.

He said that the selection process which chose the 11 staff for compulsory redundancy at the institute had been upheld by an independent review which was finalised in recent days.

Unite, which represents nine of the staff being made redundant, said last night that 40 union members at the institute had voted overwhelmingly to start a campaign of protest at the development.