Bord na gCon dispute may lead to cancellation of race meetings

Greyhound meetings in the State could be cancelled because of a dispute over pay and lack of car-parking facilities for Bord …

Greyhound meetings in the State could be cancelled because of a dispute over pay and lack of car-parking facilities for Bord na gCon staff.

Among the fixtures threatened is the Greyhound Derby on September 15th.

SIPTU members at Bord na gCon voted by 22 to one for strike action yesterday.

The dispute arose because the board withdrew car-parking facilities at Shelbourne Park and Harold's Cross, in Dublin, from tote sellers, calculators and security staff.

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Staff want parking restored and are also seeking pay increases of 20 per cent on top of the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.

Branch secretary Ms Chris Rowlands said last night staff earned only £22.90 a night. Although the work is part-time, for a substantial proportion of them it is their main source of income.

They also want a pension scheme.

Security staff, who are full time employees of the board, want overtime and bonuses restored.

Employees also want compensation for handling the conversion to the euro in January. Contacts between SIPTU and the board are continuing and Ms Rowlands was hopeful last night that an offer would be made.

If it was, she said she would immediately convene a meeting of members to vote on it. Otherwise the strike would go ahead.