Industrial action called off at Virgin Media Ireland as talks are agreed

Unions and management at Virgin Media Ireland have agreed to appoint an independent mediator in an attempt to resolve a dispute arising out of recent redundancies.

Unite and Siptu have called off industrial action that was to go ahead in January over disagreements about the terms of a redundancy deal and union recognition.

The sides met on Thursday evening and later issued a statement to workers at Virgin Media Ireland which said they “acknowledge that there are disputed areas regarding the collective bargaining group and union recognition”.

They agreed unions and management would meet in January to negotiate on pay increases. They also committed to negotiating a framework to improve industrial relations into the future.

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Members of Unite and Siptu, who represent more than 350 workers in the company, voted for strike action earlier this month after Virgin Media Ireland announced 65 redundancies among the workforce. That figure was later reduced to 40.

Redundant workers

The unions stated that the redundancies were made without consultation with the unions and that the redundancy terms on offer were significantly less than the deal offered in 2015 when the company was owned by UPC.

Redundant workers were then offered two years salary plus statutory redundancy. In the latest deal, the offer was capped at a year’s salary inclusive of statutory redundancy.

Unite trade union official Brendan Byrne described the meeting on Thursday as "very productive, cordial and with a good exchange of views".

He noted that the mediator’s recommendations will be non-binding and stressed the unions reserved the right to take industrial action if the issues are not resolved satisfactorily.

In a statement issued prior to the talks, Virgin Media Ireland reiterated that it had engaged with the unions on pay review talks through the year.

A spokeswoman said the company had also informed the unions about the collective redundancy process prior to the commencement of the 30-day consultation period and that the process had been carried out fairly.

“We applied our original proposed pay increase, which we believe to be fair and appropriate and have consistently rewarded all our employees with annual pay increases.”

She stated the telecoms and broadcast markets are competitive and their competitors are “making substantial reductions in employee numbers”.