The Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU) has agreed before the High Court to defer the issuing of strike notice on behalf of its members in Irish Life and Permanent plc, trading as Permanent TSB.
The bank had notified the union last Friday of its intention to seek an interlocutory injunction yesterday restraining the union from issuing, at a meeting of the bank's TSB employees last night, strike notice. Counsel for the union told Mr Justice Kelly the bank was a merger of Irish Permanent and TSB in 2001 and the ATGWU had represented staff in the TSB. The union was in dispute with the bank about staff levels in branches.
Counsel said the union wanted an adjournment of the proceedings brought by the bank so that union officials could put in sworn statements. The union did not consider the collective agreement with the bank to be binding. The bank's case was that there were procedural terms within the agreement which governed grievances and which were legally binding and enforceable.
Mr Paul Gallagher SC, for the bank, said it had no objection to adjourning the matter until Thursday if the union undertook not to serve any strike notice in the meantime.