MEMBERS OF STAFF at Irish Life who are part of the UNITE trade union are due to meet on Tuesday evening to consider voting for industrial action.
The union says its members are dissatisfied with the company’s failure to engage with them on its restructuring.
Talks at the labour relations commission last month failed to resolve issues between management and staff.
UNITE regional officer Colm Quinlan accused Irish Life management of refusing to engage “in any meaningful way” over the past three months and says management have said nothing, but asked workers to trust them.
“Imprudent, reckless and downright irresponsible practices across the group have undermined job security and future prospects for a business built up over decades of hard work,” Quinlan added. “We want to know what plans are for jobs. We want to know plans are for mortgages and financial products taken out by staff and now at risk. We want to know what is to be done about pensions.”
A spokesperson for Irish Life told TheJournal.ie that it is “very disappointed with this development”.
“We would ask the union to follow the agreed procedures set down to manage situations like this and refer this to the Labour Court,” the spokesperson added. “We are willing to do that and if the unions are also willing to do it, then we can make progress.”
The profitable life assurance operation is being sold off from the Irish Life & Permanent group. IL&P was the last of the six banks now supported by the government to require state recapitalisation and was allocated €4 billion in state funding after the March stress tests.
Announcing the group’s results at the end of August, CEO Kevin Murphy said a number of parties had expressed interest in purchasing Irish Life and discussions are underway.
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