The Labour Court has thrown out a 'disturbance' claim exceeding €500,000 made by three unions on behalf of 80 Dublin Bus workers.
Siptu, Connect and Unite the Union lodged the disturbance allowance claim concerning works being done at a Dublin Bus garage at Harristown that, according to the union, were having an effect on the workers’ ability to perform day-to-day duties to a satisfactory level.
The unions stated that the working conditions “were unacceptable” at the garage near Dublin airport.
The claim was contested by Dublin Bus which argued that the amount at issue significantly exceeded the €500,000 figure.
Dublin Bus told the Labour Court a collective agreement had been in place since 2001 and that Dublin Bus put measures in place to diminish the effects on the employees of the works being done.
SIPTU Organiser, John Murphy said today that the union was “disappointed” with the Labour Court recommendation.
He said: “Our members were working in what was really a construction site at the garage for almost two years and we believe that this went beyond what the 2001 collective agreement covered.”
Mr Murphy that union members will be balloted on the Labour Court recommendation.
He said that members will vote probably against the recommendation and “we would then enter further dialogue with Dublin Bus as we believe that an allowance and compensation is warranted in this case”.
In its ruling, Labour Court chairman, Kevin Foley stated that the unions and Dublin Bus are disagreed as to the level of impact of the works in the garage and the degree to which effective mitigating arrangements were in place in the garage during the entirety of the period of the works.
Mr Foley stated that the parties are agreed that the cost of the claim exceeds €500,000 and Dublin Bus contends that the amount at issue significantly exceeds that amount.
Dismissing the unions' claim, Mr Foley stated that the parties are agreed that collective agreements were concluded in 2001 which covered all of the grades before the court in the current claim.
Mr Foley said that those agreements provided for the payment of 1,200 punts each to all staff in those grades.
