FAI pay dispute referred to Labour Court

SIPTU have asked the Labour Court to make a ruling on the reversal of pay cuts to FAI staff.

FAI employees were hit with pay-cuts in 2012 as the organization struggled financially, amassing a €64 million debt.

Those employees are angered that they haven’t seen any pay restoration since that difficult period, despite the upturn in FAI finances (The FAI reportedly banked €11m from Euro 2016).

According to the Irish Independent, roughly one third of the FAI’s 167 members are members of SIPTU.

SIPTU have called for a third-party analysis of their accounts, as explained by SIPTU sector organiser Denis Hynes.

“We’re looking for restoration of the pay levels prior to the cuts of August 2012, which were to be in place for a period of 18 months only,” Hynes revealed.

“Receiving a paltry three per cent last June was simply not enough. We asked the FAI to engage with us in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to find a resolution to this dispute but they declined to do so.”

“Our members are feeling completely frustrated at the lack of progress in this dispute.

“It left us with no option but to submit an application for a full hearing at the Labour Court, which we have now done. The case will be heard inside three months.”

“As part of the (Labour Court) process, we will be looking for an independent assessment of the FAI accounts.

“In disputes where employers say they can’t afford to pay their employees, unions are entitled to ask the employer to prove that is the case, which is where the independent assessors come in.”

As of last night, the FAI had not responded to requests for their comments on the issue.