Compensation payments agreed for euro changeover

In late 2001, compensation payments for the extra duties involved in the changeover period to the euro single currency in early 2002 were agreed by several major Irish employers, although it remains to be seen if others will follow suit before the euro is introduced.

Euro notes and coins will go into public circulation from 1 January 2002, as 12 EU Member States change over to the single currency and abolish their existing currencies. Special lump-sum payments for extra duties arising from the changeover to the euro have been agreed by two Irish security firms, as well as by at least two retail banks and the two state-owned bus companies. However, claims by trade unions in respect of the euro changeover have been criticised by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC). It remains to be seen if the several deals agreed by early December 2001 will spur further claims.

The Union of Retail, Bar and Administrative Workers (MANDATE), the largest union representing workers in the retail and bar sectors, has not entered generalised claims, although it may seek certain payments in locations where extra work has to be undertaken in connection with the currency change.

The largest deal agreed so far has been at two security firms – Securicor and Brinks-Allied- which have divisions specialising in the movement of cash by road. These companies agreed payments of up to IEP 2,000 each for about 350 workers. IEP 500 of the IEP 2,000 is simply for the extra workload of having to deal with two currencies, while the other IEP 1,500 is for providing a high degree of working time flexibility during the four-month changeover period, from November 2001 to February 2002. These payments are dependent on attendance during the period. A further IEP 800 payment, on top of the IEP 2,000, is to be made to a number of workers who will be stocking bank ATM cash machines with the new currency on 1 January 2002.

A claim by the Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA) for lump-sum compensation was supported by a special tribunal which deals with banking sector disputes. The first claim, at AIB Bank, resulted in: an IEP 600 payment for 4,500 staff directly involved with the new currency; an extra day of leave which can be 'bought' back from the employee for IEP 150, applying to all 6,500 staff; and a 30% increase in overtime payments for a short period of over a week. A similar formula was supported by the banking tribunal for Ulster Bank, affecting 2,000 workers, with decisions expected for Bank of Ireland and National Irish Bank in early December.

Smaller payments were agreed at the two state-owned bus companies, Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus. Both agreed a special 'training allowance' of IEP 120 to compensate bus drivers for the effort required to train and familiarise themselves with the new currency. The two unions representing the 3,200 drivers in both companies - theServices Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU) and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) - have also claimed extra payments for the actual implementation of the new currency. However, if any deals are done on this part of their claim, they are likely to be agreed after the euro's introduction, in the light of experience with the new currency.