Bank of Ireland staff who are members of the Amicus trade union have voted for industrial action today as part of a continuing row over new pension arrangements.
Some 93 per cent of the 500 staff balloted voted in favour of industrial action up to and including strike action.
The union is writing to Bank of Ireland today to inform the company of the ballot result. The industrial action is scheduled to take place during the week beginning November 13th.It is likely that the action will involve a minimum one day strike.
"The Bank of Ireland's position throughout the whole debate on pensions has been to impose a solution without due consultation and without regard to the likely significant impact this will have on its long serving employees," said Amicus Regional Officer, Colm Quinlan.
Mr Quinlan claimed the union did not want to rush into industrial action but they were being forced into action by the attitude of management at the bank.
Bank of Ireland condemned the threat of industrial action this afternoon.
In a statement, the bank said it announced in May that it was implementing a new Pensions Strategy, "aimed at providing competitive, progressive and socially responsible pensions" for new employees with effect from October 1st 2006. It added that there will be no changes in benefit for existing staff or pensioners.
"The new pensions arrangements reflect the changing environment and are superior to most changes being introduced by other companies at present," it said.
A ballot of 8,000 members of the Irish Bank officials Association working with the bank has been deferred pending a Labour Court hearing on the pensions issue next Thursday.
Last week, Siptu warned it would ask about a quarter of a million of its members and their families to close their accounts with the bank if it continued with its plan to close the defined benefit pension scheme.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has accused Bank of Ireland of breaking the terms of the national pay deal. General secretary David Begg said the bank's refusal to comply with a Labour Court request to defer the introduction of a new pension scheme for employees who join the company after October 1st had breached the Towards 2016 agreement.