Bank of Ireland's decision to close its defined benefits pensions scheme to new employees is "an outrageous abdication of responsibility" and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions will "give its full support" to the bank's employees if they engage in industrial action, general secretary David Begg has said.
At the SIPTU regional conference in Waterford at the weekend, he condemned the "extremely profitable company" for disregarding "established industrial procedures" and said he fully endorsed "the criticism of Bank of Ireland voiced by the Taoiseach" last week.
Mr Begg expressed concern that "many workers will have insufficient pensions when it comes to retirement" and the dispute shows that "employers are consciously and in a considered way", already abandoning an aspect of the new partnership agreement, Towards 2016.
He said this dispute was one of a series, also involving Independent Newspapers and Greencore, which showed "a disturbing and unprecedented pattern" whereby companies of "substance and strategic importance, acting together in an apparently deliberate manner, are choosing to no longer recognise" the authority of institutions such as the Labour Court, the Labour Relations Commissions or the National Implementation Body.
The result is "a developing crisis in our industrial relations system".
The governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonergan, who described Bank of Ireland's action as "obnoxious", received a standing ovation from delegates.
Jack O'Connor, general president of Siptu told The Irish Times that the pensions issue "is the key issue facing workers across the private sector".
He said workers had accepted pay moderation for 20 years, but "now that times are good" companies like Bank of Ireland are conducting "a smash and grab on people's pensions".
While he acknowledged that some companies "have problems with accounting for pensions liabilities" the unions had put forward proposals to employers and the Government to overcome this. Commenting on the Government's plan to increase the number of labour inspectors from 31 to 90, Mr O'Connor said it had only happened because "we managed to beat it out of them".
Pat Cody, the union's regional president told delegates "the employers' body Ibec did their utmost to resist" the new inspectors "who will help combat exploitation and defend a threshold of decency in the workplace for all".
Also at the conference, a Polish union leader told delegates that workers "must not allow the Irish Ferries scandal to be repeated".
Janusz Sniadek, the current president of Solidarnosc (Solidarity) is visiting Ireland to encourage Polish workers here to join unions.