Fast-food outlets fight rules on Sunday pay

AN ALLIANCE of fast-food business bosses is taking a case to the Dublin High Court in an effort to change legislation giving workers higher rates of pay on a Sunday.
The group calls itself the Quickservice Food Alliance and represents Supermacs, Subway, Abrakebabra, Eddie Rockets and Burger King. It argues that it is “unfair” that employers must pay extra money to staff for working on a Sunday. The group is going ahead with the legal action despite almost finalising an agreement in the restaurant sector with the National Employment Rights Authority last week that, if agreed, would mean restaurants and fast-food outlets across the state would pay staff time and one-third as the standard Sunday rate.

800 private hospital staff to ballot for industrial action

EIGHT HUNDRED workers in private hospitals around Dublin will ballot for industrial action after some private hospitals decided that they do not have to pay the 3.5 per cent increase due under the first phases of the 26-County state’s ‘National Pay Agreement’.
According to SIPTU, employers’ representative body IBEC has advised one profitable hospital not to pay the increase. It is also believed that health insurers VHI and Quinn have said that they will not fund any pay increase. The private hospitals which have said that they will not pay the increase are St Vincent’s, the Bon Secours, the Mater Private, and the Blackrock Clinic.
SIPTU says it will not accept private hospitals profiteering from the situation and not paying the increase due.

Fears for nursing jobs in North

THERE are fears for nursing jobs in the Six Counties as plans to cut hundreds of health service jobs over the next three years have emerged with 2,500 potential job losses.
UUP Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has said that he must make 3 per cent savings over the next three years. Mary Hinds, the Director of the Royal College of Nursing, has said that her institution is gravely concerned about the impact on healthcare.
Sinn Féin MLA Michelle O’Neill says that the nursing jobs are essential to the function of a full and effective health service and to lose 700 nurses would be wholly unacceptable. Sinn Féin will fight any attempt to cut frontline jobs.

US investmentor may buy Waterford Crystal

KPS Capital is the favourite to buy out the Waterford Wedgwood group with the potential help of €10m in aid from the Irish Government.
The group is continuing negotiations with David Carson of the Deloitte Group and is said to be willing to maintain a manufacturing role at the Kilbarry plant in Waterford.
KPS has previously invested in manufacturing businesses which have come into difficulty or large debt.