Workers at the Greyhound waste disposal company have been told that they face further restructuring, which could include a number of redundancies.
Last summer, Greyhound was at the centre of one of the most bitter disputes of the year after the company announced it was seeking pay cuts of up to a third for staff collecting bins.
A spokesperson for Greyhound confirmed that a staff meeting was held yesterday regarding a further restructuring - particularly of office and call centre workers.
In a letter to staff, Greyhound human Resources director Nicola McCarthy says the Greyhound Group is announcing a restructuring plan following the "massive improvements in service" in the collections side of the business.
She says it is important to have a structure in place that supports the future direction of the waste industry.
Ms McCarthy's letter to employees states: "The Company will look at taking all available steps to try and avoid redundancies where possible, including looking at alternative positions within the Company/re-training/re-location and short-term working, however we do expect that there will be a small number of redundancies. "
She concludes by saying that the company appreciates that this news will cause concern to employees, and thanks them for their continued hard work.
However, she says the company knows they will understand that the restructure is important "to ensure the sustainability of the business and jobs into the future".
While the summer dispute involved a threat of pay cuts of up to 35%, a Greyhound spokesperson said there would be no pay reductions for those involved in the current restructuring - but claimed there would be opportunities for some employees to increase their earnings.
Seventy-eight waste collection operatives picketed the Greyhound plant in Clondalkin from 17 June 2014 after the company implemented the 35% pay cuts.
During the dispute, Greyhound operated collections using agency workers on lower pay rates.
Since the dispute was resolved, it is understood that Greyhound has outsourced many of the company's waste collection routes to sub-contractors.
Following a settlement in September, 50 of the 78 waste collection operatives involved in the dispute took redundancy worth four weeks’ pay per year of service, while most the remainder had wage cuts of up to 19% - offset by a lump sum worth 30% of what they would have received had they taken redundancy.
During the 15 week dispute, Greyhound owner Michael Buckley warned that the row could close the company with the loss of 400 jobs.
The High Court granted injunctions to prevent Greyhound strikers and their supporters from engaging in an alleged illegal blockade of the company, which caused significant disruptions to bin collections.
The dispute also proved divisive within the company, with office workers protesting outside the courts to show their support for management.
It is understood that it is many of those office staff who are now facing possible redundancies under the restructuring.
In September, Greyhound said the settlement had put the company on a sustainable path for growth in the future, had given it the flexibility to ensure the security of some 400 jobs in the Dublin area, and allow improved customer service standards for their 140,000 domestic customers.
SIPTU has called on the Government to establish a task force to examine the waste industry, and to set up a Joint Labour Committee to standardise wages and conditions across the sector.
The Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton sought reports on the waste sector from the Health and Safety Authority, the National Employment Rights Authority and a number of other bodies and pledged to brief his Cabinet colleagues on the matter when he received the final reports.
