Grant Thornton appointed by Department of The Taoiseach in Postal Workers Dispute as Independent Financial Assessor
Grant Thornton was appointed in November 2005 by the Department of The Taoiseach on behalf of the National Implementation Body to examine costs in a dispute between An Post and the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU).
In July 2005 the Labour Court in Ireland gave a non-binding judgment that wage increases for postal employees be linked to work practice changes in collection and delivery. This was accepted by the management of An Post but rejected by the CWU which led to the threat of strike action by its members.
We were appointed to assess the costs and implications of accepting the CWU’s proposed amendments to the Labour Court recommendation. The team, led by Paul Jacobs, met with the Department, the National Implementation Body, An Post and the CWU. This led to a detailed written report and a presentation to all parties at Government buildings.
The final report highlighted significant differences of understanding between the parties regarding the costs and implications of the CWU’s proposed amendments and was a key factor in the Labour Court issuing a revised recommendation on pay increases which was accepted by both An Post and the CWU. Strike action was averted and post delivery was guaranteed for Christmas.