Labour Court Database __________________________________________________________________________________ File Number: CD88132 Case Number: LCR11783 Section / Act: S20(1) Parties: RADIO TELEFIS EIREANN - and - FEDERATED WORKERS' UNION OF IRELAND |
Claim, concerning approximately 380 clerical/administrative staff, for a revised grading structure.
Recommendation:
5. Having considered the submissions of the parties, the Court
takes the view that grading structures evolve within a particular
Company in response to the requirements of that Company and the
workers directly concerned. Consequently, comparisons with
grading structures which have developed in the same manner in
other concerns do not provide a sound basis for a claim to change
the structure such as is before the Court.
The Court does not, therefore, recommend concession of the Union's
claim.
Division: Mr O'Connell Mr McHenry Mr Walsh
Text of Document__________________________________________________________________
CD88132 RECOMMENDATION NO. LCR11783
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACTS, 1946 TO 1976
SECTION 20(1)
PARTIES: RADIO TELEFIS EIREANN
and
FEDERATED WORKERS' UNION OF IRELAND
SUBJECT:
1. Claim, concerning approximately 380 clerical/administrative
staff, for a revised grading structure.
BACKGROUND:
2. In 1982 R.T.E. and the various Unions representing its
employees negotiated a number of Agreements entitled "The
Development of the Broadcasting Services in the 1980s." The
Agreement covering clerical and administrative staff provided for
an increase in pay of 17.15% and contained a review clause which
stated as follows:
"The next review of salaries of the grades affected apart from
National Wage Rounds, will take place two years from the
commencement of this agreement in the light of changes in the
salaries of comparable grades in outside employments or other
considerations which either party may wish to raise including
examination, without commitment, of the nett value of the
overall productivity achieved.
The review process will not effect the on-going
implementation of this agreement."
In 1984 the Union sought to activate the review clause and served
various claims which were rejected by management. No agreement
was reached at Labour Court conciliation conferences held in
August and November, 1985. Three of the claims, an increase in
pay, a reduction in the working week and rationalisation of the
grading structure, were reactivated in April, 1987. A
conciliation conference took place on 22nd May, 1987 to discuss
these issues but no agreement was reached. Following subsequent
correspondence between the Court, the Union and the Authority, the
claims for an increase in pay and a reduction in the working week
were referred to a full Labour Court hearing which took place on
11th March, 1988. Management was not agreeable to the referral of
the matter of the grading structure. It was referred to the
Court, on 10th February, 1988, under Section 20(1) of the
Industrial Relations Act, 1969. The hearing also took place on
11th March, 1988. Prior to the hearing the Union agreed to be
bound by the Court's recommendation.
UNION'S ARGUMENTS:
3. 1. The current grades and pre 26th round rates of pay are as
follows:
Title | Min | Max |Points on Scale
(a) Secretarial Assistant | £6,902| £9,179 | 9
(b) Senior Secretarial Assistant| £7,379|£10,260 | 10
(c) Clerk | £6,957|£11,662 | 15
(d) Receptionist/Telephonist | £8,082|£11,029 | 10
(e) News Assistant | £7,167|£11,052 | 13
(f) Accounts Assistant | |£11,662 |
(g) Executive Secretary | £8,919|£11,745 | 9
(h) Sales Assistant | £8,286|£12,946 | 11
(i) Information Assistant | £8,286|£12,946 | 11
(j) Senior Clerk | £9,030|£13,472 | 11
(k) Administrative Assistant |£10,162|£14,970 | 11
(l) Senior Administrative | | |
Assistant |£11,712|£16,489 | 10
The Union proposes a four grade structure consisting of
clerical grades 1 and 2 and administrative grades 1 and 2.
The current grades (a) to (f) above, inclusive would
constitute clerical grade 1 while grades (g) to (j), inclusive
would constitute clerical grade 2. These would be 10-point
scales.
The current grade of administrative assistant would become
administrative grade 1 while that of senior administrative
assistant would become administrative grade 2. These would be
8-point scales.
2. The Union's proposals for a four grade
clerical/administrative structure would bring R.T.E. into line
with other comparable State companies and is appropriate in a
situation where clerical/administrative numbers continue to
decline. (Details were supplied in relation to the grading
structures in other employments). As well as providing
benefits to the employees, the proposed structure would
provide greater flexibility to R.T.E. Management in that the
range of duties in each grade would be substantially
increased.
3. Currently staff in the clerical/administrative grades are
amongst the lowest paid in R.T.E. and more than 80% of these
grades are women.
4. R.T.E. Management has consistently refused to honour the
review clause which provides for "Examination without
commitment of the nett value of the overall productivity
achieved." The Union believes that such an examination would
reveal substantial productivity savings in the
clerical/administrative areas.
3. 5. The Company's substantially improved performance both in
terms of productivity achieved and profitability should allow
this change to be implemented without causing financial
difficulty.
MANAGEMENT'S ARGUMENTS:
4. 1. Under the Broadcasting Acts, R.T.E. has a responsibility
to manage the job and work structures of the organisation. It
is therefore obliged to ensure that an equitable grading
structure exists and the structure in question clearly comes
under this heading. It has served both R.T.E. and the Unions
well over the years and it is more than adequate to meet the
current needs of the organisation. This has been recognised
by the Labour Court, particularly in Labour Court
Recommendation No. 8174, which rejected a claim for a change
in the job evaluation scheme and endorsed the R.T.E. scheme.
R.T.E. does not wish to have a revised structure imposed on
the organisation with staff seeking higher grading claims
under the new structure.
2. This claim was originally pursued as part of a package of
cost increasing claims which included a claim for 5% increase
in salary and a reduction in the working week. In this regard
the Union was in effect seeking a "second front" on which to
pursue a claim for an increase in salary and which represents
a significant increase in payroll costs of £400,000.
3. This type of cost increasing claim runs totally contrary
to the economic realities in which R.T.E. finds itself.
In September, 1985, R.T.E. introduced a cost reduction
programme with the aim of reducing payroll costs which
represented an unacceptably high percentage of expenditure.
This process and other cost cutting programmes, were necessary
to return R.T.E. to financial viability and thereby protect
the employment position of staff. Since that time there has
been some improvement in the financial position, but with the
publication of the recent Radio Bill which provides for
commercial radio at national and local levels, the
advertisement income earning environment will become much more
competitive. This has been further exacerbated by recent
announcements regarding an Irish Commercial T.V. channel.
These new services may significantly reduce R.T.E.'s revenue
earning capacity. In this situation, cost efficiencies must
be a priority and cost reductions, not cost increases, as
envisaged in this claim will be essential.
RECOMMENDATION:
5. Having considered the submissions of the parties, the Court
takes the view that grading structures evolve within a particular
Company in response to the requirements of that Company and the
workers directly concerned. Consequently, comparisons with
grading structures which have developed in the same manner in
other concerns do not provide a sound basis for a claim to change
the structure such as is before the Court.
The Court does not, therefore, recommend concession of the Union's
claim.
~
Signed on behalf of the Labour Court
John O'Connell
_______________________
11th April, 1988
A.K./J.C. Deputy Chairman.