Unions sleepin with the enemy.

“Staff were informed of the job losses today”.

So are you saying prior that you knew that 200 jobs at EBS were going as part of the redundancies at AIB?

From the Irish Examiner:

“LOWER-RANKED staff at EBS are preparing to strike throughout Christmas week after being told they will not receive their traditional extra month’s salary” :

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/strike-looms-at-ebs-over-loss-of-traditional-bonus-176535.html

Did they not get their Bonus payment?

Weren’t these “front office staff” given some kind of a bonus last year?

Weren’t the big shots given ridiculous bonuses last year?

So let me clarify your position per the old childish rejoinder: ‘they did it too” !

EBS STAFF were given half a ‘bonus’ payment — worth up to €1250 each in 2012. We should remember this.

This “bonus” was a % of their basic pay that is withepd every month and paid at christmas. Permanent TSB staff had the same arrangment and it was changed as a result of the EBS strike. It was not a performance related payment whatsoever. Part of their basic wage, so it’s a bit harsh to judge them for striking over a pay cut.

Declan,

What world do you live in? A world of take? It’s a much easier and comfortable place to be whenever a state bails you out.

No, but the pretense their basic salary was cut under was wrong. They had no say in that portion of their basic being with held. It was just the way their contract was drawn up. People heard “bonus” and “bank” and drew their own conclusions without checking the facts. But these are just ordinary people working in these offices. No different to anybody else. Im sure you wouldnt want to see wage cuts anywhere. And to judge them for striking for their basic pay is harsh.

Nope Declan, the Irish state had bailed out banks so had a say in where other people’s money was being spent. In this case, EBS staff were given a Bonus in 2012. The state capitulated in the end, however you want to put it.

Theres a link to the end of the strike action which gives some more details in how their wages are structured. You should check it out and have a think about it. I know banks arent exactly popular these days but to hold it against the rank and file staff for defending themselves is a bit unfair. Its not like theyre on big salaries or get any perks like the people you may be thinking of are. These are just ordinary people, front line staff who were defending their contracted pay.

Bottom Line to all my points:

Where will we get the money from? Nobody seems to have answered that.

I see where you’re coming from, “blood from a stone” and that. But that’s another matter altogether. Im only pointing out that this “bonus” is not really a bonus at all. A bonus is generally a reward for good performance. This was simply their basic pay. Cutting this was effectively a pay cut. Which im sure most people will sympathise with in the Ireland of today.

These job cuts were expected,

You can’t have it both ways people.

You can’t expect banks to cut costs so they are less of a burden on the tax payers and then also expect no job losses.

Job losses would have been larger and much faster had the banks been allowed go bust like so many people wished.

Expecting cost cutting and no job losses is just foolish, many of these banks have what can only be viewed as excess staff from the boom times.

@barry,you mean the same banks that gave rises to its top figures?

Steve, yes the same EBS that also gave bonuses to its lower level staff too.

So the lower level staff are not exactly innocent here

Hi reognald. Please see my comment in response to this “bonus” above.

Alot of the ebs staff are low level, not directly responsible for the economy, have had pay cuts, no pay rises in 5 yrs & no prospect of any for years to come and are tax payers too paying the exact same usc, property tax etc etc & dealing with the same cost increases on less income and are struggling in the exact same way as any other low level staff (and above) in any other business. Stop blaming the ordinary worker