I cannot stand this attitude of “welcome to the real world” “no sympathy” “What did they expect” etc etc etc Why are we so quick to attack one another, it is crazy! Just because people have jobs and get a salary does not mean they should be walked over by their companies, and again to re-iterate what others have said these are normal bank staff, not the big players earning a fortune, instead of attacking them we should all be more supportive, but that is hardly going to happen, people in private sector will have comments about public sector, people in public sector will have comments on private sector, people out of work will begrudge people working, etc etc etc

Thanks journal.ie for finally changing that inflammatory headline from bonus to what this issue is actually about – payment (of salary I might add)

How are some people not getting it…. read the facts and stop jumping on the bandwagon.
These people are loosing a lot of their wages, stop delighting in their misfortune.
If their wages are 30k a year they get it divided by 13 which is 2307 per month but they only get paid this for 12 months which is 27692 which leaves over 2300 that they are owed…. simple!!!
I hope they get what they are owed.

Join the club….. Bonuses i remember those days.

I completely agree with bonuses not being paid, however this is a deferred payment and part of a contracted salary. If we the public don’t support each other and say contracts are null and void then where does this leave the rest of us. The people most likely to be affected by this are the front line staff who have been dealing with the public disgust of how the banking system has been handled and those responsible since the actual banking disaster. I would like someone to explain to me how the EBS CEO recently exceeded the salary cap and how Enda Kenny recommended a salary increase of 32k to his friend! These are the people our anger should be levelled at and not the lay person on the front line who also has financial commitments and experiencing the same financial difficulties as the rest of us especially at this time of year

Dreadful timing for staff and I do feel sorry for them given the shitty notice period but a 13th month’s salary for a non-target related bonus??!!! Jesus wept. That had to go sooner or later.

I have no love for the financial institutions of Ireland but people need start remembering that there are human beings working there. I feel very sorry for the sorry for the staff that have probably come to rely on this payment to see them through Christmas. If EBS were going to change their payment practice staff should have been informed of this months ago to give them time to readjust for December.

Well done to all of the rank-and-file EBS staff that have come here to explain the exact situation to a bunch of people (I would include myself here) that just read the story they’re fed and believe the headlines. I hope you fight for your rightful payment and I hope you win.

It is unfortunate for the frontline staff who are having to put up with a lot at the moment, I know there is little sympathy for them, but they are just front line workers line anyone else. It’s the management and directors I have a problem with. I hope the cancellation of bonuses applies to them shower of w…..bankers.

I would encourage anyone coming on here to read previous comments rather than making stupid and un-informed rants on here.
Staff worked for this pay, they took less pay each month so they would have this pay come in before Christmas. No one would be happy about this.
Please also note that headline of this article contained word bonus which is now changed to payments…company management will be giving information to the media and using words like “bonus” will create a negative reaction among the public and i feel this is being done to show staff lack of support amongst the general public should strike go ahead…so don’t fall for it there are good explanations on here as to what’s going on and what this pay is…

Its owned by AIB which is owned by the state… Would be a bit rich to pay bonuses from failed banks.

People who are putting in so called negative comments are going by the headline of this article “EBS will not be paying Christmas bonus ” so it’s up to the staff to put the record straight , when most people who read this article what do you expect them to say .

The regular workers should get their bonsues, the criminals at the top should be locked up.

Clearly if its salary that’s paid over 13 month’s it’s not a bonus! and no one seems to have noticed managers are still going to be paid this way. none of their children will be going without presents this Christmas

Those 370 staff were due to get their wages this Friday for Christmas and were told on Tuesday they weren’t getting it . Don’t be so fecking negative towards ordinary bank staff

This is completely wrong. To be told just before christmas shows the people involved lack humanity. People were relying on that money for Christmas presents for their kids etc. It goes to show what the people in power in this country thinks of the person on the street. What a shocker the management in this story have kept their bonus. It’s funny how the people in power get looked after time and time again while the ordinary worker on below average wages gets screwed over.

My wife works for primark and they pay the exact same way. They calculate her pay every 4 weeks so she gets 13 pay packs. Think it’s a disgrace and the headline does mislead the actual story. Not sure ebs can give interest free loans as this product would then have to become available to customers. Ie they can no longer treat staff better than a customer with cheaper products

EBS staff are not looking for sympathy in any way shape or form. Just a payment of salary contractually promised to them. This amounts to an immediate 8% pay cut, on top of a 5% cut already suffered, two weeks before Christmas… Would you accept that??

It’s not a bonus. It’s salary paid over 13 months. Two months paid in Dec. So effectively it’s a pay cut for EBS staff and it’s disgusting that they are doing this to their least paid staff!

@Frank , You do know that Bank Staff & their families pay tax aswell don’t you? Your talking like they are exempt!
This anger should not be aimed at the bank staff, If things like this are let happen then what’s next, who’s next to be targeted, Who’s employer will jump on the band wagon?? I hope for your sake it won’t be yours.

Ridiculous. Some of you are not listening!!! It sounds as if the staff have agreed to take a 12 month pay cut so they sort of build up the double pay, (13th) month so that they can have a lump sum at Christmas. I would willingly take less pay per month knowing at Christmas I was receiving money that would completely take the stress off Xmas. They’ve earned it. Haters out there begrudging people who have jobs…they are not moaning for their freebies…they are demanding what they’ve already earned and sacrificed the rest of the year for! Good luck on the strike. I’m behind you!!

And you guys at EBS are looking for sympathy?

None here.

Saaaavage profile pic Anita!

Its the staffs wages. They are paid over a 13 month period and the company is probably using this method to reduce its pension contributions to workers by paying them for 12 months. When considering its not affecting management its low. The staff are just pawns in the big picture and with the merger with AIB next year (EBS and AIB staff) will be made redundant, There is no point in blaming the staff for what happened in the sector as no power. I think the CEO got a bonus a few months ago. I may be wrong but if correct totally double standards. The fact someone is in a job or not is irrelevent as all workers deserve to be treated with respect and not like this. AIB are saying the Dept of Finance are saying this has to be done and we know how much the DOF screw things up and no one gets fired there and still living in Croke Park la la land.

Does anyone find it odd that a bank still thinks it’s appropriate to grant preferential loans to those associated with it (especially when it knows their ability to repay has been reduced by a 13th)?

How much revenue would have been earned by the government had the staff have been paid their full contractual salary? Instead of this unearned tax going back into the system it’s now sitting most likely in an EBS account earning more money to provide for the managements bonuses.
Note I said Managements Bonuses !! & staffs Salaries!
The staff are being robbed of money that they have worked for through out the year. While yet again the senior people, like in every other organisation feel no pain.
Make the rich richer & the poor poorer.

I’m not a fan of financial institutions but I’m even less of a fan of the sensationalist, deceptive headline on this thread. It’s pretty sick that the workers are essentially getting screwed for a months wages. Hopefully they have some sort of defence for this and get what they’re owed.

Your earlier headline was “EBS will not be paying christmas bonus to staff” correct me if I’m wrong !

Its not a BONUS as its called….For the 5 week months staff get no extra pay and get payed in lump sum first week of december its more of a saving scheme and not a bonus…they have decided to stop it this year and are using the wording thats in staff contracts as a reason to get out…The people this affects are the front counter staff and admin starr – who are on very low salaries and this is something they earned during the past 11 months and should be honoured…The people who ruined the banking sector are still getting their 13th month payements as usual…its the lowest salary scale thats affected by this while seniour management have looked after themselves as usual!!!

Well said Skel Eton…. Yet again the fat cats get fatter and the hard working low wage earners get shafted…. People need to understand that this is THEFT. The employees contractually agreed wage is split into 13 months so essentially this extra month is the employees savings. I say get out there to all that are affected and get back what is rightfully yours.

Three very simple words “The Labour Court”. No employer in the country is above being brought there!

I’d venture to suggest that the headline is deliberately provocative.

If, as others have posted earlier, it’s a means of getting the ‘extra’ weeks in months of the year paid when they haven’t been, then it is theft/breach of contract, as clearly, this is not a bonus, it’s earned wages.

However, if otherwise…

Kind of a pointless forum going on here…. People are acting like these people don’t have the “right” to protest or strike just because they feel more hard done by themselves…. I get worried when people in a country start turning on one another just because one side wishes to protest in some way. There’s still not enough protest to financial and government entities in my opinion. I don’t think the EBS staff will starve this Christmas, but i’d never tell them to pipe down just because of the fact.

Ok hands up I apologise the headline was very misleading didn’t realise it was staffs wages so I now take back my comment and really hope ye get the money owed to you and if not then strike and I wil for one support you do not let those bastards away with this best of luck :) again sorry

Seriously. They’re lucky to have an employer that stiffs people wages? Need to get past tarring everyone that works for a financial institution.

A lot of references to EBS ‘using the wording in the contract to get out of it’.

You have my sympathies, this is weasel behaviour of the lowest order, but I’m curious – what is the wording that you refer too? If the contract has a loophole, then this is not breach of contract

nobody in EBS lookin for sympathy just the money which is due to them!

If they strike will I not have to pay my mortgage if nobody is in to process the payment? Silver lining maybe.

At least they have 12-month salary…

I’m gutted, would be better off on the dole, oh no you wouldn’t

Sorry EBS staff, welcome to reality for so many other people in Ireland, your company is loosing money so it’s either massive staff cuts or cost saving changes such as this.

The general public I’m afraid won’t support you on this one

No sympathy for any of them at all. They should consider themselves lucky that they are actually getting the other 12 months salary. Days of bonuses like those are well and truly over!!

By my calculations, the pre-tax bonus would average €925,000 (that’s based on 370 people having a salary of €30k so the amount could easily be higher). That amount of money is equal to almost 31 jobs at €30k a year. If I worked for EBS I’d shut the hell up and be grateful for my 12 months pay that’s coming from the Irish taxpayer

Iv never worked for a company that offers a Xmas bonus. We do get a profit share bonus but sure of the 8 years iv worked for this crowd iv seen maybe about €500 in total spread out over a period of years! I’d LOVE an extra months pay!!!!!

Sorry, I’m all on for the democratic right to strike but this is not one I could support, especially as my EBS mortgage is do high!

This argument is complete rubbish. If the bank have an employee at a defined gross pay (I.e 36,000) they have to, by law pay €3,000 a month or €692 a week. If they are stiffing the staff by paying them €2,768 a month (based upon 4 week months) they are breaking every labour law in the country. I don’t believe for a minute that any bank would leave themselves open to this. You can be guaranteed that the 13th month is a bonus payment over and above the normal yearly salary.

Boo Hoo ! drowning in my tears for them and the sorry thing is that if they do strike they will probably get their bonus

are these people serious? they are lucky to have jobs.

Don’t know about u lot but there’s 12 mths in my year!!!

Boohoo! Be grateful you have a job! No sympathy here!

Quick – somebody tell the Gemans we work with a 13 month year so our debt figure annually must be divided by 13 and not 12. How much will that save the taxpayer.
Is this the same bunch of people who borrowed interest free for SSIA’s and doubled their money. Now the poor people are paying them for 13 months a year. Only in Ireland would this happen.

Hallo – the taxpayer is paying the wages.

ANother example of how out of touch with reality unions are. This “bonus” should not be paid. No sympathy for workers who go on strike over this.

Well i never heard of Greed in Financial Institutes, what is the country coming to ?

im sure if they check their pay receipts, they will be able to work out how much they get per hour and realise that their pay is in fact correct, but their little honey pot has been put on hold due TO THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES AND THE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES WE LIVE IN AS THE REST OF US HAVE TO LISTEN TO EVERY WEEK

Wow 13 pay cheques in 1 year for doin SFA. Boom! Welcome to the real world folks!

Let them strike. A bonus is exactly that. A Bonus. Not a given.

Can we not just all get along :)

Lucky to have bloody jobs so stop moaning over your bonus……Some of us can’t even get a days work no matter how hard I try never mind a bloody bonus !!!!

Still living in banker land ,well welcome to the real world stop whinging , you are lucky to be in a job .

Are those in EBS for real??? They are Lucky to have a job and now they want bounces from a bank who are continuously been bailed out by us the tax payer get f**king real

I see a lot EBS’ers read the journal… Get on with it,at least you have a months salary for December !

Aren’t they lucky

A lot of people are working 3 day weeks as a result of cut backs which equals 30 weeks approx per year and this lot want to be paid for 56 weeks.

Oh how terrible. I’ll be there on the picket line with them. In December. Idiots.

What pay cuts have ESB staff taken since the beginning of the recession? Have any ESB staff received a pay rise??

Don’t care.

I thought EBS was shut down?

These people should work for 188.00Euro per week as that is the rate which other people get from the taxpayers of Ireland who subsidise them for their week.