A dispute at Independent Newspapers over a threat of compulsory redundancies deepened last night after the company refused to have the matter referred to the Labour Court.
It said in a statement it had "respectfully declined" a suggestion by the National Implementation Body that the dispute be referred to the court for adjudication.
About 460 workers in all unions in the company, including SIPTU and the National Union of Journalists, are balloting this week on industrial action, which could be implemented by late next week. The company said yesterday it had contingency plans to ensure continued production of its newspapers in the event of a strike.
The row is over the manner in which the Independent is implementing a plan to cut staff numbers by 205. The company wants to outsource functions carried out by clerical, administrative, telesales, finance and general operative staff.
Employees in the relevant sections who fail to apply for a severance package by Friday have been told they will be compulsorily made redundant on statutory terms.
About 50 clerical and administrative staff have been warned that if they refuse to either accept the severance package or to relocate from Dublin, they will be considered to have resigned and will receive no redundancy. Their jobs are being outsourced to locations in Cork, Armagh and Hertfordshire in England.
The company says that more than 190 staff have already accepted the redundancy package. A spokesman stressed that it intended to implement the 205 job cuts in full.
SIPTU, which represents the staff directly affected, claims the company is acting in breach of the Sustaining Progress pact.
The National Implementation Body, made up of representatives of the Government, employers and unions, recommended last Friday that the SIPTU complaint be referred by both sides to the Labour Court for binding adjudication.
In its statement last night rejecting the NIB's suggestion, the company said it had exhausted all available industrial relations avenues and remained committed to securing the required number of job cuts.
SIPTU regional secretary Ms Patricia King said it was "extremely serious" that a prominent member of the employers' body, IBEC, should take such a stance on a request by the NIB.
