An unofficial strike by 250 cash-in-transit workers in Dublin yesterday does not appear to have caused serious disruption to major banks and retailers in the city.
While companies were reluctant to discuss security arrangements, none of those contacted said the strike had had a noticeable effect on their operations. Spokesmen for AIB and Bank of Ireland said customer services had not suffered as a result of the dispute. A Tesco spokeswoman said contingency plans had worked well. Dunnes Stores reported "no difficulties at all".
Companies were notified about the impending action by the Irish Security Industry Association and the three companies affected by the dispute. A spokesman for the ISIA said normal operations were expected to resume today.
The workers, who are members of SIPTU, went on strike after attending a meeting in Liberty Hall early yesterday morning. They are protesting at what they claim are delays in negotiations on their low pay, £5.20p an hour, and long working hours.
All of them are employed by the three main cash-in-transit companies in the Republic, CP Securities, Brink's-Allied and Securicor. It is understood that they were persuaded, with some difficulty, to agree to resume normal working today in order to allow talks to resume with the employers tomorrow.