Staff at Tullow Credit Union to vote on industrial action
Tullow Credit Union. Photo credit: Google 2023.
MEMBERS of the Financial Services Union (FSU) at Tullow Credit Union have been asked to vote on whether they want to take industrial action after management refused to meet the trade union organisation.
The ballot opened on 5 August and will close on Wednesday 19 August.
There are eight employees in the organisation, the majority of whom are members of FSU. Their last pay rise was in 2023 and it was a “modest one”, said CEO of Tullow Credit Union Thomas Ryan.
Within the organisation, the atmosphere is “extremely” tense he said. “This could have been solved a long time ago.”
“Tullow Credit Union staff members never imagined they would have to vote for industrial action to ensure their workplace rights and entitlements are protected,” said Gareth Murphy, head of industrial relations and campaigns with the FSU.
He said the FSU first requested a meeting with management on 26 May at Tullow Credit Union to discuss its right to collectively bargain on behalf of its members. Mr Murphy said staff were “rightly angered” by the organisation’s decision not to meet the FSU.
Mr Murphy called on the chairperson of Tullow Credit Union to meet the FSU to try and resolve this matter before it escalates further.
In a statement to , chairperson of Tullow Credit Union Thomas Keogh said the credit union ‘respects the right of every employee to join and be represented by a trade union of their choosing’.
Mr Keogh said his organisation ‘carefully considered’ the request for recognition but decided against it because of its ‘approach to employment relations’, rather than a refusal to respect employees’ right to union representation.
He said the management engages with staff on pay and workplace matters ‘on an ongoing basis’ and had commissioned an independent pay and sector benchmarking review earlier this year to ensure that pay and benefits are considered objectively. The chairperson said he was awaiting the final report from the independent consultant and that would determine any appropriate actions arising from it.
‘The credit union remains committed to maintaining positive employee relations and to ensuring that any concerns raised by employees are addressed through the appropriate management and internal communication channels,’ he concluded.
