Johnnie Fox’s labour dispute resolved in seven-hour talks

August 1999

STRIKING staff at Johnnie Fox’s pub in Glencullen returned to work on Monday morning following the resolution of a bitter labour dispute at the famous Dublin mountains hostelry which laste for eight weeks.

Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey brokered an agreement between Johnnie Fox’s management and bar workers union Mandate following seven hours of discussions on Friday last.

This followed an intervention by Labour Affairs Minister Tom Kitt, who lashed out at the slow progress of discussions between management and the union and called for fresh efforts to resolve the action.

Under the agreement, a Labour Relations Commission advisory service will carry out an investigation, and immediate efforts will be made to resolve key issues between both sides to the dispute.

Within four weeks all full-time staff will get an ex-gratia payment of £400 if the commission decides that all staff have integrated satisfactorily.

Part-time workers are to get a pro-rata payment and a voluntary severance package will be put in place for those who want to leave the company.

The pub management has not conceded union recognition as part of the formula, though this may emerge at a later date.

Johnnie Fox’s owner Geraldine McMahon said that the pub was looking forward to welcoming staff members back to work, and Mandate divisional organiser Jim Moloney said there had been a ‘satisfactory outcome’ to the dispute.