The Retail Grocery Joint Labour Committee met this week to review objections from employers to the proposal to defer the 2.5% retail wage increase due in October 2009 to two payments of 1.25% to be paid in January and June 2011. RGDATA’s Tara Buckley told the meeting that over 600 employers had personally made their concerns known to the Committee. The Workers’ representatives said they had taken the employers’ views and board and that was why they agreed to a further deferral of the wage increase to 2011.

RGDATA President John Foy made strong representations to the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Innovation Batt O’ Keeffe TD and the National Consumer Agency over the latest “prices survey” and the comments of NCA boss Ann Fitzgerald.

RGDATA has urged Communications & Energy Minister Eamon Ryan TD to reject the proposal by ESB to increase prices by 5%.

On 19 August, Bank of Scotland Ireland (BoSI) announced that they would cease to operate as a licensed bank in Ireland on 31 December 2010.

The owners of illegal billboards along motorways have vowed to fight nail and tooth against the decision to remove them. Read more.....