SALES staff at Irish Life have voted by a narrow majority to accept a Labour Relations Commission proposal to allow further negotiations on new work practices at the company.
The vote, which followed a lengthy meeting attended by the 420 staff in dispute with Irish Life, was carried by a majority of just 30 votes yesterday.
After the vote, Mr John Tierney, the national secretary of Manufacturing, Science, Finance (MSF) the union which represents the sales staff, said it would immediately begin talks on the restructuring with Irish Life.
The staff, known as PFAs, have done the "sensible thing", he said.
"It is better to keep talking." But he cautioned that it was not certain that they wouldn't be back in the same situation in five weeks time.
A spokesman for Irish Life said it welcomed the latest development in the long running dispute. Acceptance of the LRC proposal, he said, allowed both sides some breathing space to discuss the broader issues.
The LRC intervened in the deadlocked dispute last week, with a proposal that sales staff should work to their new managers but under the terms of their former working arrangements.
Irish Life withdrew dismissal notices sent to more than 30 PFAs last week following the Commission's intervention.
The company has proposed that the sales staff should work to new structures, operating in teams and on a bonus related rather than a commissions based basis. The workforce, however, fear these changes will affect their earnings capacity and leave them without support in the sales field.
