SIPTU: Brinks procedures spark serious injury risk
New security van procedures will put staff at risk of injury or death, it was claimed tonight.
SIPTU said the attempt by cash-in-transit company Brinks Allied to introduce new procedures for its members was completely unacceptable.
“Most of our people employed in Brinks have experienced armed assault, have had shotguns put to their temple, have sustained injuries from blows from the butt of a gun and had guns discharged over their heads,” said security branch secretary Kevin McMahon.
“Given the sensitivity of the situation, Brinks should have consulted fully with the union before implementing changes.”
He claimed the company had breached agreements when they warned workers they would not be paid unless they operated under the new regime.
SIPTU and Brinks Allied met at the Labour Relations Commission in Dublin today in an attempt to resolve the row, which has left around 200 cash dispensers on the east coast empty.
Mr McMahon said security van drivers reported for work today but did not carry out the new procedures for health and safety reasons.
The machines were not filled up last Friday after the new security measures were introduced.
The dispute only affects non-branch ATMs belonging to AIB, Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland on the east coast of the country.
SIPTU said it has agreed to facilitate an independent health and safety audit of the new equipment and procedures for a joint company-union safety audit.
Brinks Allied said it had introduced the new security measures after a worrying spate of armed robberies.
In June, the Garda set up a special unit after armed robbers stole up to €3m in a series of raids on security vans and ATMs.
Twenty-five detectives based in Harcourt Square, Dublin, are monitoring the movement of suspected gangs, gathering information and supervising armed patrols by the Emergency Response Unit.
