Three months ago, staff working for IBRC moved back into their newly refurbished offices in the former Nationwide building on Grand Parade in Dublin.

Ulster Bank is set to close up to 20 branches in the Republic and in the North during the year.

Compensation packages paid to former bank bosses show that there is “one rule for the rich and another for the rest,” a representative of banking workers said today.

Staff mortgages are not set to be a major issue when AIB and the Irish Bank Officials’ Association meet today to try and thrash out the terms and conditions for staff at AIB facing redundancies.

ULSTER Bank workers are to engage a firm of independent consultants to challenge the bank’s business plan, which involves the loss of 950 jobs and a major restructuring of its operations in both the Republic and the North.

THE union representing bank workers has said it is unaware of any attempt to drive through reduced redundancy terms for anyone losing their job as part of cuts at the three nationalised banks.

LARGE-scale job losses are expected at Allied Irish Bank in the wake of the bank reporting substantial losses estimated at close to €8.6 billion for 2010.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan was given High Court clearance yesterday to inject €3.7 billion in taxpayers’ money into the country’s former leading bank.

BANK of Ireland is to axe a further 750 staff after receiving approval from the European Commission for a major restructuring plan.

THE welcome announcement of 300 fuel garage jobs today will do little to soften the blow of 4,000 looming job losses in the bank and telecoms sectors.

IT would not have come as a surprise to Halifax staff that the bank was shutting its operations here.

AIB remains confident of raising necessary post-NAMA capital without the need of further Government assistance, but hasn’t ruled out the latter option.

THE trade union movement is in a very difficult place. Angry at the way its members have been treated by the budget it has to find a way to respond that protects their interests.

FINANCIAL services trade union the Irish Bank Officials’ Association has written to Finance Minister Brian Lenihan calling for a comprehensive inquiry into the causes of the downturn in the Irish banking system in the last year.

Banks are to look into tightening rules on staff access to large sums of cash to further combat tiger-kidnap plots, it was revealed tonight.

STRIKE action is brewing at Ulster Bank after management withdrew from discussions on new pay and pension arrangements for its staff yesterday.

ONE in 10 bank workers could lose their job as financial institutions battle to overcome billions of euro in losses.

BANK officials have called for more fundamental changes to be made to the financial services sector, including a major reconstitution of the boards of all banks, to restore integrity to the country’s banking reputation.

The Government did not know about secret multi-billion euro loans given to Anglo Irish Bank by Irish Life & Permanent last September, the Taoiseach said today.

THE main trade union for Irish banking employees, the Irish Bank Officials’ Association (IBOA), has welcomed the Government’s capital injection into the country’s leading banks.

EIGHT of the country’s largest trade unions have voted overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the new national wage agreement.

The Irish Bank Officials’ Association (IBOA) is to initiate claims for increases in basic pay of 10% over two years with the four major retail banking groups in the country, it was announced today.

MORE than 150 staff at Hewlett Packard have ended two weeks of industrial action after prolonged negotiations finally secured them the pay increases which they had been demanding.

MORE than 150 Hewlett Packard workers yesterday began a work-to-rule over what they allege is the company’s failure to pay them properly.

MEMBERS of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association at National Irish Bank (NIB) have voted in favour of previous Labour Relations Commission recommendations over a new pay deal.

Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association, (IBOA) warned yesterday that the practice of so-called tiger kidnapping — in which members of the families of bank officials are kidnapped and held hostage — has been on the increase in recent months.

The Irish Bank Officials’ Association (IBOA) has today warned its 20,000 members to think carefully before agreeing to become key holders.

BANK employees yesterday called on the Justice Minister to set up a high-level body to discuss the security situation following this week’s “tiger kidnapping” in north Dublin.

Bank staff need extra security measures to be introduced to protect them from gangs who regard them as soft targets, according to Larry Broderick, the general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association.

IMPLEMENTATION of the latest social partnership agreement could hinge on two meetings being held today by the country’s largest trade union, SIPTU.

AIB has struck a deal with its main union to improve staff relations and develop a partnership approach to problem-solving.

THE union representing bank workers will land a €12 million windfall for members when it sells its landmark headquarters later this month.

BANK OF IRELAND has struck a deal with its main union over plans to cut 2,100 people from its payroll.

The IRA gang blamed for the £26.5m (€38m) Northern Bank robbery threatened to kill all their hostages, a victim revealed today.

THE union representing staff at National Irish Bank (NIB) will meet senior executives from the bank’s parent company within 10 days to seek reassurance on the bank’s future.

THE Irish Bank Officials’ Association (IBOA) pasting of the Irish banking sector on Thursday before the Oireachtas Joint Committee and the Public Service was not pretty if you were a top banking executive.

THE obsession of banks with profits has led to an alarming decline in ethics in the financial sector, it was claimed yesterday.

BANK OF IRELAND last night sought to allay customer fears ahead of a 24-hour strike by 250 members of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association which began at midnight.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday said he would work with unions and employers to combat inflation after both groups voted to endorse the new partnership agreement.

BANK OF IRELAND has retired with a bloody nose from its €16.5 billion battle to take over Britain’s sixth biggest bank, Abbey National.

Bank of Ireland and AIB have abandoned a plan to merge their information technology operations.