Impending Sale of Irish National Lottery Delayed Again
The long awaited partial sale of the Irish National Lottery to the Premier Lotteries consortium has been delayed again after an inconclusive staff vote. An Post, Ireland’s state postal service, is currently the sole owner of the Irish National Lottery but the impending sale would see UK lottery giants Camelot take shared ownership in a move to privatise the organization.
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Despite widespread reports of an end-of-year deadline, the long anticipated €405 million deal seems no closer to completion after the vote of 111 An Post staff, who were required to vote on the business transfer, proved inconclusive. The union vote failed to receive an adequate level of support when 53 staff members backed the proposal, 53 opposed it and five abstained from the vote. The deadlock came about as union members failed to agree on the terms of the transfer.
Under the current Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposals, lottery staff who agree to transfer their employment to the Premier Lotteries consortium would be guaranteed their basic pay and conditions. However, those opposing the current proposals are seeking further assurances regarding job security, as well as one-off compensatory packages, before agreeing to the move.
The issue will now be referred the Labour Court which will undoubtedly cause further delays. These delays may prove to be particularly troublesome for An Post. As the current operators, An Post will be forced to request an extension of its technology contract with GTech, whose bid for shared ownership of the Irish National Lottery was rejected. As GTech are under no obligation to extend An Post’s contract, the future of the Irish National Lottery is currently uncertain.
5th February 2014
