Labour Court recommends pay rise for K Club greenkeepers

DUBLIN, Aug 15 (Reuters) Ireland's Labour Court has recommended that greenkeepers at this year's Ryder Cup venue -- who are threatening to strike over wages ahead of the tournament -- be given a 50 per cent pay rise.

The K Club greenkeepers have said they could strike ahead of next month's event after three earlier rounds of talks with mediators failed to resolve a long-running pay dispute with the management.

The 36th Ryder Cup, contested between Europe and the United States, starts on September 22.

''The court recommended that rates payable to greenkeepers should be adjusted,'' said Colm Quinlan, regional officer of the Amicus trade union, which represents more than half of the club's 24 greenkeepers, gardeners and mechanics.

''We're very happy with it (the recommendation).'' The Labour Court, the country's highest labour relations body, recommended a phased pay increase, backdated from April and lasting until January 2007 that would raise wages to 14.50 euros (18.47 dollars) an hour from just under 10 euros in January 2006.

This would bring their pay in line with the industry norm.

Quinlan told Reuters in June that workers in similar fields received about 15 euros an hour.

He said then that the management had agreed to a three percent pay rise from April this year but refused to backdate it to July 2005 as per a national pay deal.

No one at the K Club was immediately available for comment.

Quinlan said that if the management refused to accept the recommendation of the Labour Court then the union could seek an enforcement ''or consider alternative action.'' During the peak season, the K Club charges 350 euros for a round of golf on its Arnold Palmer-designed course, where the Ryder Cup will be played.

Ireland's minimum wage is 7.65 euros an hour.

REUTERS PM BS1503