Important notice for members of the IBOA 1953-1989

Applications for a refund from the IBOA Defence Fund opened today.

At its conference in Limerick last May the FSU (the successor to IBOA) passed a motion calling for the return to members of any contributions outstanding and the closure of the Defence Fund.

Background

During the years 1953-1989 a small proportion of members’ union dues was paid into a dedicated Defence Fund. 

The purpose of the Defence Fund was to have a dedicated resource for strike pay during industrial disputes. 

Payments into the Fund ceased in 1989 and for all practical purposes the Fund has been dormant for more than two decades.  The FSU and the Trustees of the Fund are now mandated to return any outstanding contributions to eligible members and move to close the Defence Fund.

Conditions

Anyone who was a full member of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association between 1953 and 1989 may be eligible for a payment from the fund.

It should be noted however that any member who was expelled or resigned from the Union at any time forfeited their right to any benefit from the Defence Fund.

It should also be noted that members who received strike pay at any time may well have exhausted their contributions to the Defence Fund.  This includes, for instance, strike pay received during the 1992 bank dispute.

The minimum payment from the Defence Fund is estimated at €3.81 (£3) and the maximum payment is estimated at €273.95 (£208)

What to do next?

To assist eligible members in securing a payment we have online and telephone support options available.

Online

This is the quickest way to establish if you are due a payment and to complete an online form necessary to secure payment.

Just go to www.fsunion.org/defence-fund   or alternatively follow the link on the homepage of www.fsunion.org

You will be asked to provide details such as date of birth, staff number, union membership number, employer(s) etc.  Not all information is required but the more you can provide the easier the process is.

By phone

The Union has also established a dedicated phone line to assist members in relation to eligibility for a payment from the Defence Fund 

Please contact 00 353 (0)1 4791010 and one of our trained staff will assist you.

It would be of great benefit if you had as much of the following information to hand when making the call: staff number, union membership number, employer(s) and date of birth.

In the vast majority of cases our staff will be able to inform you immediately if you are due a payment and the amount.  If the query is complex, we aim to revert to you within 48 hours.

Claims can also be made by an appropriate person on behalf of a deceased relative who contributed to the Defence Fund.  To enquire about this facility please contact 00 353 (0)1 4791010.

The closing date for applications for a payment from the Defence Fund is 10^th December 2018.