Turf Club officials strike. Just what racing needs.

[i]Irish turf officials vote
for industrial action

BY RACING POST STAFF 6:18PM 5 FEB 2010

TURF Club officials on Friday voted by an overwhelming majority for industrial action in their dispute over threatened salary and expenses cuts, and changes to contractual and working conditions.

The vote was taken following a three-hour meeting in a County Kildare hotel, after which a spokesperson for the officials said: "The vote for industrial action was carried overwhelmingly, by an 87.5 per cent majority, and our trade union, Mandate, will now officially give notice to management of our industrial action intention."

The raceday officials involved include; starters, judges, handicappers and stewards' secretaries. A strike would force the Turf Club to use either part-time workers or cancel race meetings.

Denis Egan, Turf Club chief executive, said: "We are very surprised officials have voted for industrial action and are still prepared to sit down with them in anattempt to try to come to some solution. It's a situation that simply has to be resolved."

In his weekly diary on HRI's goracing.ie website, Ireland's champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins said: "It was sad to see the Turf Club and its employees in the Labour Court this week. I have to say the team of people on the ground involved in the day-to-day running of Irish racing, the starters and clerks of the courses and so on, is the best team we've ever had."

Mullins also referred to the controversial start at Bellewstown last year, when the lack of experienced manpower for a Saturday evening meeting backfired.

He said: "There was an incident at Bellewstown when there was no established starter available because of a roster issue and a race went off without the favourite, so a lot of other things would want to be cut before our