Tesco has issued a statement to call on Mandate to 'call off its one-day strike threats in two stores' as they are in 'breach of the company and union’s agreed procedures which are to refer disputes to the Workplace Relations Commission' (WRC).
At the weekend Tesco workers in a Sligo and a Carrick-on-Shannon store have reportedly voted in favour of industrial action ahead of Christmas, which is believed to have the potential to 'easily spread to the other 150 stores.'
It is believed that Sligo workers will strike on this coming Thursday, 6 December and again on Friday, 14 December, while staff at the Carrick-on-Shannon store will reportedly strike on Saturday, 22 December.
In response Tesco said in a statement: "If Mandate proceeds with the proposed unwarranted one-day strike actions for the two stores, both will continue to remain open to serve customers. We regret that Mandate is inflicting this inconvenience on our customers in December when our stores are at their busiest and particularly given these stores are close to the Border."
Conciliation Conference
In the statement Tesco said: "We call on Mandate to abide by procedures and to immediately withdraw its strike notices for Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon."
'A conciliation conference on the two issues in Sligo was scheduled at the Workplace Relations Commission for 24 October but was rejected by Mandate,' Tesco said.
"In Carrick-on-Shannon, the matters have not yet been referred back to the WRC by Mandate. Tesco has always abided by agreed procedures and we expect Mandate to do the same," the group added.
Pay And Benefits
Tesco currently employs in the region of 13,000 staff members across the country.
The UK retailer said, 'Tesco continues to offer the best pay and benefits in our sector. Against what remains a very challenging and competitive marketplace, retail price deflation, and sterling weakness – this year Tesco Ireland again awarded a 2% pay increase in April 2018 for in scope colleagues'.
"In addition this year we awarded between 2% and 5% bonus meaning that most colleagues have received a combined benefit of between 4% and 7% in 2018 alone. The 2% pay award is on top of a combined 6% pay increase already awarded to our colleagues since 2015, which deliver a combined 8% pay increase since 2015," Tesco added.
"These pay increases and our overall terms of employment still remain better in many respects to those of our competitors in the market and in a difficult competitive environment."
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