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Nearly 1,000 Tesco staff vote for industrial action

The row centres on a two-tiered contract system.

ALMOST 1,000 MANDATE Trade Union members in Tesco have voted emphatically in favour of industrial action by a margin of 98%.

With a turnout of 85% of all pre-1996 staff, Mandate says the ballot result “sends a strong message to Tesco that they cannot simply cut wages or conditions of employment for their workers without agreement”.

Tesco is asking all staff who have been working there since before 1996 to sign up to contracts for greatly-reduced pay.

Specifically, the new contracts will see affected staff being paid up to €3 less per hour than they are earning at present according to some of those affected.

On Monday, Siptu staff at the supermarket also voted for industrial action. Tesco Ireland employs around 14,500 workers in its 149 stores in the Republic of Ireland.

Tesco has accepted an invitation to attend the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for a conciliation conference.

Mandate say they are cautiously welcoming Tesco’s commitment to attend the WRC but it “must be with the intention to genuinely engage”.

Gerry Light, Mandate Trade Union Assistant General Secretary said, “We’ve now served notice on the company that our members intend to strike in the event the company proceeds with their plans to cut wages or alter the contracts of employment without agreement.”

Tesco earlier this week said that the pre-1996 contract was unworkable.

The pre-1996 contract was agreed over 20 years ago at a time when stores didn’t open weekends or late nights and as a result we now have too many colleagues rostered during our quietest days instead of our busiest.

“To improve customer service, we need to unlock the inflexibility in the pre-1996 contract which limits our ability to invest in having more colleagues working where our customers need and value them most.”

Read: Tesco staff have voted to take industrial action

Read: Tesco sales in Ireland are turning positive for the first time since 2012

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54 Comments
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    Mute Jason Culligan
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    Jun 18th 2012, 7:57 AM

    So what they’re saying is that the government bailed them out and they’re doing nothing with that money except for hoarding it and loaning to their buddies? What a total shocker. I never saw that coming.

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    Mute Thomas Cooke
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    Jun 18th 2012, 8:15 AM

    Fair play to ISME for keeping this issue highlighted, many businesses are trying to keep going and even develop on cash flow knowing it is a time consuming and costly waste of time even applying for credit, business is being strangled and bled to death by government inaction on credit and high costs.

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    Mute kingstown
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    Jun 18th 2012, 9:15 AM

    SMEs are possibly the worst exploiters of workers in Ireland. They flaunt labour laws, hide behind the likes of ISME and the SFA.

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    Mute Alvin Gibney
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    Jun 18th 2012, 7:54 AM

    When it comes back buy a safe .

    8
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    Mute HARRY MARKOPOLOS
    Favourite HARRY MARKOPOLOS
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    Jun 18th 2012, 11:36 AM

    What?
    No mention of the 90% of applicants told by bank staff not to bother applying for a loan?

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    Mute Martin Critten
    Favourite Martin Critten
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    Jun 18th 2012, 10:05 AM

    Considering the banks were in such deep denial in 2008 it’s no wonder since the same cronies are still running the shop that they are hording cash. And whilst they continue to keep their bonuses, from the money we bailed them out with – the rest of the SME’s can sink – with us along with them. The business page of the Sunday Indo had the finest example of how the ‘enterprise challenged’ heads of BOI behave, letting a Jemie Jenkins business fold through lack of a credit line backed by letters of credit from his export customers – he had export orders worth thousands in the states for crying out loud! Just shows even when they promote enterprise week in may and dragons den they are apathetic to any economic need – other than the economy of their own pockets! – Pillar bank my ole!

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    Mute Martin Critten
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    Jun 18th 2012, 5:37 PM

    Ye! forgot about that one – dead right Harry, I was one of them !

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    Mute PaydayLoans@
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    Jun 20th 2012, 11:03 AM

    The banks are protecting themselves at the direct cost, not only to small and medium enterprises but to the whole economy. While this government waffles and dithers about bank interventions, SMEs are being terrorised and ultimately shut down by discredited bailed-out bankers, arrogant at top level and ignorant at branch level. With 96% of business owners of the opinion that Government have either a negative or no impact on SME lending, this Administration must act now and install active management into the banks, representing the owners, the taxpayers, to ensure honest reporting, sustainable reform and a return to proper banking.
    http://paydayloansat.com/

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    Mute Kevin Tyrrell
    Favourite Kevin Tyrrell
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    Jun 18th 2012, 9:57 PM

    Get your friends together and sign a petition. Bring that petition to your local TD’s, tell them that they need to confront the banks…all of the banks in your area, that you expect that your TD will write to the local banking institutions informing them that all of the signatories will take their money out of the bank, close their accounts and refuse to do business with them until they begin to loan to the SME sector again. You get 10 or 15 TD’s involved with that (and many TD’s would be delighted of the photo opportunity and to be seen on the side of the little guy) get some air time and a little public anger going and the threat that deposits might suddenly en masse start walking out the door…watch the little piggies squeal then!!

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