Dear Members, 

We are aware that Tesco Management has begun to brief Staff regarding the pending dispute. We have attached for your information the facts behind this dispute so that you are fully prepared at these briefings.

Further communications will be forwarded to all Members over the next couple of days. In the meantime, stand together with your colleagues and fellow union members against bullying and intimidation.

Yours in solidarity

For Mandate Trade Union 

John Douglas

General Secretary

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Tesco     In summary we are asking colleagues to support the company against Mandate’s efforts.

FACT       The Company is trying to give the impression that Mandate is some kind of third party. Mandate is you the members and we exist to serve your interests. By choosing not to support the pre 1996 strike means that you are deciding to turn your back not only these Union members, but ultimately yourself.

TESCO    The pre 1996/97 conditions are nearly a quarter of a century old and were agreed at a time when supermarkets operated very differently.

FACT       The Company seems to be suggesting that the passage of time alone gives them the right to change the terms and conditions of its workers. If you accept this, at any time in the future at a moment of their choosing they will attack the next set of terms and conditions they deem appropriate. The key issue here is no matter what the justification behind reducing terms and conditions, the Company is attempting to bring these changes about without the agreement of the workers concerned.

TESCO    Over 12 months ago we began discussions with the Unions to find a reasonable way to make necessary business changes.

FACT       From the very start the Company’s approach was neither reasonable nor genuine. At the first meeting in January 2016 their aggressive message was that they were going to implement the changes with or without agreement. They even refused to provide the names of your fellow Union members being targeted.

TESCO    To date the average redundancy payment for pre 1996/97 colleagues has been €105,000.

FACT       This dispute is nothing to do with the people who have left rather it’s about your fellow Union members who are looking for your support in order to protect their terms and conditions of employment. The quality of the redundancy payments is because they were based on a redundancy package previously negotiated by your Union.

TESCO    Tesco accepted the Labour Court Recommendation, Mandate rejected it.

FACT       The fact is your fellow pre 1996 members have rejected the recommendation, which is their right. One of the main reasons they have now decided to vote for strike is because in accepting the Recommendation the Company immediately moved to implement certain aspects of it before our members had the opportunity of voting on it. We wrote to the Labour Court challenging the Company’s actions. The Court subsequently confirmed the Company’s behaviour was not the usual way to deal with one of its recommendations in that before any action is undertaken both parties must be given an opportunity to vote on it.

TESCO    The Labour Court has endorsed a generous package for all pre 1996/97 colleagues.

FACT       The arrogance of this statement is that the Company believes it has the sole right to determine the generosity of the Labour Court Recommendation and this goes to the heart of this long running dispute. It is your fellow Union members who will determine what is acceptable to them. Once again the Company is sending out the dangerous message that they reserve the right to tell you and your fellow Union members what is best for you without giving you a say in the matter, your wellbeing at work will be solely determined by what Tesco management decide as generous.

TESCO    We have paid a 2% pay increase for the last four years.

FACT       The impression is given that the Company paid these increases without them being sought. All of the pay increases followed a claim being served by your Union and voted on by you the members. In fact one of the increases along with a Share Bonus had to be won by your Union at the Labour Court.

TESCO    Mandate has also raised two other issues as part of their claim, equalising rates of pay and banded hours, both of which we believe we have dealt with.

FACT       Once again the Company is clearly saying that they will determine what’s best for you and your fellow Union members without you getting a chance to vote on what they are prepared to offer. If management establish this as the new way of determining your terms and conditions into the future, there is a real possibility of them taking back many of the valuable terms and conditions won by you through the years in your Union.

TESCO    Tesco offers the best rates of pay in the sector.

FACT       All these conditions were hard won by you as union members through your Union down the years. The best way to protect them into the future is through solidarity and unity amongst all Union members working in Tesco. Remember it’s the pre 96 contracts today it could be your rate of pay and weekly hours next.

TESCO    Mandate has claimed that our decision to pay this 2% pay increase has broken the collective bargaining process. It has not.

FACT       Make no mistake about it this is the biggest and most dangerous mistruth being peddled by the Company. A claim for a 3% pay increase was served by the Union on your employer in April 2016. Tesco say that your hard work deserves the increase, so why did they not pay it sooner? They paid it the day before the Unions and Tesco were due to meet to finalise pay proposals for you to vote on in order to crudely buy your support in the event of the pre 96 dispute escalating. Tesco believes that workers solidarity can be bought for 2% lets prove them wrong. They stepped outside the negotiations which were underway with your Union and made that cynical pay announcement which did not even deal with all aspects of our claim. Your Union will give you your voice in the matter as we intend to fully pursue the whole claim now and into the future.

TESCO    We need your support to protect and safeguard our business.

FACT       You and your fellow Union members need to support each in order to protect and grow your terms and conditions of employment. Remember you are the Union. Mandate cannot exist without its members and by showing the Company you are prepared to stand together we will deliver on our objective which is to give you a real say in determining your conditions of employment in the future. If we allow a culture develop that gives management the right to do this without any meaningful reference to you and your fellow members, it is then we will see the rapid escalation of the attack on your conditions of employment, the race to the bottom will surely follow.

STAND TOGETHER, STAND UNITED AGAINST INTIMATION AND BULLYING

 

FAO all pre-1996 members in Tesco Ireland

As you are aware, Mandate Trade Union representatives have been engaged with Tesco management over the past number of months with regard to changes the company wishes to make to the terms and conditions of pre-1996 workers. This extensive engagement has entailed 10 separate conciliation conferences at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) spanning over 120 hours.

However, it was still not possible to reach agreement on a proposal document for the consideration of you and your fellow pre 1996 union members. Therefore a request was made that the WRC put together a document which they believed represented a fair and reasonable compromise and the best achievable from the conciliation process.

Given the uncertainty that has existed over the last few months, your Union believes that the affected members deserve the opportunity to consider the proposals and make an informed decision on their contents. Further details including the WRC proposal document will be distributed to all pre-1996 Mandate members in the coming days.

Your National Negotiating Team has decided that the best way of determining the view of the members is by way of a national meeting of all pre 1996 members which will be held on Tuesday 16^th August 2016 at 12 noon in the Communication Workers’ Union, William Norton House, 575-577 North Circular Road Dublin 1.

It is vitally important that all pre-1996 members make every effort to attend, constructively engage in and cast your vote at this meeting.

In the exceptional circumstance where you cannot attend the general meeting, please advise your full time union official accordingly.

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

On Behalf of the National Negotiating Team

Gerry Light

Mandate Assistant General Secretary

 

TO:           ALL MANDATE MEMBERS EMPLOYED IN TESCO IRELAND

RE:           UPDATE ON CURRENT DISPUTE

Dear member,

I am writing to you and your fellow 12,000 Mandate Trade Union members in order to fully explain the current situation following the second deferral of industrial action. The decision to defer the action was not taken lightly and it was only done on the basis that your union was asked to do so by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) who have invited us back into discussions with Tesco Ireland which are scheduled to take place tomorrow Friday 27^th May 2016.

I think it is true to say that these discussions are seen by all parties as a last attempt to avoid the industrial dispute going ahead and it is our consistent view that such an eventuality can only be avoided as a result of your fellow union members who are employed on pre 96 contracts voting on and accepting a set of proposals which come from either the WRC or indeed the Labour Court. Given that your union has always placed great importance on the attendance by Tesco Ireland at the WRC and the Labour Court we felt it would have been inconsistent to say the least to proceed with today’s dispute once we had received an invitation from the WRC to use their services. Having said that we also recognise the potential unease and confusion that can arise from numerous deferrals of strike action and in doing so accept that there are only a limited number of times you can do this before the dispute actually goes ahead.

As part of our discussions at the WRC we fully intend to deal with the decline in the general relationship which has developed between your union and Tesco Ireland over recent months. This reality has impacted on many issues far beyond those which are the focus of the current dispute. It is vitally important that some normality is brought back into the relationship and your union representatives are committed to work hard to make this happen. Of course whether we can achieve this or not will be largely dependent on a willingness by Tesco Ireland to bring about this outcome. There is no doubt that these broader discussions will also be heavily influenced by a unified and strong union membership who seek no more than to be treated fairly and with the dignity and respect they deserve and that is why more than ever at this crucial stage we must all understand and believe in the message of TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER. Remember, your union is not some form of third party who acts as a mediator between you and your employer. Your union is you, the members, acting together in everything you say and do to bring about positive, secure and decent working conditions for all workers employed both now and in the future by Tesco Ireland.

Yours

Gerry Light

Assistant General Secretary

Mandate Trade Union

Tomorrow’s strike at Tesco Ireland (Thursday, 26^th May 2016) has been deferred following intervention from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). 

Both parties will now attend the WRC in an effort to resolve the issues in dispute under the provision that all agreed procedures between the Union and the Company will be fully exhausted should agreement not be reached at the WRC.

Tesco will not set any further dates for the implementation of contract changes and Mandate have therefore deferred their intention to proceed with industrial action.

In the meantime, Mandate and Tesco have agreed that no hostilities between the parties will take place until those procedures have been fully exhausted.

Staff members should report for work as rostered tomorrow.

A detailed update for members will follow as soon as possible.

Store Name	County
Carlow	Carlow
Bailieborough	Cavan
Ennis	Clare
Douglas	Cork
Mahon	Cork
Mallow	Cork
Midleton	Cork
Paul Street	Cork
Wilton	Cork
Letterkenny	Donegal
Artane	Dublin
Clarehall	Dublin
Clearwater	Dublin
Drumcondra	Dublin
Phibsboro	Dublin
Prussia Street	Dublin
Roselawn/Blanchardstown	Dublin
Santry	Dublin
Ballyfermot	Dublin
Clondalkin	Dublin
Jervis	Dublin
Lucan	Dublin
Baggot St Lower	Dublin
Rathfarnham	Dublin
Ballybrack	Dublin
Bloomfield	Dublin
Dundrum	Dublin
Merrion	Dublin
Nutgrove	Dublin
Sandymount	Dublin
Stillorgan	Dublin
Tallaght	Dublin
Balbriggan	Dublin
Ballinalsoe	Galway
Headford Road	Galway
Killarney New St.	Kerry
Killarney Park	Kerry
Tralee Manor	Kerry
Kildare	Kildare
Naas Metro	Kildare
Newbridge	Kildare
Carrick-on-Shannon	Leitrim
Arthur’s Quay Limerick	Limerick
Coonagh Limerick	Limerick
Dooradoyle Limerick	Limerick
Longford	Longford
Drogheda	Louth
Drogheda West	Louth
Dundalk	Louth
Dundalk Longwalk	Louth
Ballina	Mayo
Castlebar	Mayo
Westport	Mayo
Ashbourne	Meath
Navan	Meath
Monaghan	Monaghan
Tullamore	Offaly
Sligo	Sligo
Clonmel	Tipperary
Thurles	Tipperary
Ardkeen Waterford	Waterford
Lisduggan Waterford	Waterford
Poleberry Waterford	Waterford
Gorey	Wexford
Wexford	Wexford
Arklow	Wicklow
Bray	Wicklow
Greystones	Wicklow
Wicklow	Wicklow

Mandate Trade Union has announced that a strike of indefinite duration will take place in more than 70 Tesco Ireland stores from Thursday morning at 7am (26^th May 2016) following a breakdown in talks in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) early this morning.

Mandate say the strike is avoidable provided the company either withdraws their threats to force changes to pay and conditions of employment for their workers without agreement or attends the Labour Court for an impartial third party hearing.

Tesco management are attempting to force changes to workers’ conditions of employment including:

• 15-35% pay cuts.
• The slashing of overtime.
• Cuts to Sunday and unsociable hour’s premiums from double pay to time and a half.
• A reduction in the annual bonus.
• Changes to rosters.

Mandate Assistant General Secretary Gerry Light said: “Tesco management have failed to provide any evidence to justify making changes to workers’ conditions of employment without agreement, and that’s clearly why they haven’t agreed to attend the Labour Court. Mandate and Tesco not only have an agreement to attend the Labour Court in such circumstances, we have a long history of that practice being utilised successfully in the past.”

He added, “To say to a group of workers ‘we’re cutting your pay by up to 25 percent and we don’t have to give you evidence or justify those cuts’ is a shameful way to treat workers who have built the company to what it is over more than twenty years. For us, and our members, the situation is very clear. Tesco are attempting to increase already significant profits at the expense of their longest serving workers.”

Mandate believes the actions of the company could set a very dangerous precedent.

“If the company thinks it can get away with this now, who will they target next? We have agreements with Tesco for conditions of employment for all workers at the company and there is a genuine fear that if Tesco feel they can start ripping up agreements for one group of workers, there will undoubtedly be serious implications for all other workers in the future,” said Mr Light.

Tesco say they intend making unilateral changes to conditions of employment for approximately 300 workers in the company who were employed before 1996.

Tesco is the largest private sector employer in the Republic of Ireland with 14,000 workers in 149 stores and Mandate estimates the company is enjoying profits in excess of €200m annually.

To: All Mandate members employed in Tesco Ireland

RE: Planned forced changes to contracts of employment in Tesco Ireland

Dear member,

After another 14 hours of negotiations in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), talks broke down early this morning following the company’s refusal to provide any evidence showing that changes to contracts of employment for any Tesco workers are necessary. As outlined previously, these changes will have a detrimental impact on workers’ incomes and conditions of employment with some workers suffering a 25% loss in wages.

Once again Tesco has failed to confirm their attendance at the Labour Court for an impartial third party hearing despite this being an integral part of their agreements with Mandate Trade Union. Furthermore, they have failed to agree attendance at the Labour Court despite being requested to do so by the WRC and this should be a serious concern for all Mandate members in Tesco Ireland.

At this crucial stage it is important for you and your fellow members to ask yourself whether or not you are prepared to allow your employer to change yours or your colleagues’ terms and conditions without agreement or justification. If this is allowed to happen now, there will undoubtedly be serious implications for you in the future.

Tesco’s reluctance to attend the Labour Court is because they cannot justify the drastic changes they are threatening. Instead, Tesco has requested more time to consider whether they will attend the Labour Court, which is totally unacceptable and is causing enormous distress and uncertainty for our members.

Tesco management can avoid any future industrial action by either withdrawing their threats to force changes to contracts of employment without agreement or by attending the Labour Court.

In the absence of Tesco confirming attendance at the Labour Court or withdrawing their threats to cut conditions of employment, pickets will be placed at the affected stores throughout the Republic of Ireland this Thursday, 26^th May 2016 at 7am for an indefinite duration.

Your relevant union official will be in contact with your strike committee to ensure all necessary arrangements are in place in order to mount effective pickets.

Yours fraternally,

Gerry Light

Mandate Assistant General Secretary