Labour Court continues 12 months’ earnings protection for Tesco worker

The Labour Court continued a Tesco Ireland Limited worker’s earnings protection for 12 months after a dispute over restructuring and a proposed change to his work location. The Court’s decision was dated 26 June 2013. The worker, represented by Mandate, said his contract required agreement to relocation and challenged disciplinary sanctions. Tesco Ireland Limited said he had not engaged with restructuring options and that his suspension followed his failure to comply with reasonable management instructions. The Court said he was entitled to suitable alternative work within a reasonable commuting distance, without losing pay or status, and directed the company to take reasonable steps towards that objective. It said the objective had been largely, but not completely, achieved and that the worker must cooperate with the process. The Court also directed the parties to discuss suitable amendments to his 2002 contract and found no basis for extending the Charge-hand Agreement to his staff category.