Labour Court recommends 39-hour week and £75 payment for Nestle workers who switch to credit transfer

In 1991, the Labour Court recommended a 39-hour week for process workers at Nestle (Ireland) Limited, alongside voluntary payment by credit transfer. The recommendation was signed on 2 October 1991. Workers who volunteered to switch within four months were to receive a once-off £75 payment and could apply for a £75 loan, repayable at £2 a week. The Court recommended the shorter week take effect one week after acceptance of its terms and said the company should keep its assistance offer open. The parties were to review the payment system jointly after a year. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union had opposed linking the shorter week to a change in payment method, which workers had rejected in ballots. The Court said the company’s credit-transfer proposal was not unreasonable but took account of the majority’s views by recommending a voluntary switch.