Labour Court recommends nine-month interim bonus scheme at Sara Lee plant

In 2001, the Labour Court recommended a nine-month interim incentive bonus scheme for 170 union members at Sara Lee (Ireland) Limited's Killarney plant, followed by negotiations on permanent terms. It signed the recommendation on 15 November. The company proposed a performance-based scheme, while the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union sought a scheme based on a percentage of basic pay, negotiated fully from the outset. The Court recommended that future bonus rates rise by reference to maximum increases in production staff's basic rates. It also recommended a fallback arrangement for the remainder of the interim period similar to the company's proposed £20 per week rate, averaged over the first 13 weeks.