In 2002, the Labour Court recommended that Superquinn and Mandate hold further talks to clarify the subsidy for staff canteens across 19 stores. The recommendation was signed on 22 August. Mandate sought to restore the value of subsidised canteen service, saying price increases breached a 2000 agreement and shifted operating costs onto staff. Superquinn said it continued to subsidise the service and made no profit from it. The Court said the written term relied on by the union was unclear, though it accepted that union negotiators had a reasonable basis for their understanding of the agreement. It recommended that the parties clarify the subsidy level and which cost items counted as expenses.