Labour Court says hardware-store work was unsuitable for two craft butchers

The Labour Court recommended that work offered to two craft butchers by 4 Home Superstores (Dairygold) could not reasonably be regarded as suitable alternative employment. The recommendation was signed on 19 November 2007. The dispute followed the closure of the Midleton Co-Operative Superstore and a move to a hardware-store model. The union, the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, argued that stocking shelves and general operative duties were demeaning and sought payment under the 2003 Severance Agreement. The company said the workers kept their terms and conditions, received training for their new roles and were not compulsorily made redundant. The Court said the available work was unrelated to the butchers' craft; it did not recommend a redundancy payment.