Labour Court recommends return-to-work plan in Tesco grievance dispute

The Labour Court recommended that Tesco Ireland Ltd confirm a worker’s job remained open and arrange an orderly return to work, or provide her with a reference if she resigned. The recommendation was signed on 3 August 2012. The dispute concerned the company’s handling of the worker’s grievance about a former store manager’s investigation into a workplace incident. She said Tesco failed to follow its grievance procedures and delayed addressing her concerns. Tesco said it had made efforts to resolve the issues and exhausted the available avenues. The Court said both sides had acted honourably and recommended that they put the matter behind them. The worker was to decide whether to return or resign. If she chose to return, arrangements should be made within four weeks; if she resigned, Tesco should provide a reference within a similar period. The process should be completed within six weeks.