Labour Court recommends six Shannonside Co-op workers join pension scheme

The Labour Court recommended that six Shannonside Co-op employees be admitted to its defined benefit pension scheme, but did not recommend reopening it to new entrants. The recommendation was signed on 7 May 2014. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union said the six workers were eligible for the scheme when they started in 2008 and moving them to a defined contribution scheme would reduce their benefits. Shannonside Co-op said the defined benefit scheme had been closed to new members for about five years and further admissions could threaten its survival. The Court found the six workers had been employed before the scheme closed and recommended admitting them from the date they entered the defined contribution scheme. It said the recommendation was specific to their circumstances. The Court criticised the company for informing the union only after the closure and said it should have engaged before implementing the decision, but found no practical basis to recommend reopening the scheme.