Labour Court recommends aligning Bausch & Lomb technicians’ shifts with manufacturing hours

The Labour Court recommended aligning the shifts of six technicians on Bausch & Lomb’s GIMA lines with manufacturing hours, in a recommendation signed on 24 April 2017. The dispute with the Technical, Engineering And Electrical Union concerned proposed changes to shift start and finish times. The union argued the changes would conflict with longstanding work practices and an agreement, and significantly affect its members. Bausch & Lomb said the agreement allowed changes to shift systems or hours, and that the technicians had been told at recruitment that their start times were likely to change. The Court noted that the agreement allowed the company to alter shift systems or working hours when circumstances required. It also noted that the misalignment arose after a union representing manufacturing workers sought changes to their shifts, and that the six technicians had been advised of the likely change when recruited.