Labour Court urges Tesco and Mandate to review relationship after 9,000-member pay claim

The Labour Court recommended that Tesco Ireland and the Mandate Trade Union Services Industrial Professional Technical Union review their long-standing collective relationship after a group pay claim covering 9,000 members. The recommendation was signed on 12 February 2018. The unions said Tesco had not engaged in collective bargaining on the claims. Tesco said it had respected the process but had recently dealt directly with employees on pay and employment matters. The Court noted that their collective agreement, which both sides accepted remained in force, committed them to engagement and negotiation. The Court described the referral as reflecting a long-standing poor relationship and recommended that the parties review how it functioned through forward-looking discussions. It offered to nominate an experienced facilitator for senior-level dialogue, potentially supported by the ICTU and IBEC. The Court recommended a 12-week timeframe, followed by a progress report, and said the specific claims could be processed through the parties’ agreed procedures if needed.