Tesco has appealed to Mandate trade union to call off strike action announced at two stores.
Union members at the shops in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon overwhelmingly backed industrial action, to take place on Thursday December 6th and Friday December 14th.
The dispute centres on a number of issues including pay and conditions and removal of canteen and break room facilities.
Mandate Divisional Organiser for the North and West Ciaran Campbell said there was a way for the company to avoid industrial action:
"The only way the strike action can be averted is if the company actually publicly come out and state that they are prepared to abide by their own collective grievance procedures, on these particular issues in these particular stores and going forward. If we get those guarantees then we will go into the Workplace Relations Commission, if necessary, and begin the process of active engagement to resolve the grievances."
Please support the Tesco workers who will be striking ahead of Christmas...
'Mandate Trade Union has served notice that Sligo workers will strike this Thursday, 6th December and again... https://t.co/Ow0rtOt8Lk— TescoWorkersTogether (@Tesco_Workers) December 2, 2018
However Tesco says the one-day strikes are in breach of the company and union’s agreed procedures which are to refer disputes to the Workplace Relations Commission.
It says if Mandate goes ahead with the action, both stores will stay open to serve customers.
The company also says a conciliation conference on the two issues in Sligo was scheduled at the Workplace Relations Commission for October 24th but was rejected by Mandate, while in Carrick-on-Shannon, the matters have not yet been referred back to the WRC by Mandate.
Photo courtesy of Mandate Trade Union.
