B&Q concede Mandate Trade Union pay claim

B&Q management have today (10th February 2016) conceded a 3 percent pay increase for all workers following a claim lodged by Mandate Trade Union a number of weeks ago.

B&Q Management also informed workers at store-based briefings that Mandate’s successful High Court challenge for an unpaid bonus for their members would be paid retrospectively. The Union has pursued the case since April 2012 and the award is worth up to €450 for the workers concerned.

Mandate lodged a claim for a general pay rise for its members in B&Q in January but with no response from B&Q management, the union referred the pay claim to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) last Friday 5th February 2016.

Less than a week after the referral was made to the WRC, the company announced this 3 percent pay increase in what Mandate believes is an attempt to avoid direct engagement with the union.

Gerry Light, Assistant General Secretary Mandate Trade Union, likened the actions of B&Q management to that of Dunnes Stores.

“While we obviously welcome B&Q management’s decision to award a modest 3 percent pay rise to Mandate members, we do so with caution. We know that some employers like Dunnes Stores offer pay increases in order to disincentivise workers from joining their union. This seems to be B&Q’s tactic now too,” said Mr Light.

“B&Q workers have had several years of pay freezes and experienced unilateral cuts to their bonus scheme and their zone allowance, which was paid to Dublin based stores. If the company don’t sit down and negotiate in good faith with the workers’ representatives, then there’s nothing to stop management doing it again in the future,” he said.

Mr. Light says B&Q management now need to accept their workers request for Mandate to be recognized for collective bargaining purposes.

“Every worker has the right to be represented by a trade union of their choice and for B&Q to deny that right to their workers is an attack on their democratic human rights.”

He concluded, “The potential for what could be achieved for B&Q workers through collective bargaining is huge. They would be able to protect their terms and conditions of employment now – including the 3 percent pay increase they’ve been awarded on the back of the Union’s claim – but they could also improve their incomes and working conditions in the future.”