Labour Court recommends 3% pay increase for Penneys workers
Monday 1 July 2013Mandate Trade Union shopstewards unanimously endorse recommendation
Shopstewards in Penneys Ireland have unanimously endorsed the Labour Court’s recommendation of a 3% pay increase for all 4,000 Penneys workers in the Republic of Ireland.
Mandate Trade Union, the union for retail and bar workers in Ireland, had been pursuing a number of claims during the past twelve months on behalf of members in Penneys, and last week the Labour Court issued a recommendation on those claims.
The Labour Court has recommended:
- A 3% pay increase with effect from 1 June 2013;
- The abolition of the under 18 rate of pay;
- The introduction of banded hour contracts within one month.
The Court also recommended against a new three point salary scale to replace the current six point scale, something the company had been pursuing.
Mandate Assistant General Secretary, Gerry Light said, “The National Shopstewards Meeting took place last Friday and the overall mood was very positive.
“Our members in Penneys always felt their claim for a pay increase had merit and the court has now vindicated that position. A 3% pay increase will help many of them to cancel out many cost of living increases that have occurred in recent years.”
He added, “While pay was one of the key issues, our members also felt that the implementation of a banded hours contract was also vitally important. This will provide a framework to protect established weekly earnings and ensure a consistent level of income for them and their families helping them to better plan their household budgets.
Mr Light said that he will now be writing to the company in order to complete the work of the Labour Court.
“In the spirit of the Labour Court Recommendation, we hope to meet with the company in the coming weeks to finalise the banded hour contracts situation. We also hope that the company will be as positive towards the recommendation as our members have been and we can bring this matter to a conclusion,” he said.
Mandate Trade Union will ballot all members in Penneys on the Labour Court Recommendation as soon as the banded hours negotiations have been completed.
ENDS
