LCR22242

FULL RECOMMENDATION

CD/20/31
CCc-164461-19

RECOMMENDATIONNO.LCR22242

SECTION 26(1), INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT, 1990

PARTIES :

BULMERS (C&C GROUP PLC) CLONMEL
(REPRESENTED BY IRISH BUSINESS AND EMPLOYERS' CONFEDERATION)

- AND -

130 GENERAL OPERATIVES
(REPRESENTED BY SERVICES INDUSTRIAL PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL UNION)

DIVISION :

Chairman:	Mr Haugh
Employer Member:	Mr Marie
Worker Member:	Ms Tanham

SUBJECT:

1.Pay Claim

BACKGROUND:

2.This dispute was the subject of a Conciliation Conference under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. As agreement could not be reached, the dispute was referred to the Labour Court on 23 January 2020 in accordance with Section 26(1) of the Industrial Relations Act, 1990. A Labour Court hearing took place on 17 June 2020.

WORKER ARGUMENTS:

3. 1. The Union state the Employer is profitable and has a healthy balance sheet. Their Members have continued to work and have adapted to the significant challenges throughout the entire Coronavirus lockdown and therefore state their Members deserve a reasonable pay increase.

2. The Union request the Court to recommend a pay agreement of 2% from 1 June 2019, a further 2% from 1 June 2020 and a further 3% increase from 1 June 2021 (expiry of the agreement 31 May 2022). In addition the Union request the Court to recommend the Christmas Voucher to be increased to €500 for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.

EMPLOYER'S ARGUMENTS:

1. The Employer states that when initial talks took place with the Union was prior to the present Coronavirus pandemic and unforeseeable future which represent challenges that must be responded to and the company is not in a position to an offer of a 3 year agreement.

2. The Employer requests the Court to recommendation their 2 year pay agreement of 2% from 1 June 2019, 2% from June 2020 and an increase of the Christmas Voucher from €250 to €300 in year 1 and to €400 in year 2.

RECOMMENDATION:

Background to the Dispute

The within dispute concerns a pay claim on behalf of SIPTU members employed by Bulmers (‘the Company’) at its Clonmel plant. The previous relevant pay agreement at the plant expired on 31 May 2019.

The Union is seeking a three-year pay agreement up until 31 May 2022 to provide for the following increases:

•2% from 1 June 2019;
•2% from 1 June 2020;
•3% from 1 June 2021.

The Union is also seeking an increase in the value of the Company’s annual Christmas voucher scheme from the current rate of €250.00 to €500.00 for each of the three years covered by the proposed agreement.

The Company has expressed a preference for a two-year agreement in light of the current economic climate. It is proposing a 2% increase for 2019 and 2020 respectively. It also proposes increasing the Christmas voucher to €300.00 for year 1 of the agreement and to €300.00 in year 2.

Recommendation

The Court recommends the following increases:

•2% from 1 June 2019;
•2.25% from 1 June 2020;

The Court further recommends that the Christmas voucher be increased to €400.00 for 2019 and 2020.

The Court so recommends.

	Signed on behalf of the Labour Court

	Alan Haugh
TH	______________________
18 August 2020	Deputy Chairman

NOTE

Enquiries concerning this Recommendation should be addressed to Therese Hickey, Court Secretary.