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Updated at 11.07pm
A PLANNED STRIKE tomorrow by Marks & Spencer workers has been called off following talks today at the Labour Relations Commission.
M&S employees were due to strike in a row over changes to the company’s pension scheme. They also carried out a day-long work stoppage last Saturday, while a further day of action has been threatened for Friday week.
In a statement this evening, the Mandate trade union confirms a decision has been made to defer tomorrow’s strike “after intervention from the Labour Court”.
The union, which represents over 2,000 M&S workers, says that while last minute negotiations at the LRC did not bring about a resolution, “both parties will now attend an emergency Labour Court hearing on Friday”.
The statement concludes:
Mandate will attend the emergency Labour Court hearing in an effort to resolve all of the issues in dispute and avoid the third planned day of action on Friday 20th December.
SIPTU, which represents some 140 workers across stores in the Dublin area, also confirmed it would lift its strike threat for this week and attend Friday’s Labour Court hearing.
Workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of going on strike after the company closed the employee defined benefit pension scheme on 31 October.
Marks and Spencer is also proposing to cut employee pay in a range of areas, including the elimination of the Christmas bonus usually paid to workers and a reduction in the Sunday and public holiday premium.
First posted at 9.40pm
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Amazing what happens when people stand up
Yes but nit the esb workers they don’t deserve their pensions.
Phew… meh
Hon the workers.
ESB workers provide a essential service that is used for reason such as cooking food, there is no quick substitutes, they’re holding a country ransom.
Sean — The dispute has been resolved you berk.
Why don’t you criticize management in ESB for provoking the strike?
You’re such a g0bshite
I mean Gary o bary
Good luck to the workers the only people who criticise them here are overpaid clowns
“M&S employees were due to strike in a row over changes to the company’s pension scheme”
AND (!!!)
A reduction in the number of Section Managers;
A reduction in the Sunday and Public Holiday premium;
The elimination of the Christmas bonus.
About time people in this country stood up for themselves and the staff in lidl do not fling the food, you pay at the reg and pack elsewhere. Don’t be I pretentious.
I am one of those M&S workers so thank you to the people who have supported and continue to support us.
Price increase
I love lidl
M&S don’t compete with lidl… & vise versa.
Yep you get robbed at m&s
You dont get your food flung at you in Marks – you do in Lidle
You dont get your food thrown into your trolly in Marks -”you do in Lidle
You dont get greeted or recognised in Lidle.
What you do get in Marks is great quality of food,
Great service,
Great Staff….
But above ALL you get RESPECT! ….
Pity management dont respect their workers though. What filthy opportunism cutting peoples Sunday pay.
1 you don’t get food flung at you in lidl
2 the stuff I get is quality
3 I’m after the right price not my arse kissed
I shop in both.
M&S costs, but the quality is top notch.
I never feel robbed.
Value is relative.
I don’t shop in Lidl. Do they really throw food around?
Its LIDL, not Lidle……
Maybe you have been going to the wrong shop all along ..
RESPECT……………………….
Yes they do – they go so fast your trying to grab it and bag it as fast …only last week I actually asked were they on commission and she said no but they are told to hurry at checkouts I stopped a cashier from doing so explaing it was my food she was flinging …and I was buying …
See dont shop there often voice but thanks for that correction!
Sounds like a crazy place. I wonder how they make their staff not recognise their regular customers. Maybe use one of those pens from Men In Black? Who knows.
I do a bit of shopping in them all to be honest. M&S is pricey but nice for some treats. The staff in my local Lidl are always friendly and they never fling my groceries around. Also nice to support the local butcher too. If you shop around you can get great quality at reasonable prices but you have to be willing to go to a few places…
Ooh err!
Your just been posh, and it’s Lidl
So many spelling errors
Best of luck to you and your colleagues at M & S Rachael, my father was made redundant from retail recently after around 45 years service, he was treated terribly and only recieved about a third of his already modest pension, so I sympathise completely. I shop regularly at M & S – in fact most of my clothes are from there – but if this isn’t resolved in favour of the employees I’ll boycott the store entirely.
This comment is in the wrong place, silly Journal app.
I couldnt care less about the workers of M & S. I was more worried about the ESB going on strike
Another g0bshite
Why bother your arse commenting on something you couldnt care less about?
Only recently M&S shut its doors with less than two weeks notice for the staff at Mullingar, which is where? Westmeath! perhaps you might be related too or know of one of the unfortunate staff and might care a little less. Astonishing contribution but I guess predictabe. As for the ESB, an entirely different matter, here the workers issues had nothing to do with the General Public and their outrageous behaviour was a disgrace and for the record, I care less about any of thos Greedy F%^Kers.
Yes they can be very much on for rushing your groceries down at you im sorry but they do ..I have had a few run ins maybe they are better now
I think it depends on the cashier Dee.
I know LIDL’s model is to get you through as fast as possible – but I am a relatively fit guy who can pack quickly enough. Surely much fast than a 70 or 80 year old for sure. So I reckon they must slow down for the older person – why not for me! I have had one or two who tried really rushing me or asking me to just fling my stuff into the trolley. I just stand firm and say NO. If they push it I would leave all the groceries on the belt, half checked through and let them sort it out. They would soon get the message.
As an hint – I put my bags ready to go in the trolley, place my groceries in categories on the belt (cartons together, meat together, etc) and then drop my stuff in to the bag in the trolley. It’s pretty fast and doesn’t engender complaints from the staff (usually!).
Westmeath …your already in the dark !
Can we predict January 1st job losses headlines? Thanks for the Christmas trade, now we’re the f$^k out of here, happy new year from M&S management @ HQ UK.
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