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THE TRADE UNION representing striking Tesco workers has expressed its frustration with the company for running an extensive advertising campaign encouraging customers to pass the picket line and shop at stores where strike action is taking place.
It was announced last night that strike action at Tesco stores would be suspended in order to facilitate talks at the Labour Court between the Mandate trade union and Tesco.
Double and full-page advertisements have been taken out by Tesco Ireland in various broadsheet and tabloid newspapers since industrial action began on Tuesday 14 February.
For example, on Wednesday of this week advertisements were taken out in the Irish Independent, the Irish Daily Star, the Irish Daily Mirror and the Irish Sun.
In each case the advertisement was placed close to front page of the newspaper and the ads were identical across each publication.
One page displays a number of special offers available at the store. The other informs customers that all Tesco stores remain open and condemns the strike action as “unjustified”.
“We call on Mandate to stop their unjustified strike action in 16 stores and accept the Labour Court recommendation which Tesco has accepted in its totality,” part of the ad reads, below a number of paragraphs outlining why Tesco is a good place to work.
Similar advertisements – as well as ones without the page calling for the strike action to stop – have also featured in the Irish Times, the Sunday Independent as well as the above titles on various days since the beginning of the strike action.
Advertising rates of cost vary from publication to publication.
According to the Irish Times rates card, a single full-page advertisement costs €34,000 to take out.
Based off 2013 rates, a colour double page spread in the Irish Independent costs €36,955. While a full-page colour advertisement in the Sunday Independent costs €42,170.
According to Media Street, a full-page ad in the Irish Daily Mirror costs €9,544 and in the Sun €12,715.
All the above prices are for individual advertisements. In general, newspapers and magazine companies that have a long-standing relationships with a customer will offer significant discounts on ad space (as is likely the case with Tesco).
Pushing customers past the picket lines
David Gibney, representative for Mandate trade union, told TheJournal.ie that the advertisements “caused more conflict between worker and customer”.
“These ads are about pushing customers passed the picket lines,” said Gibney.
It’s very frustrating for us to see.
Gibney also pointed to actions by management in individual stores as examples of the dispute being treated like “a game”.
Gibney pointed to an example earlier this week when the below sign was posted on the window of Tesco Drumcondra. This followed ballots of eight stores by Mandate in which seven stores voted not to join the strike action (the sign has since been removed).
A spokesperson for Tesco Ireland told TheJournal.ie that the company takes out advertisements “all year round”.
“Over the last week we have used some of that space to communicate to our customers and apologise for any disruption caused by this unnecessary strike action and also to share some points about Tesco as an employer,” the spokesperson said.
In relation to loss of revenue, the spokesperson said there had been “some impact on trade” due to the strike action.
“But we are really pleased with the response from customers with over 45,000 customers shopping in the 16 stores subject to this unnecessary action over the weekend,” the spokesperson said.
Now, both sides have agreed to meet with a view to ending the industrial dispute.
The dispute centres around proposed changes Tesco is hoping to bring to the contracts of long-term workers at the company.
Tesco Ireland currently employs over 14,500 workers. About 250 workers in total (or just under 2%) – who have been working for the company since before 1996 – will be affected by these changes.
All strikes are temporarily suspended while the talks are ongoing. While Tesco has committed to bringing no changes to the pre-96 workers’ contracts while the sides are negotiating.
Tesco has previously condemned Mandate for the ongoing strike action, labelling it as unnecessary and unjustified.
It argues that the contracts need to be changed in order for the company to remain competitive.
Tesco has called on Mandate to accept a Labour Court recommendation, which it says will protect the rate of pay of the affected workers. Mandate disputes this, saying that workers will face pay cuts.
The union has criticised Tesco for not properly engaging with them, claiming that the contract changes will negatively impact workers’ pay and conditions, a point which Tesco strongly disputes.
A spokesperson for Mandate told theJournal.ie talks would get underway at the Labour Court “shortly”.
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Can someone tell me I Joe public make a contract both parties sign it, however I want to change it I can’t. Yet big business can, this should be changed. Your bank can write to you any time in change. Yet when things went bad for example you couldn’t write to your bank and say you are changing the contract.
It very annoying big business can do this.
What tesco should be doing is offering every one a fair wage, not cutting them. While still paying the ones on top huge salaries, even if they took a small cut they be still makeing.
We all should be supporting on these grounds.
Anyone can break a contract at anytime… its then up to them to make good on the obligations detailed in the contract to the satisfaction of the other party or the other party has the right to sue for damages.
No difference than if you Joe Soap decided to dissolve your martial contract. Despite it having included the terms ‘until death do us part’
Well said Just Made. Tesco are corporate parasites. Support the Tesco workers and don’t pass the picket. Even better, don’t shop in any Tesco until they stop this disgraceful attack on their long serving workers.
Tesco spend tens of thousands on advertisements to attack their workers and multiples of that in lost revenue instead of honouring the contracts for a small portion of their workforce. Tesco are using this dispute to try and undermine the union. Don’t let the parasites win. Solidarity with the Tesco workers.
@Drew TheChinaman :): Part of changing their contract was an offer of €70,000 flat. They don’t have to work Sundays. They were also offered full redundancy well in excess of 6 figures. circa €150,000 – €200000. Labour court has recommended this course. And these workers are happy to go in and do a days work. They don’t wish to promote or advance themselves. They’re getting more than a bloody good deal for stacking shelves.
€70,000 is not a good deal for the rest of your life. A lot of these people are older and therefore feel they will not get a steady job if they take the redundancy. Their families are depending them and Tesco signed a contract with them and should honour it. I stand with the Tesco workers because you never know when my employer or my daughter’s employer will pull a fast one and I will need the support of other workers. Don’t pass the picket.
@Justmade. Tesco workers are on more than a fair wage.
@dusty. When did tescos attack their workers?
@WallyDustyButtwipe
Yeah Wally, All employers are parasites isn’t that right?
You’re a bloody joke man.
It would be great to see the people send Tesco scurrying off with their tail between their legs as we did with the government on their water charges (banker tax) plans.
A mass boycott of all Tesco stores would soon bring the corporate parasites to heel.
But where would I get my custard donuts – 5 for €2?!!
Itll never happen dusty so stay in your lefty utopia !
@Kieran Jonhour, Read their ad again, nobody is paid € 14 an hour, it is an average rate which includes those on big management types etc. The ad is loaded with lies to made sheep who shop with them to confuse ye. Read the ad again slowly.
Mine point exactly Lorcan….
This is the corporate equivalent of a spoilt bitter divorcee holding her ex-husband to ransom because she’s not happy to part ways with just the Hampton’s property and 2mil.
@Colin
That a bit harsh !!
Poor Dusty Wally Willy Katlyn Mooney is just unemployed voluntarily.
And his dole money comes from the solidarity brothers in Tescos who work to subsidise his lavish free parasitic lifestyle.
Hey maybe he’s in the elite group and he’s making all this up….. ha ha you’ve been had Dusty we’re on to you man or woman !!
@Duncan so you could say Dusty is one of these parasites that exploits the workers by claiming benefits that their taxes pay for.
Nobody? People working there 10 years are 14.18 while 15 years get a slight bit more
@Skimothy
Now that’s just downright nasty. The money for his dole comes from the magic tree in DUSTYLAND everyone knows that.
Solidarity with the Dusty brothers man !!
@Kieran Jones:
It’s already happened. Did you miss the government’s hasty retreat in the face of the mass boycott of their banker tax?
Skimothy is a Tesco worker slating his workmates for daring to stand up for themselves and cheerleading for the corporate parasite. Pitiful stuff.
http://www.thejournal.ie/tesco-strike-delayed-six-stores-3256199-Feb2017/
Have you heard of Stockholm syndrome Skimothy?
@Lorcan Murphy: Go back to your dancing, you know nothing about industrial relations.
@Skimothy:
You know nothing of my personal circumstances but we do know that the Tesco parasite is subsidized heavily by the taxpayer as many of their workers are unable to support themselves and their families due to the poor wages and short hours and so are in receipt of social welfare like Family income Supplement.
As ever it’s charity for the corporate parasites and austerity for the workers while useful idiots such as yourself cheerlead the orgy of capitalist greed while failing spectacularly to understand that the jokes on them.
@dusty you have a lovely way with words. You’re telling people that I work for Tesco as if I’m trying to hide it. Funnily enough, I pay my mortgage and support my family on my wages from Tesco.
@dusty sure while you’re at it why don’t you let us know what great zero profit making organisation you work for.
@Skimothy:
Are you claiming that no Tesco workers are in receipt of social welfare? And that Tesco is not in fact being subsidized by the taxpayer? (and ou of course being a taxpayer)
And I wonder if you tell your workmates of your other job here attacking the strikers or do you keep that little gem to yourself?
@dusty sorry to disappoint you but I don’t have a second job. I’m doing fine on just this one. I never said there’s nobody claiming social. You’re just putting words in my mouth. What’s your job again?
Wally is a secondary school teacher (just finished mid-term break) and failed former politician for one of ‘those’ parties that make more of a smell than a lot of noise in elections.
Bull$hit Tesco, Bull$hit.
Who organised this survey where 74% rated Tesco a great place to work?
Was it organised by Tesco where the staff had to write their name, rate Tesco as a place to work and hand it to their manager. No pressure there then to say the right thing.
This is a PR stunt.
You’re wrong Tom. It’s an anonymous survey done twice a year.
An internal survey? Or a survey by an independent company which compares the results with other supermarket results?
@Fiona. Internal.
I got on a bus and got my main shopping today from Aldi. I won’t be buying any of the above newspapers either, nor will I go near a Tesco until this dispute has been resolved to the satisfaction of the staff. Well done to Tesco for such efforts to throw away years of goodwill with this clumsy propaganda.
Also remember that a lot of their workers are very low wages & need assistance from the S/W so this in turn means the taxpayers are subsidizing TESCO!? Solidarity with the workers!
They are low paid because it is a job that is almost devoid of skills. How much training and education is needed to put something on a shelf, or operate a till for that matter? I could care less about the whole thing but people need to realise that some jobs are low paid for good reasons.
Karl, All work should pay a living wage as a minimum. Or are you OK with subsidising Tesco through your taxes?
Dusty I agree, but it is this government that cannot control cost of living which is much higher than many EU countries like Holland, Belgium and Germany.
Example: Minimum wage in holland for 23yr old starts at 71.61 Euro / 8hrs (100% – if you are younger min. wage is lower) > https://www.government.nl/topics/minimum-wage/contents/amount-of-the-minimum-wage
Rents in Holland can be up to 40% lower (depending on social housing or private accommodation – rural Ireland rents can be compared to average Dutch rent). Government oversight on housing regulations, standardisation and pricing.
Buying a house can be up to 20% cheaper and the quality of Dutch houses is far better (insulation, concrete inner walls, concrete flooring throughout etc).
Basic needs like groceries are up to 10% cheaper in Holland.
Income tax is higher in Holland starting at 37.5% (lowest tax band), motor tax is similar, water charges are higher, VAT is 6 / 21%, petrol / diesel and cars are about 10% more expensive. There are unions but they have less power.
The government is to fault here in my opinion. They are incapable of controlling and regulating this country. If that is not going to change Ireland will never become a first rank country within the EU.
Without the help of the EU this country would have gone bankrupt again, it can not even hold up their own pants so to speak. 2016 was the first year Ireland contributed to the EU instead of the EU supporting it (more money went to the EU than we got).
That Karl is a spectacularly narrow minded view of the place of work in society. That goes back to landlordism, serfs workhouses. You really need to broaden your outlook
They still need to provide a living wage, otherwise it means that tax payers are subsidizing companies by having to pay in-work-benefits. There is also a broader social cost if unskilled /semi-skilled workers are exploited
@Karl Alldritt: Maybe they should just get no cash at all and live off the out of date food?
Would that suit you, Karl?
Yes Karl , maybe those workers can live in the Tesco warehouse and get paid in out of date food.
Tesco pay what now … Where do I sign
They pay 9.80 ph and 20 hr “contract” as a new starter. No point signing anything though as a contract with tesco is worthless.
Or it will soon be worthless if they get their way
@Stuart 20×9.80=dole with a bit of change and because it’s spread across 5 days you can’t even sign on a part time allowance.
@Stuart it’s €10.15 an hour.
Even if it is equivalent to the dole isn’t it better to earn your way through honest graft with the prospect of earning more with time than to be reliant on the state?
Dont get me wrong. Tesco are the best grocery retail chain to work for even as a starter. But i am against the race to the bottom and im definately against the intimidation and smear campaign that ive even witnessed myself first hand against those pre 96 contract holders. Not to forget tesco never justified making these changes. But people need to stop acting like 14 euro an hour is a liberty. It would barely cover food bills and rent in todays climates and inflations that have occured in the last while.
And before anyone starts, i read the news too and am fully aware of nurse and garda salaries and other jobs whose salaries i truly believe to be at poverty levels in todays climate. Life isnt affordable on those salaries today and thats the truth. The 14 that these workers accrued over 20 odd years is liveable but is not a liberty.
@Stuart Keogh: Its worth 70k and no Sunday working. just to stack shelves, where do I sign?
Something tells me Lorcan if you got one of these jobs you would be the a hole that refuses to do things because you’re not paid enough! Probably be shop steward as well!
Lorcan. Your maths are waaaay waaaay off pal. Theyre on 30k-33k a year. I have no idea where you got that 70k figure
@Damocles , I totally agree but Tesco says in the article 50% of their staff have guaranteed 30hours a week so how long do you have to work off a 20hour contract before you get a 30hour contract? At a 10r an hour , you have 300euros before tax,prsi and usc. You couldn’t afford rent or ever get a mortgage on a wage like that. It’s not enough and it’s not fair. Why not give people a 40hour a week gig? Supervalu employ the same strategies I don’t know about the others.
@fionn. You dont like the terms dont sign. Sick of whingers in this country acting like they have no options.
@stuart. Depends on your lifestyle! When people on the dole have x boxes and smoke twenty a day you have to wonder.
@Fionn Bohane: So you take the low paid job at Tesco, you show an aptitude and a will to progress, you get bumped up, promoted, from shelf stacking you go on, fast track, management training, twenty years later you’re European Logistics manager.
Or you don’t. You sit around worrying that the hours are too short, you don’t know when the hours will go from 20 to 30, ah, just leave it, so. You get the same on the dole. Twenty years later you’re drinking cans under the railway bridge with the same 3 people. Every. Single. Day.
There is no options Kieran and I had to leave the country to find decent work. I’ve worked in loads of low paying jobs since the crash. I was an apprentice cabinet maker. I’ve done security, worked in bars, kitchens, taxi bases answering the phones and call centres. If I didn’t like a contract and not sign it they’ll say fine and move onto the next gobdaw who would.. All the jobs being ‘created’ are call centres or technology based. Only in the last year has any amount of construction started. Where are the jobs for young people who college doesn’t suit? Where are the apprenticeships? Where are the jobs or ‘re-training for middle-aged men who lost their jobs due to the recession? My dad had to take redundancy from his job at the age of 55. Who’s going to hire him? why can’t you learn on the job anymore? So tell me Kieran , other than being a lackie on a shitty contract or going getting a degree where are the options?? do you know how many apprentices were being trained in 2015? Just over 8000 and only 5 in cabinet making. There is at least 30000 students in ucc and cit and the percentage that leave after their 1st year is close to 70% and I reckon a massive number of that 70% end up in shitty jobs in tescos , dunnes all on minimum wage or less than 30 hour a week contracts.
@Damocles: Tesco have designed this new contract to force many of their income with supplemented social welfare money, how honest do you think this is on Tesco when they won’t pay a tax here.
Damn straight Kieran. We should all think ourselves lucky to have a job, never mind get paid as well.
@Damocles , that just doesn’t happen these days. They bring people in rather than promote from within. How much is your rent/mortgage? Could you afford it on €10.15 an hour working 20hours a week?
The principle is the same, @Fionn, you have to start working in order to advance yourself. You know this. Or it’s cans.
Enjoy your cans @Jho.
Their all at it. It’s something to do with employers contributions. I think part time workers cost less even though it means they have more people on the payrole
Of course you do , but getting your balls busted by some fella in a suit who thinks he’s the bee’s knees for 200bucks a week is a joke. Be fair and give a young fella 40hours a week, it’s not much to ask for companies like Tesco…
By restricting people’s hours the employer gets to pay a lower rate of prsi 8.5% as opposed to 10.75%,
The employee also gets less of a holiday entitlement as holiday pay is directly proportional to hours worked,
Tesco every little helps.
@Lorcan Murphy: €70,000 a year is €35 an hour, not 14. Are you so stupid you cannot do simple math?
@Niall each employee is entitled to 21 days holiday at first and it increases over time. Has nothing to do with hours worked.
You are entitled to 20 days holiday if you have worked in excess of 1,365 hours that year,
Guess what 20 hours per week equals!
1,040!
@Stuart Keogh: spot on. and they’re the kind of jobs that kenny and his merry band of weasels are blowing their trumpets over.minimum wages and short term contracts
@Niall but guess what, Tesco employees get 21 days regardless!!!
@Damocles: ??? What rubbish that you spouting about, I don’t drink so I have to assume you are judging by your your own small life.
No response Kieran?
It should be illegal for a profit making company to attack its workers contracts. As a worker I am 100% behind the tesco workers in their defence of contracts against the interests of multinationals who only care about a hand full of shareholders.
Im sure Tesco are frustrated with the union and LRC rejection….
Tesco 1 Union 0 (2-0 AGG)
If it’s true that Tesco staff went on strike because their wages were too much, then they should leave & try low wage job in Dunnes or SuperValu or Aldi or Lidl or Spar or Mace or M&S etc…
Clown.
Fair play to the people of Ireland they would not pass the pocket, tesco have learned a lesson there
@thomas. What lessen will the workers learn when tesco pull out of ireland?
Are you aware Kieran that Tesco execs in the U.K. Call this treasure Ireland because of the high margins they enjoy here?
And you’re sh€(((Ng yourself they’ll pull out?
No. When you have a job be thankful
What amazed me about this strike is why so few stores were on strike. Was there not employees in each store that were eeffected by what changes that tesco wanted to make or have I got this whole thing wrong.
@bings: I asked a Tesco worker, the stores have different unions, only the mandate ones are on strike.
Tesco Ireland was only founded in 1997…
It’s only applicable to stores that were acquired by Tesco and were in operation pre-1996. They inherited these employees from the likes of Roches, Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices stores they took over.
Personally I would never pass a picket and never have. But mandates whinging here is ridiculous. Yes could are looking to win this. If they have the means to print ads and think it helps them their gonna do it. It’s a negotiation.
The labour court issued its recommendations,Mandate even though they asked for a labour court ruling didn’t like it ,so they get the hump . If the shoe was on the other foot Mandate would be shouting from the rooftops that Tesco will not abide by a labour court ruling !! 60% of Tesco stores rejected a strike !!
Strike away. Just saving the company the price of wages. If 240 can hold a staff of 14000 people to ransom the unions have got it so wrong. Let them negotiate a buy out if the contracts but not put other workers jobs in jeopardy. The Irish retail market is very fickle and people have no loyalty. All it takes at this point is some joined up thinking from Dunnes and Super value around pricing and Tesco could be in very serious trouble. Remember Tesco market share and profits have been on the decline in Ireland in recent years. It’s not impossible that they could decide to cut their losses if they lose footfall
From my experience in my local tesco store which is mostly staffed by elderly women who have worked there for as long as I can remember, the standard of customer service is appalling, they are so slow at the checkouts and have a long chat with everyone they know that is paying for there groceries and they couldn’t care less that u are next in line and in a hurry, comparing that to the speed at which the checkout line moves in Aldi or tesco which is staffed by younger people, u see it everywhere in factory work as well, long term older staff on better contracts who are too comfortable in there positions and getting better paid than younger men of staff who are better and faster at doing there work, I don’t blame companies for trying to get rid of slow inefficient staff who are getting paid more money than younger staff
There seems to be a sentiment pushed by the left that everyone must support the unions regardless of the circumstances under the automatic assumption that employers=bad unions=good. This is stupid.
You’d want to have a screw loose to shop in Tesco in the first place. Quality of meat is awful and it’s no longer even that cheap (which was the only previous draw Tesco had)
Looking at this from an absolute neutral point of view, is it not better to have people on 20 hours per week and supplemented by FIS than having them on the live register? We as tax payers may be loosing out but surely would be contributing more if they were on the dole? Is it better to have 40 people on 20 hour contracts than 15 on full 40 hours?
A 20 HR contract suits some people, I worked 6 to 11 PM, 5 nights per week and didn’t have to pay for childcare and…. And no I didn’t claim any SW Support.
Down with that sort of thing
If only people were as supportive of the poor folks on zero hour contracts.
have your say