About 1,000 long-serving staff at Tesco have voted for strike action over the the company's plans to change their work terms and conditions.
Last Friday 99 per cent of the workers balloted by Mandate voted in favour of industrial action and Mandate is now calling on all unions to support Tesco workers and is warning that the dispute could affect all private sector workers.
Brendan O’Hanlon, lead negotiator for the Mandate workers says that the changes demanded by Tesco would mean pay cuts from 15 per cent to 35 per cent.
Tesco wants the 1,000 staff to move to ‘modern day contracts’ which Mr O’Hanlon says would reduce their rate of pay per hour and the number of hours per week they work.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast he called on Tesco to sit down and talk with the union.
“The original deadline for these changes was April 18th, this has now been changed to May 16th. That’s a month for talks.”
He pointed out that the 1,000 staff work in 89 of the chain’s 149 stores in the country which could mean pickets on 89 stores if the action goes ahead.
Balloting of remaining staff in other unions in support of colleagues is being called for by Mandate.