Workers ar Marks and Spencer stores across the country including Co. Tipperary will down tools tomorrow as they undertake the first day of three days of strikes before Christmas.
The Mandate Union has said that workers were informed by management at the company that their defined benefit pension scheme was being closed. They say this was done without any satisfactory justification.
They also take issue with proposals put forward by the company for a reduction in the Sunday and Public Holiday premium; the elimination of the Christmas bonus and a reduction in the number of section managers.
Mandate says that the defined benefit pension scheme is performing and has a current surplus of €17 million.
2,000 workers across the county will go on strike tomorrow as a result.
In Co. Tipperary workers representative Bill Kelly told Tipperary Mid West Radio that the store’s 60 staff at the Showground Shopping Centre in Clonmel will hold a picket outside the gates of the shopping centre tomorrow.
He added that two further dates have been decided upon for strike action later in the month if a resolution that represents the workers is not found.
These dates include 12th and 20th of December.
Mr. Kelly said he does not know if management is looking at the other ways to keep the store operating tomorrow
