26th April 2021
Dear Colleagues
Further to the General Meeting held on 15th April 2021 and a subsequent ballot, members took the decision to withdraw the vehicle voucher claim from the WRC in favour of pursuing the closure of the Staff Canteen facility.
A meeting was held between Mandate and company representatives on 22nd April 2021 at which the company were informed of the members decision in respect of the two matters referred for conciliation. Following this meeting, Mandate advised the WRC of our position regarding the cases under referral and I now understand a notice was issued to company representatives solely in relation to the canteen closure. I will keep you updated on developments as appropriate.
On a separate note, our claim in relation to Parental Leave which has been the subject of correspondence from this office since 2019 is about to be addressed positively by the company. However, regrettably the company refused to advise Mandate as to the exact detail of their intended announcement and have stated their preference to advise our members directly regarding their plan. Your representatives at the meeting asked for some insight into the announcement, however this request was refused.
In response to our claim for parity with the Ford of Britain Maternity Leave benefit, the company stated their belief that their current offering is competitive in the Irish market and therefore would not be changed.
As previously said, I will keep you informed of developments regarding the Staff Canteen WRC referral.
Yours sincerely
For Mandate Trade Union
Lorraine O’ Brien
Divisional Organiser