Pharmacy workers receive the backing of councillors

Councillors have backed striking workers at the Lloyd’s Pharmacy Ltd owned chemist store in Sligo.

In motion at Monday’s meeting of Sligo Municipal District, Cllr Declan Bree said workers had been left with no option but to take strike action to secure their rights.

Cllr Bree said the Labour Court had issued a recommendation stating the company should engage with the workers through their union, Mandate but it has refused to negotiate.

He said the company had argued it allows workers representation through a Colleague Representative Committee but he said this had no legal statue.

“It has no negotiating license and is simply a sophisticated anti-union tactic imported from the United States in order to ensure workers do not have the right to independent representation,” he claimed. Cllr Bree added that Sligo had a long and proud tradition of supporting the trade union movement dating back tot he last century. His motion calling on Lloyd’s to recognise the union and enter meaningful negotiations was unanimously passed.