Staff at Lloyds Pharmacy are to be offered a voluntary severance scheme which the company says is an essential efficiency measure to support its long-term sustainability.
Under the plan staff opting to leave will receive five weeks gross weekly pay per year of service, with total payment capped at €100,000.
The company said the voluntary severance programme was open to all retail pharmacy and support office employees with the exception of pharmacists. It said the scheme was,” a once-off measure to help support the long-term sustainability of the business and return it to success and growth”.
Lloyds Pharmacy has been hit by a series of strikes over recent months in a dispute over pay, conditions and trade union recognition.
Staff represented by the trade union Mandate are to stage further strikes next Monday and Tuesday, September 3rd and 4th.
Lloyds Pharmacy said it believed that seven outlets will be closed as a result of the planned stoppages, mainly in Dublin. It said 12 outlets were affected by the most recent strike last Saturday.
The company said it employed about 960 people across the Republic.
Mandate said it had about 270 members working in the company.
The union said members in almost 40 stores across the country would be taking part in the strikes on Monday and Tuesday.
"Lloyds Pharmacy has left their workers with no alternative but to strike after management refused to accept a Labour Court recommendation instructing them to negotiate with their workers' representatives," Mandate assistant general secretary Gerry Light said on Friday.
“Our members do not want to strike, they want to be serving their customers. We hope the public understands and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Lloyds Pharmacy said the introduction of the voluntary severance programme was a key component of a new deal on pay and conditions which it negotiated with the internal colleague representative committee. It said this provided for increases ranging from 1.5 per cent to 11 per cent for all 960 staff.
It said this deal also set out a range of improved benefits including additional paid annual leave and improved paid sick leave of not less than four days annually, the introduction of pay scales, the payment of pharmacist professional fees, and the implementation of banded working hours.
Lloyds Pharmacy director of sales and marketing, Pat Watt, said: "The introduction of a voluntary severance scheme was one of the key requirements that formed part of the new pay and conditions deal agreed with employees. It's very attractive and an important step to rebalance our staffing at what is a particularly challenging time for our sector. It will see us emerge as a leaner organisation, with improved terms and conditions for all employees, focused on delivering the very best service for our customers."
