In 1997, the Labour Court recommended that Maxol Limited agree to one promotion and an incentive scheme worth £2,500 a year to settle the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union’s upgrading claim. The union said responsibilities had grown as the number of area sales managers fell and the company’s market share increased. Maxol said it had adjusted workloads, already promoted one manager and offered another promotion, and needed to control costs. The recommendation was dated 20 November 1997.