Industrial action at Dunnes Stores likely to escalate

Industrial action at Dunnes Stores by members of the Mandate trade union is expected to escalate in the weeks ahead.

A union spokesman said a meeting of its Dunnes dispute committee had taken place on Monday. He said members were very angry at what they described as retribution undertaken by management against some of those who took part in the recent one-day stoppage at the retailer.

The Mandate spokesman said members were more determined than ever to win better contracts of employment. He said the union’s dispute committee had recommended that the industrial action be escalated.

A national meeting of Mandate shop stewards in Dunnes Stores is to be convened shortly to decide on possible further industrial action. Separately a national day of protest is being organised by Mandate.

More than 5,000 staff at Dunnes Stores, in more than 100 outlets, who are members of Mandate, took part in a one-day work stoppage on Good Friday.

The dispute is over demands for secure hours and earnings, job security, pay, and the right to trade union representation.

Dunnes Stores has not commented publicly on the strike. However, in a letter sent to staff in February it warned of possible layoffs and redundancies if “harm” was inflicted on the company as a result of industrial action.

The company maintained at the time that Mandate was engineering a row on issues that did not exist, to pursue an agenda of securing union representation rights.

Dunnes said it did not engage directly with trade unions and maintained that its staff had received two pay increases in recent years.

Tánaiste Joan Burton, a former employee of the company, earlier this month at the time of the strike called on Dunnes Stores management to engage with the State’s industrial relations machinery

She said she saluted “the level of service, cheerfulness and commitment of the staff of Dunnes Stores down through the years, many of whom are women, and, in particular, the service they provide to older customers who might need support”.

“With regard to this dispute, I regret that the Dunnes Stores organisation has not utilised the industrial relations machinery of this country. I believe it was wrong not to do so and that it should do so now as soon as possible,” she added.

The Government believes planned legislation on collective bargaining rights could provide a solution for similar disputes in the future. Under the proposed Bill, staff in companies that do not engage with unions could have their terms and conditions assessed by the Labour Court in comparison with those in similar firms.

If the employer ignored the court’s recommendation, the finding could be enforced in the Circuit Court. The Government is planning to have the legislation enacted by the summer.