A MULTI million pound investment plan which could secure up to 400 new jobs will be put at risk if the strike threatened by Dunnes Stores workers goes ahead, the company's director of food has warned.
In a statement on the eve of tomorrow's talks with the unions to stave off a strike at more than 60 outlets from next Monday, Mr Dick Reeves said that the company must have "the flexibility and capability to use resources in the most productive manner".
This is the first time Dunnes Stores has issued a statement under the name of a senior executive and is seen as another indication of the increasing role being taken by Mr Reeves and the new directive for information technology and logistics, Mr Andrew Street, in the overall running of Ireland's largest retailer.
In his statement, Mr Reeves also expressed concern that a strike ballot in which only 3,572 sales staff out of 8,604 employees in the Republic had voted could put the long term plans of the whole Dunnes Stores group at risk.
Mr Reeves also rebuts union claims that the company has not fully honoured the terms of a Labour Court recommendation, and said the only reason it has not paid the 3 per cent award was because no quid pro quo had been obtained from the unions.
A Mandate spokesman responded by saying that the union had shown itself to be "more than willing to provide flexibility," as it had done with other employers.
"Dunnes Stores have shown themselves to be the dinosaurs of the retail trade in relation to new technology," he said. He added that if there was a risk to jobs it was because the company had reneged on last year's deal.