Mandate Trade Union has reiterated its intention to press ahead with strike action at 109 Dunnes Stores outlets around the country this Thursday (2 April), ‘following the company’s continued refusal to meet with workers’ representatives’.
David Gibney, Mandate spokesperson told Checkout that there is “no indication” that the retailer intends to engage with union representatives before Thursday.
“At this point in time, we don’t see things moving on between now and Thursday, so as far as we are concerned, the strike is going ahead.”
Gibney added that the serving of the strike notice two weeks ago was the last piece of correspondence the union had with Dunnes, and that Dunnes directors were told that the union was “available to meet at any point, at their convenience, to prevent this strike action going ahead”.
“All they have to do is pick up the phone, engage with meaningful dialogue with the union, and all this will go away,” he added.
Last week, Fianna Fáil enterprise spokesperson Dara Calleary TD branded the retailer’s decision to ignore a Labour Court recommendation to engage with the union “particularly disgraceful”, adding that “when one of our own companies treats our own people like that, we have a moral obligation in this House to call them out for what they are.”
Calgary added: “People are being told that if they go on strike they will not be given work hours in the following week. In this day and age it is wrong that such a practice would exist. It is as if the situation that existed in the mills in England in the 19th century is still in place.”
Yesterday, a senior retail executive told Checkout that it would be “unbelievable if Dunnes was to allow this strike action to go ahead on what is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
{loadposition ri31032015}
