Mandate trade union has said that it will convene a national strike committee today (Tuesday 10 March) to determine the format of industrial action it is scheduled to take against Dunnes.
Last Friday, trade union members voted by more than two thirds in favour of industrial action against the retailer.
The union is seeking improved job security and fairer working conditions.
A Dunnes worker, Cathy McLoughlin said that while “none of us want to go on strike because we can’t really afford it,” the retailer’s inability to engage with workers has left them with no option.
“All we’re really asking is to be treated the same as workers in other retail outlets like Tesco, Penneys and SuperValu, who have secure hours and a right to be represented by their union.”
Mandate’s Gerry Light said that it “won’t cost [Dunnes] anything but pride to sit down and negotiate a banded hours framework which would afford their employees the same security of hours and income which is common place in all of their main competitors."
Dunnes has engaged in 11th hour discussions on union issues in the past, most notably last summer, when it agreed to a 3 per cent pay increase for workers. At the time of going to press, however, no indication has been made as to whether it plans to engage with the union.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
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