Labour Court vindicates position of Dunnes workers’ union

The Court has recommended the company meet with the workers’ union within four weeks in an effort to resolve all of the issues in dispute.

These include:

Mandate, which represents more than 4,000 workers in Dunnes Stores, says the company has failed to engage with the Union in accordance with a collective agreement signed by both parties in 1996.

Gerry Light, Mandate Assistant General Secretary said: “We welcome today’s Recommendation and we’re calling on Dunnes Stores management to also accept the Recommendation and meet with their workers’ designated representatives within the timeframe stipulated by the Court.

“There are thousands of Dunnes workers who have a genuine grievance with their company. They do not know with certainty from week-to-week what hours they will receive from their manager. This means they cannot plan their finances and their lives. They are under constant anxiety and in many cases, Dunnes management use hours as a method of control over their workers. This cannot continue.”

Mandate and Dunnes Stores signed a Collective Agreement in 1996 but since then Dunnes have refused to engage and frustrated both their workers, their Union and the Labour Court.

The Labour Court’s Recommendation stated: “The Company, contrary to the terms of the 1996 Collective Agreement, has refused to engage with the Union on those grievances either in direct talks, through the LRC or at the Labour Court. The Union for its part has discharged its obligations under the terms of the Agreement and the Court so finds”.

This is the fourth occasion the Labour Court has made a Recommendation where Dunnes has failed to attend. Mandate is now calling on the company to abide by the Court’s Recommendation and honour their own collective agreement.

“We will be hosting meetings with our members and ultimately the next steps in the Decency for Dunnes Workers campaign will be directed by them. Again, we are urging all Dunnes workers to join their campaign and join their union because the greatest way we can achieve significant change in Dunnes stores is through being united in our union,” concluded Mr Light.