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phalinn

Strikes for Dunnes staff could be 'unavoidable' after the company's Labour Court snub

The company has said there was “no purpose” to meeting with its workers.

STRIKES COULD BE “unavoidable” among Dunnes Stores staff who are locked in an industrial dispute with the retail chain.

That warning came from the Mandate Trade Union, which represents retail employees, after it said Dunnes refused a request from the Labour Court that it meet with workers.

The union said Dunnes had since written to the court to advise the company saw “no purpose in any meeting” over the dispute which has been running for about 8 months.

Assistant general secretary Gerry Light said the letter “demonstrates the arrogance and utter lack of respect senior management have for their own workers”.

“Ultimately the next steps in our (campaign) will be decided by our members and we most certainly cannot rule out disruptive action in the near future,” he said.

October no-show

Last month the company also failed to turn up for a court hearing over workers’ pay and conditions. There was no legal obligation for it to attend.

Workers have been calling for more secure hours and better pay, although in June staff got a 3% wage rise.

One Dunnes employee, Sarah Brown, from Dublin, said insecurity over working hours was a “major issue” for nearly all workers and the problem needed to be dealt with immediately.

The company employs nearly 15,000 people and operated 155 stores across Ireland, the UK and Spain, with the vast majority in the Republic.

Dunnes Stores has been contacted for comment but the company hasn’t responded yet.

READ: Dunnes Stores a no-show at Labour Court dispute >

READ: Dunnes-v-Karren Millen goes to Europe, the result isn’t good for the Irish store >

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53 Comments
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    Mute Greg
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:38 PM

    Dunnes are one horrible company to work for, most managers in Dunnes need some people skills, hope I’m never unlucky enough to work for a shower like them again. I’ve never stepped foot inside a Dunnes since I left.

    502
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    Mute The Galloping Major
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:35 PM

    Hear, hear Greg. I’ve never met managers with such horrible social skills in all of my life.

    249
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    Mute galway2007
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    Dec 1st 2014, 9:30 PM

    I would think there are a few tesco shoppers or supporters replying
    Dunes are kicking ass and are keeping prices down yet during the recession they manage to award employees with a extra 3%
    The working hours need to be sorted out

    15
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    Mute Tom Red
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:32 PM

    15/24 hrs is a usual weeks hours spread over 7 days,
    So the employee can’t draw the dole..Dunnes definitely in cahoots with social welfare office.
    that’s how Joan Burton manipulates the live register. ..

    307
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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:58 PM

    “Dunnes definitely in cahoots with social welfare office.”

    I’d say you’re probably right about that Tom. In me hoop.

    121
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    Mute Sinead Hanley
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:08 PM

    Frederick

    Are u suggesting the Dunnes family would never do a deal with our fine upstanding politicians? I wouldnt put it past them.

    Thanks Big Fella

    158
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    Mute Bert McCann
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:41 PM

    A boycott at this time of year, especially when they’re desperate to make the Christmas shopping top spot, would soon put manners on them.

    299
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    Mute Pedro deluvio
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:28 PM

    They’re a despicable company.. Try my hardest not to spend a cent with them.

    297
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    Mute Jason
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:37 PM

    Second that, an awful shower. Top heavy with useless managers/assistants to seem to spend their day standing around berating people. And don’t dare a customer approach them.

    269
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    Mute Gary Martin
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:42 PM

    Il be taking my business elsewhere.
    “No purpose” in meeting your workers!!! Shame on senior management

    216
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    Mute Con
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:53 PM

    Best of luck to the Dunne’s workers. It’s not just about pay for them, it’s about security of hours so people have the certainty of income if they want to do things like buy a house or even just rent. Disgraceful from the company the way it’s behaving, I’m sure the top management aren’t facing into the uncertainty of hours been cut!

    156
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    Mute Butter bean
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:37 PM

    Ah remember the good old days of worrying if dunnes was on strike in December..A horrible backward shop and the staff are terrible too they should be sent to aldi on a weekly basis to see how there job should be done.

    145
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    Mute Jonathan Kerr
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:47 PM

    I worked on the bread run a few years back and was putting bread on the shelf in dunnes and the manger wanted 20 loafs on the shelves that could only hold 12. I told him the bread would be squeezed and he went of on one. I told him to calm down or I’ll squeeze the van in the gap between his teeth. Ended up losing my job over it..

    113
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    Mute Tim Brennan
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    Dec 1st 2014, 8:06 PM

    ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT – AS A VAN DRIVER FEEL LIKE THAT ALOT OF DAYS -

    36
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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:22 PM

    To the likes of Dunne’s Stores workers are just a necessary inconvenience. Needed, but held in contempt by management. When you consider a contract that gives you the minimum wage with no fixed hours and no social welfare entitlements, it is work or starve. Slave labour in other words. Working for Dunnes is the nearest thing in a first world country to working in a third world sweatshop. This is what awaits us all if the Neo-liberals get a firm grip on power.

    86
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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:24 PM

    I wonder what big Irish employers don’t have a union?

    74
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    Mute linda o neill
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:30 PM

    Most of the Multi Nationals will not leave a union inside the door and rightly so… The likes of Jack O Conor and his shower of absolute Labour Lackeys will ruin thus Country again if we allow them into the power brokers offices

    163
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    Mute gumbridge
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:39 PM

    It was the banks that broke this place, not the unions!!

    223
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    Mute Anto Byrne
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:00 PM

    Rubbish pay. Rubbish job. Wou

    23
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    Mute Anto Byrne
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:00 PM

    Rubbish pay. Rubbish job. Wouldn’t catch me doing that shiiiiiiiiiite

    18
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    Mute Frank Jones
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:28 PM

    Linda, are you sure or are you using ‘makie – up’ facts?

    23
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    Mute The Galloping Major
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:53 PM

    Makie uppy*

    15
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    Mute Sarah Clifford
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    Dec 1st 2014, 6:41 PM

    Linda go and crawl back under your rock. It’s people like you that would have workers back in the dark ages with minimal wages and no rights.

    21
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    Mute John Staunton
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    Dec 1st 2014, 3:13 PM

    When I read stuff like this I just don’t want to shop at dunnes anymore. The management need to cop on I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking like this plenty of other options in most areas now.

    64
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    Mute stuart harding
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    Dec 1st 2014, 3:35 PM

    awful company try not to spend a penny only if i have to managers more interesting in bullying staff no interpersonal skills dreadful boycott!!

    59
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    Mute Cupid Stunt
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:08 PM

    I’ve never liked them, seem like greedy so and so’s. Can’t think of any charity they donate to off hand either. The shops look rundown and unorganised. Constant trouble over child and parent parking. I’ve stopped going ages ago.

    58
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    Mute Stephen Ring
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:40 PM

    “Workers have been calling for more secure hours and better pay, although in June staff got a 3% wage rise.”

    Unless the conditions of their employment have changed since they accepted employment, I have no sympathy for them. They accepted a contract of employment and now want to retrospectively alter it. They’ve also gotten a wage increase recently.

    58
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    Mute Graham Kavanagh
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:45 PM

    For many of their long term employees, yes conditions have changed.

    65
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    Mute malcom jones
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:03 PM

    “Unless the conditions of their employment have changed since they accepted employment, I have no sympathy for them. They accepted a contract of employment and now want to retrospectively alter it. They’ve also gotten a wage increase recently.”

    Find this attitude absolutely laughable. Why shouldn’t people work to improve their working conditions? If you’re not guaranteed your hours each week what difference does a 3% pay increase make? If you get cut down to your basic hours you’ll not benefit from the minimal increase. I’m sure Dunnes management worked to offset the slight increase in pay by cutting hours.

    103
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    Mute VinHeffer89
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:21 PM

    If you work between 15 and 24 hours over 7 days do you really think 3% makes the blindest bit of difference? To put things in context, an employee working 20 hrs a week for €8.65 would earn €173; 3% on that is €178.19 so just over a fiver basically. Given that this employee is likely to have this spread over four to five days they are entitled to nothing from Social Welfare. You are essentially saying that you have no sympathy for people who are working, are not getting any social welfare and are scraping by on less that €200 per week. That’s some attitude you got on there, bud. Happy Christmas.

    218
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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:21 PM

    Stephen , I agree , they can’t change the terms now just because it doesn’t suit them anymore . Dunnes have always operated that way with contracts .

    16
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    Mute Stephen Ring
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:39 PM

    @ Graham – if their conditions have been changed then absolutely they should try and fight it.

    I never said Dunnes stores practices or wage rates were good or adequate, only if you’ve already agreed to work under them and they haven’t changed, I don’t support retrospective emendation. Do you think the bank should be allowed to change your mortgage terms retrospectively?

    9
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    Mute Graham Kavanagh
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:51 PM

    It’s perfectly normal for businesses and banks to amend contracts – by agreement. However that is not what’s happening here.

    34
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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:59 PM

    Graham , they have always worked under those conditions

    5
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    Mute Derry Seery
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    Dec 1st 2014, 8:23 PM

    They’re looked for banded contracts, which most Irish retailers offer or have agreed to offer in recent years. This basically means that if you are on an 8 hour contract, but you work 20 hours a week for x-amount if time, that you can’t suddenly be shunted back down to 8. You would be moved into the next band of hours.

    If the work is there to offer these hours to staff over a long period of time, then it’s there to contract to the staff.

    14
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    Mute Tommmo
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    Dec 1st 2014, 8:36 PM

    They need to adapt the Banded hours contract’s that works well for Penneys and Tesco staff How can they expect their workers to be able to apply for loans,mortgages etc when they have no certainty of earnings? Actually surprised their staff haven’t striked yet.

    26
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    Mute Leslie Skinner
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:12 PM

    Amazed that there have not been a lot more strikes,with so many people struggling to make ends meet.No sign of a national pay increase,or are they gone for good.

    57
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    Mute Frank Jones
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:27 PM

    The national pay rises are gone, it’s now down to the good hearted nature of employers, or through getting organised in your trade union.

    48
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    Mute Sunnygirl
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:46 PM

    So someone signs a contract with Dunnes, probably cos they cant get any other job, and according to some contributers here they should never look for more pay or benefits. What a stupid attitude. Most employees that enjoy decent wages/hours do so as a result of someone sticking their neck out and rocking the boat.
    Nice to know theres a bit of solidarity with fellow workers!

    44
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    Mute Trevor Weafer
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    Dec 1st 2014, 12:53 PM

    I loved working at Dunnes years ago. Just be happy you have a job.

    39
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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:03 PM

    Good point Trevor. Unfortunately a job isn’t good enough for the semi-illiterate readership of this haven of ill-informed and poorly-articulated pretense at expression of opinion. Has to be a well-paying job with great benefits, and no responsibility or long hours. Add in a bit of promotion to even higher pay, and there you go. People have degrees after all (as if a BSc from some IT stands for anything given the current state of the education system), and deserve all of this. Perish the thought that a job might mean starting at the bottom and working up (emphasis on the word ‘working.’)

    57
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    Mute malcom jones
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:10 PM

    The “just be happy you have a job” line ends up with everybody working for a pittance and people being at the beck and call of unscrupulous employers with no certainty of income from week to week.

    130
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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:19 PM

    Really? I’m happy in my job, and I sure as hell don’t work for a pittance or at the beck and call of anyone. I had to work to get here though.

    22
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    Mute Figo murphy
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:26 PM

    Ive a cousin working there and she loves it. Very happy there.

    34
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    Mute Gary Martin
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:50 PM

    You see that phrase “be happy to have a job” Trevor it really is such a silly comment.

    So what your saying is just get on with it, let the companies take advantage of employees, the employer makes a massive profit and let the workers who put 100 percent in, barely have enough to do them until next wage, and also don’t know how many hours next week they have to work..

    People like you need to evaluate the whole story before making sill comments. There’s no point in having a job if your making less than someone on welfare..

    We need to support each other and no the bigger companies

    77
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    Mute Secret Irishman
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    Dec 1st 2014, 1:57 PM

    Wow Freddie, put your thesaurus away. And that chip on your shoulder while you’re at it.

    52
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    Mute Figo murphy
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:13 PM

    Are the red thumbs for my cousin because she likes her job? I’ll let here know your not happy that she’s happy!

    23
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    Mute Tony Tee
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    Dec 1st 2014, 2:36 PM

    Arent you the lucky little fella Fredrick…..

    32
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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Dec 1st 2014, 3:40 PM

    The harder I work, the luckier I get.

    12
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    Mute Donal O Neil
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:36 PM

    Lucky lucky lucky barsteward aka life of Brien

    1
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    Mute Anto Byrne
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    Dec 1st 2014, 3:21 PM

    I’ll be still shopping at Dunnes. It’s close and I honestly don’t give a bollix.

    16
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    Mute Alan Ball
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:54 PM

    Mention an employee by name..smart….real smart

    9
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