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SIPTU MEMBERS HAVE voted unanimously in favour of industrial action in the Marks and Spencer store in Tallaght, Co Dublin.
There are three members of staff in the Tallaght store who are members of SIPTU.
This follows a ballot of Mandate members in four stores – Tallaght, Dun Laoghaire, Mullingar and Naas – earlier this week. The issue centres on the closure of the stores and staff being served with compulsory redundancy.
SIPTU has now issued M&S with notice of industrial action to take place on or after Tuesday, 10 September.
SIPTU Organiser, Neil McGowan, said:
The result of the ballot shows that our members have become frustrated with the company in particular its failure to engage meaningfully with their union to explore all options for the workers.
He said that SIPTU is attempting to minimise the impact of the store closures for the workers directly affected, “by negotiating the best possible range of options”.
According to McGowan, union representatives are available to meet with management to negotiate a resolution to this dispute.
Earlier this week, Mandate workers at the four stores voted in favour of industrial action. The union then issued a notice on the company of this.
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What do they want? Surely this is something that the article needs to properly address?!
What is the point? Stores are still going to close. Nothing they do is going to change that
I supppse they are looking for better redundacy terms. M&S have been a good employer in Ireland.
The stores are already closed! Well Mullingar and NASA are anyway
Naas *
Pp
Shops are closed but they are technically still employed by M&S for another couple of weeks as they have to clear the stores out. I know someone who worked in one of the stores.
Aren’t the shops already closed?
WOW, a whole 3 people voted for industrial action.
So far Marks and Spencer have refused to even tell them what there redundancy terms are. It is an absolute disgrace.
These are people in distress who don’t know how they’re going to pay their bills for the next few months, they’re entitled to protest if M&S won’t clarify their redundancy terms. Just like the “Game” sit-ins last year.
It’s terrible that they have lost their jobs but that’s the reality of what’s happening in retail, the private sector and Ireland. The 4 stores must have needed to be closed to protect the rest of the business, they wouldn’t have taken this decision lightly.
It is my understanding that Mandate started the 30 day consultation by demanding that all 180 workers be redeployed in other stores. M&S explained why this couldn’t happen and also discussed other tough decisions that were in the pipeline (this was released on mandate.ie) The unions responded by walking out of the discussions to ballot their members on industrial action. The whole purpose of the consultation period is for the union and the company to agree on the best redundancy package for everybody involved. The unions did not want to discuss this at all so it’s not the fault of M&S that staff don’t know what they are due to get. How can M&S tell staff that they are due to get €x amount when no consultation period has elapsed and their union haven’t agreed (or even discussed) anything as is the normal process?!
The unions saying that “M&S won’t engage in meaningful discussions with us” implies that M&S now won’t answer the phone to them! The unions want redeployment which won’t happen therefore “meaningful discussions” have stalled.
They intend to go on strike over what exactly,the store closing,how is a strike supposed to protect the remaining MS staff,this kind union nonsence does far more damage than good.
Hmmm…..redeploy all the staff from the non-viable stores to the viable stores thus, in turn, making them also non-viable. Great thinking from the union beards there……….
Why would marks want to even consider redeploying staff that decide to go on strike on the company after they already decided to close unprofitable parts of the business ???? Makes no sense , union shape throwing , pointless
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