Dunnes workers vote on strike action

May 1995

DUNNES Stores workers in Tralee are to vote on the option of taking industrial action following a massive rejection by workers in the chain nationwide of the company’s proposals.

Mandate union general secretary, Owen Nulty told The Kerryman that the union did not want to see its members on strike and losing money but that votes would be taken to see what course they wished to take. Mr Nulty said that the issue had also been referred to the Labour Relations Court which had invited Dunnes to attend a conciliation conference.

He said that Sunday trading exacerbated an already difficult situation which involved a number of issues — casualisation, level of full-time jobs, absence of pension scheme, non-payment of 3pc under PESP and posts of responsibility not being rewarded. Mr Nulty said that the real issue with Sunday trading was the effect it was having on real jobs.

“The real spin-off of Sunday trading is that it is reducing the number of real jobs, he said.

“If the regular staff are not prepared to work on Sunday, people are being brought in on flat time. These means cutting back on hours available to regular part-time people early in the week.”

Mr Nulty said that the absence of an industrial relations procedure for dealing with issues like Sunday trading was adding to the problem. He referred to the situation last year where staff at the Killarney Dunnes outlet had picketed the shop. He said the company’s proposals had been put to the members a few weeks ago and that they had been ‘massively rejected’.