Dunnes in cavan to be balloted as strike looms

The workers in Dunnes in Cavan Town will be balloted in the coming weeks, as soon as the Labour court returns with a recommendation for staff.
On Friday (March 6), the Mandate trade union, which represents 4,000 Dunnes’ staff, has already voted two-to-one in favour of industrial action on holdy Thursda, April 2, to affect drink sales.
However, the Dunnes in Cavan is one of the few in the country who are represented by SIPTU.
The central issues with both unions are hours, pay, individual and collective rights and a review of the use of temporary contracts.
Mandate says a national strike committee were to convene yesterday morning (Tuesday), March 10, to determine the type of industrial action and the date of that action.
SIPTU organiser responsible for the Dunnes staff in Cavan, Derek Casserly, says that any action will be taken in consultation after their own Labour Court ruling and that members are being kept in the loop on how to proceed in line with their own protocols.
In November, a Labour Court ruling urged Dunnes’ management to engage with Mandate’s staff and SIPTU are awaiting a similar recommendation for their members.
“The issue is over permanent contracts and regular hours. If you are working only 15, 18 or 19 hours a week and don’t know what hours you will get, you can’t plan ahead. Workers don’t know what their pay packet is going to be at the end of the week. Dunnes is a huge, multi-million euro company and it should not be pushing people towards the social welfare system in order to supplement their incomes – it’s immoral,” he said of the Mandate ruling.
Regarding SIPTU, he says the union must “follow our own protocols” but says that any action taken “is not because we are out to harm Dunnes. We want to work with Dunnes for the mutual benefit of the staff and company. That always has and always will be our attitude. Any action on the horizon is a last resort and never intended as a threat or intimidation. It’s not something anyone wants to do. What we are looking for is not off the wall it’s common decency.”
It could be six-to-eight weeks before SIPTU receive their own non-binding Labour Court recommendation.
A request for comment or a statement on the matter was sent to Dunnes on Monday and, at the time of going to print, remained unanswered.
Dunnes employs more than 10,000 workers in 112 stores across the country.