Decency for Dunnes Workers

Mandate Trade Union has referred a claim for a 3 percent pay increase for all Dunnes Stores workers to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) after the company refused to respond to a claim originally lodged on the 30^th March 2016.

Mandate, in following procedures agreed with Dunnes in the 1996 collective agreement, has now sought a conciliation conference at the WRC.

Mandate’s Assistant Secretary Gerry Light said the company has an obligation to its workers to engage positively on the issue:

“Our members in Dunnes Stores deserve and are entitled to a pay increase which would address cost of living pressures but would also serve to improve their living standards.

He added, “All the talk over the past 12 months has been about a recovery in the economy and we believe our members are entitled to a fair share of that recovery.”

“We’re not too surprised that Dunnes has refused to engage directly, but we do hope the company shows some respect for the agreement they made with their workers’ representatives and with the State’s mechanisms for resolving industrial relations disputes.”

Mr Light concluded, “This referral comes in the week Mandate took Dunnes Stores to the Labour Court under the brand new Industrial Relations Amendment Act (2015) where we hope to achieve certainty of earnings for Dunnes workers. This would mean, if successful, Dunnes workers in the future would not only be able to achieve pay increases, but would also have improved guaranteed weekly hours.”