Mandate Trade Union today (24th October 2018) have criticised Dunnes Stores for ignoring their workers’ basic demands, including their right to be represented by a trade union, despite their workers driving the company to the top of the retail sector in Ireland.

Mandate lodged a pay claim on behalf of their members in Dunnes Stores last May, which included:

A 3% pay rise

Secure working hours (banded hours) & more full time jobs

Pay equality – moving all members onto the highest existing hourly pay rate

Staff discount for all members

Since the claim was made, Mandate, which represents more than 3,000 workers in the company said that the company hadn’t even had the courtesy to respond to their workers’ demands.

Gerry Light, Mandate Assistant General Secretary said:

“Dunnes Stores now have 22.1% of the Irish grocery market, attaining the top spot. Not so long ago Dunnes Stores were in third place, and their progression is entirely down to their diligent workers who continue to be a credit to the business. Despite this, many are working in insecure positions, not knowing what they will be earning from week to week and often on very low rates of pay.”

He added, “We believe, with the growth in the prosperity of the business, and with management’s current capacity to address our members’ claim, now is the right time for management to sit down and negotiate with their workers through their representatives, Mandate.”

Dunnes Stores management refused to attend the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to deal with the pay and benefits claim. In early September Mandate Trade Union escalated the claim to the Labour Court and are now awaiting a date for the hearing.