DUNNES Stores' shop stewards have unanimously recommended rejection of a package of proposals put to the staff by the company. Balloting will start today and continue for two weeks.
More than 150 shop stewards from Mandate, SIPTU and the Marine Port and General Workers' Union met in Dublin yesterday. Afterwards, they said that the company's package was in breach of the settlement terms accepted by both parties after last summer's strike and fell far short of the Labour Court's recommendation on a pay rise of 3 per cent for the workforce.
One of the main differences, according to the unions, is over the delay in creating 200 new full time jobs. Last July, the Labour Court recommended that these jobs be created immediately to address the nine to one part time to full time worker ratio.
Both parties accepted the proposal and, to date, the company claims to have created 58 jobs. It is proposing to create the remaining 144 jobs by the end of next December on the basis that these workers operate a seven day roster, whereas the Labour Court made it clear that they were to be on the basis of a six day roster. The unions said that the company's proposal was a contravention of the court's settlement.
Mr Owen Nulty, general secretary of Mandate, said that retail unions had recently concluded a major pay and productivity agreement with Marks and Spencer, accepted by more than 90 per cent of the staff there, and it was "a sad reflection on Dunnes Stores that they have not adopted the same approach".