Always Better Value

at

Dunnes_Stores_at_the_Childers_Road_Retail_ParkDunnes Stores at Childers Road, Retail Park, Limerick

More than 5,000 Dunnes Stores employees will picket stores in the morning in an action by Mandate the Trade Union over ‘felexible’ contracts.

A Dunnes Stores worker and Mandate member writes:

I’m writing this to ask everyone working in Dunnes to support our strike today Thursday

I’ve never been one for getting really involved in the union, and never thought I’d be writing something like this or going on strike.

I’ve worked in Dunnes for 9 years, like most staff I’m on a 15 hour flexi contract. I’m the main earner in our house. My partner works for Dunnes aswell, but most weeks he only gets the 15 hours. We’ve a 2 year old daughter and she never wants for anything. I make sure of that. I

t means there’s weeks where me and Keith genuinely go hungry, or my Mam does a shop for us. It’s embarrassing. I’m a grown woman and I have a job. That job should give me enough money that I can afford to feed my family and pay my bills. On this contract I’m picking one or the other.

I’m ashamed to say that my child spent 18 months of her life living in a bedsit. I don’t blame myself or Keith for this. I blame Dunnes. We can’t get Family Income Supplement (FIS) because we can’t get a guaranteed 19 hours a week and we can’t get part-time social welfare because our hours are spread over 5 days.

Even though our manager knew of our living situation, he still insisted on rostering me for the early shift and Keith for the late. It meant Keith getting in from work at 1 in the morning, eating dinner in the dark so he wouldn’t wake us and then getting back up at 6.30 to let me go to work. It was madness. That’s no life for anyone, and it certainly isn’t the sort of life I want to live.

People working in other shops know what they’re going to earn each week, what hours they’ll be working and they have a right to be represented by their trade union. If it’s good enough for people working in Pennys, Tescos and M&S, why not us in Dunnes?

I’ve had my managers pull me into the office on a daily basis pressuring me not to go on strike. I’ve been told my hours will be cut to 15 permanently. I’ve been told I’ll be rostered for lates, making childcare arrangements impossible. I’ve been told the guards might arrest us on the day. There’s been letters threatening redundancies. Every time I’m in the office I tell them the same thing-we don’t want to go on strike, we have to. Dunnes haven’t left us with any other option. All it would take is for them to agree to meet with our representatives or attend the Labour Court.

I know there are people working in Dunnes who have secure hours and aren’t as affected by the strike as people like me. I truly want to thank you for your support. It makes me proud to think that so many of us will be standing together on Thursday. We can and we will make these changes.”

An Appeal From A Dunnes Worker (DunnesWorkers.com)

Taoiseach backs Dunnes workers on right to clarity over hours (Irish Times)

Thanks Gemma

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89 thoughts on “Always Better Value

  1. Ferret McGruber

    The very best of luck. Dunnes have always been scumbag employers. All they care about is money. One has to ask – how much is enough before you treat your workers, the people who make that profit for you – properly?

    Support the strikers people – don’t pass the picket.

    1. MepMep

      +1

      Worked for Dunnes for 5 years and I saw how they treated staff who were meant to be full-time workers. Week-to-week budget changes meaning massive fluctuation in hours right down to the minimum 15 hours spread across five three-hour shifts sometimes, worse hourly rates than ALL other supermarkets in Ireland (both starting and top rate), no staff discount on purchases even after years with the company or any subsidised canteen food, Christmas bonus in store vouchers, one-week notice of hours…… Made me loathe the place. Now they’ve sent out trainers to get managers trained on checkouts, deli counters, etc. for tomorrow so clearly have no intention of improving working conditions for their staff.

      1. yrtnuocecnareviled

        Wow.
        I’ve been talking to some people about places like DSV, Musgraves and Aldi. 10-11 month contracts, random hours and constantly moving jobs because of the 1-3 month breaks between contracts, unless you can make supervisor.
        Depending on the employer and whether you can speak directly to your manager (some places have a rule that all communications are through the agency) you may not be able to schedule another regular part-time job.
        After USC and PAYE you might average €300 p/week. You usually pay for your own boots and workwear other than a branded jacket.
        It sounds bad.

  2. Waffle

    I have Dunnes Vouchers that I fully intend to use to purchase Alcohol today.
    I assume that, as I’m not spending cash, I’m not really crossing a picket – so I should be grand.

    1. Murtles

      By going into the shop you are giving Dunnes your custom and giving your two fingers to the workers. Enjoy your booze scab!

      1. ex pat

        The problem is not the money; the problem is confronting people who serve you every day and expect your support. I will be using my corner shop today if I need anything.

  3. Lilly

    I will not spend another cent in Dunnes until I hear this has been resolved in the workers’ favour. And I will forward it to everyone I know.

    1. A bloke pretending to be a girl, ok?

      Me. I haven’t spent a cent in Dunnes since I worked for them back in the 80’s, and have discouraged others from doing so aswell ever since.
      They treated their staff abominably back then.

      I thought they had gotten better. Apparently not.

      Buy Irish me hole.
      Lidl / Aldi are better options if you’re that way inclined.

      1. A bloke pretending to be a girl, ok?

        PS.
        About 10yrs ago I was a bit desperate for work, so I applied for temporary work in Dunnes Stores for the Christmas Period. It transpired during my interview that I would actually bring home less money for working very unsociable hours than I would if I didn’t take the job.
        I put this to the interviewer.
        He answered that the job was a stepping stone, that it would look good on my CV.

        I told him where to stick it.

        Dunnes Stores, Better Value not as bad as Tesco.

          1. Buzz

            “Also, let Dunnes Stores know that you support it, and that you won’t tolerate their practices.”

            Apart from refusing to shop there, what’s the next-best way of communicating to Dunnes that their treatment of workers is unacceptable?

        1. Mister Mister

          They’re nowhere near as bad as Tesco. Tesco have gold plated conditions for their employees in comparison to Dunnes. I’ve done business with both and I know who I prefer.

    2. yrtnuocecnareviled

      I think that is right, and I hope that this will help stop the slide back to “pre-war” conditions.
      Please be aware of how all supply chains work- who is supplying your alternative shopping for instance.

    3. martco

      …although other retailers too have their methods Lady Dunne runs a particularly nasty breed of HR

      can assure you they are big big fans of the Zero Hour Contract concept…in fact if they could find a legal way to force staff to pay THEM to work there they’d try it

      Dunnes are scum always were and always will be

  4. Daisy Chainsaw

    I hope you have a fine day for your strike tomorrow. I support you and your colleagues 100% and will not cross the picket line.

    1. scottser

      Supposed to be nice tomorrow. I for one will get my good friday beers in from somewhere else, thank you very much.

  5. Gercaro

    Best of luck I went on strike while working for Dunnes about 20 years ago things we look for included getting our hours a week in advance. We returned to work with the agreement for same and still my hours were changed with less than 24 hours notice, sometimes I wasn’t even at work to see my hours were changed so I had to call on my days off to make sure I knew what my hours were. Sad to see they are still messing their staff about. I truly wish you the best and hope Dunnes see sense and start to value the staff they have.

    1. Nigel

      I think I was in that strike, too. Weirdly enough, though I worked for them for years, off and on, I never had any real cause for complaint about the way they treated me. I knew others who did though. I just got lucky. Sounds like things have gotten a hell of a lot worse.

  6. realPolithicks

    It’s extraordinary that in 2015, companies feel that they can treat their employees in this manner. The problem is of course that everything has become about making profits and improving shareholder value. Companies will toss their employees on the scrapheap in order to meet the analysts expectations for the next quarter. There was a time when you had a social compact between employees and employers, those days are long gone unfortunately. Fcuk Dunnes and all companies like them. Good luck with your strike!

  7. Praetorian.

    My ex-wife was a senior manager within Dunnes ‘Timepiece’ cafes…20yrs ago.
    She said it was a shithole,regressive company to work for then…how the fcuk have they got away with it 20yrs later…the law must be allowing these contracts.

  8. Der

    Very best of luck tomorrow, thanks for bringing this to our attention- I won’t be spending another cent in Dunnes until this has been resolved. From what you’ve described they way you’ve been treated by your employer is outrageous- I’ll be forwarding to everyone I know.

  9. Ms Piggy

    Best of luck to the workers – and worth remembering that if we customers refused to shop at Dunnes until they start treating their employees properly, then the workers wouldn’t have to go on strike, would they? Who’s for a full-on boycott?

      1. italia'90

        I’ll be going to my local Dunnes later to ask the workers on strike if I can buy them a tea or coffee or take their place while they take a well deserved break.
        Fcuk you Margaret wannabe Thatcher!

        1. Soundings

          “Fair play to you”

          Which is what the striker said to me this morning just for wearing one of their stick on badges which says “I support decency for Dunnes Stores workers”

          Not a single customer to be seen in my local store.

          1. italia'90

            That sight must have been like a thing a beauty!
            I hope to see the same in Swords later.

        2. Joe the Lion

          fair play italia’90

          I never shop there anyway but I might take a leaf out of your book, excellent suggestion

  10. James M. Chimney

    Best of luck today! This is about the other deplorable Margret but the sentiment’s the same…

    “The kind people
    Have a wonderful dream
    Margaret on the guillotine
    Cause people like you
    Make me feel so tired
    When will you die? “

    1. martco

      …and just like her amateur namesake Thatcher, they’ll debate whether it should be an unmarked plot

  11. Daniel

    I thought the row is over 0-hour contracts, not about “I only work 15 hours a week and going to moan about it while I could find job elsewhere if I’m not happy” …?

    1. martco

      to be fair to Daniel he’s sortof hit a nail on the head….

      Daniel this IS about zero hour contracts

      on that .ppt slideshow that the Dunnes senior mgmt team show themselves every week its the last bit of the flowchart (and its marked with a gold star for BONUS) and they’ll get there if they are let

      and one more thing…. that electioneering imbecile Kenny should be legislating to make Zero Hour contracts ILLEGAL

      1. Kieran NYC

        ” that electioneering imbecile Kenny should be legislating to make Zero Hour contracts ILLEGAL”

        They ARE.

        That’s what the last Dunnes strike back in 1996 was about.

    2. Stumpy

      Idiotic comment. If you really do hold the view that “Sure it doesn’t matter how badly they’re treated, aren’t they lucky to have a job”, I’d suggest taking a good long run-up and booting yourself in the hole.

      1. Przemek

        That’s not at all what Daniel is saying.

        If you’re not happy with your job, do you look for another one, or wait for your job to change?

        1. Barry the Hatchet

          Are those the only choices?

          These people are not waiting for their jobs to change. They are actively striving to improve their working conditions and the conditions of all those who come after them, so that no person is ever treated this unfairly again. I’d say that’s pretty admirable myself. A lot more admirable than just fupping off and getting a job in Tesco.

        2. Stumpy

          It absolutely is at the core of that point of view. ‘If you’re not happy with your job, do you look for a new one or wait for it to change’ – Sorry, in this context, that’s painfully naive at best. You assume a mobility (geographic, skills, etc) that may not be there.

          1. James

            I don’t shop at Dunnes. Because I spent years working and educating myself so that I could choose what I do and where I do it.

          2. Stumpy

            God, but you sound very sour altogether. There are many of us who spent years educating ourselves, and are lucky enough to be more than comfortably off – we just try to act with a sense of empathy and solidarity. You might try it.

  12. Jonjo

    I worked in Dunne’s previously. Joined in around 1996. Even back then new staff would only be given these 15 hour contracts. They’re slowly phasing out the full time staff.

    It was my ‘full time’ job after I left College. Every week I’d have to argue for more hours. Some weeks I’d have 30 hours. Then the next, I’d be back down to being rostered for 15. Couldn’t live like that.

    I would hope a lot of people won’t shop there, even beyond today. The way they treat staff is shocking. They’re still privately owned so don’t seem to care about how they’re perceived. Won’t talk to the Unions and never speak to the press, whether it’s good news or bad.

  13. Mick

    Maybe some one in the know can answer this one as I know many of them do it , they will spread the minimum hours across 5 days so you have a few hours a day and as such can’t claim ‘short time’ from Social Welfare which you would be entitled to do if you have the ‘stamps’ worked up. Even if you did do only 2 days work in a week they refuse to sign /stamp the slips , tesco are the same as I worked for them for a few years. Whats the benefit to them by not letting you do that ? They aren’t paying the money you would get Social Welfare would be???

    1. James M

      The benefit to Dunnes is that staff are made completely dependent on Dunnes for an income and will be too scared to stand up to bullying and incompetence from management. They do this deliberately.

      I’ll be supporting the strike. I’ll be demanding a ban on zero hours contract next time the canvassers come calling. And I think this is another reason why a guaranteed basic income policy is a good idea.

    2. Anne

      I didn’t realise they could refuse to sign social welfare slips like that..
      Surely that’s illegal.

      Also, I don’t understand how it’s fair that if your work is spread out over 5 days, but when it’s combined it’s the equivalent of 2/3 days work, that you shouldn’t be entitled to some kind of income support from social welfare, the same as someone who earned the same or more from working within the 2/3 days.
      That’s not right.

      I won’t shop in there again. Disgraceful treatment of employees.

  14. Jane

    These practices are a disgrace – it should be illegal to treat people in such a shoddy way.

    All the best with the strike, Dunnes Stores Workers. I certainly won’t be shopping in Dunnes again until this is resolved to the worker’s satisfaction.

    Good for the union, too.

  15. Soundings

    Dunnes workers are famous in south Africa for their protests in the 1980s and their strike against Dunnes selling Apartheid produce. The workers were right then and they’re got right on their side today.

    I certainly won’t be crossing the picket today, and will be making a point of wishing them well.

    Too bad for Madame Heffernan and her €270m fortune according to the Sindo’s rich list.

    1. Anomanomanom

      I worked in that dunnes. People stood with staff then and now there are actual dunnes staff passing the pickets and refuse to stand with coworkers. Bob Dylan said it best “Times they are a changing”

    2. Murtles

      +1. Slightly off topic but you reminded me of the time I was on a tour of Robben Island in Cape Town about 5 years ago and this particular tour guide (an ex-prisoner) was asking people where they’re from and he had a connection for every country to Mandela. I was the only Irish person aboard and when I mentioned Ireland he stopped suddenly and came down the bus to me. I thought he was going to deck me first but he shook my hand, told everyone the Irish are a great people and proceeded to talk about the Dunnes Stores workers going on strike in ’84 for three years for refusing to handle South African goods because of apartheid and a round of applause was given to the story.

      1. Soundings

        Was he an Asian man by any chance? Similar thing happened to me on a trip to Robben Island, he didn’t shake my hand but his face light up when he found out I was Irish. Felt 100 feet tall.

        1. Murtles

          No he was a black guy and seemingly, from talking to another tourist who visited on several occasions, one of the best guides on the tours. He was a great guy, very memorable not only from his stories but every time he mentioned a number he’d use his fingers to emphasise it. The fact a lot he was using a lot of dates and was rapidly display the numbers using his fingers was fascinating (e.g. 1 9 8 4 would be nearly done like sign language at the speed of light).

  16. Evenprime

    I’m disgusted by dunnes, disgusted by zero hour contracts and particularly disgusted by that manager, that low life piece of scum isn’t fit for bullets. The only thing we can do for him is shred him and pour his body puddle into a recycling bin in the hope of something good coming out if it… But, no, we’re not allowed do things like that…PC gone mad

  17. phill sheehy

    im gonna do all my shoplifting there from now on :)
    100 odd years since the lock out, labour now in government, a major employer still getting away with walking all over their staff, we need a serious change, in outlook and in the very fabric of the institutions of this country.
    As labour lay wreathes on connolly’s grave we know he would be ashamed and outraged at what they have become. dont pass the picket today, if you care about what happens to those around you, today and in the future.

  18. m egan

    Best of Luck. Its impossible to see how Dunnes can stand over treating their staff like this.

  19. collynomial

    Fair play to the workers, they chose a very good day to go on strike, alcohol sales should have been particularly high today. On the other hand, given Dunnes did not even try to (cynically) negotiate to avert strike action today, it would seem that they’ve done the sums and concluded the value of suppressing their workers is worth more in the long term.

    Given Enda Kenny has “shown his support” for the workers, to anyone willing to support the workers, I would suggest writing to your TDs to make zero hour contracts an issue, at worst an election one, but hopefully one for which legislation can be put in place asap.

  20. ReproBertie

    I won’t be passing the pickets but for those calling for it, how will never shopping in Dunnes again help the employees? No customers = no jobs.

    1. Soundings

      Prospect of no sales -> Management considers future of company-> Management weighs up cost of boycott versus benefit to company of Dickensian working conditions -> Management reforms working practices to protect sales, profits and ultimately management jobs.

  21. postmanpat

    About 10 years ago worked for Dunnes in Tallaght while “in between” jobs for a few months. I was in and out at all hours and after a week I realized I would have been better off on the dole. I would have been €40 quid lighter a week but not so exhausted and yawning all the time. Luckily I got a real job after 6 weeks of that sh!te. The employer is also racist, I am not even joking. darker skinned employees were kept away from food publically. An Irish friend of mine who looks slightly middle eastern was kept in the warehouse with the rest of the Africans and Indians and made to work in the truck diesel fumes. Darker skinned girls might work in the clothes section publically but that’s it. Fortunately for me, I’m so pale and Aryan I was let man the butchers counter and serve up fish and meats to the plebs who complained about the scales being wrong, too much fat on the rashers, insisting on “lean” mince. the list goes on and on. High cholesterol, idiot customers used to hurl abuse at the doddery old women in the sliced cold meat section about being out of “Billy” roll for there horrible kids. These auld ones in there late fifties were usually just back to work after twenty years of rising kids, nice people but terribly lazy and couldn’t deal with any pressure, yet were seen by managers as a better face of the food counter because a younger on-the-ball black or brown person touching food would freak the racist baby boomer customers out. One had to leave through the food level for lunch break even though the staff rooms where on the clothes level. (I ignored this from day one because you might get nabbed by a dozy customer looking for the cheese or toilet paper isle while all the time your lousy 30 minutes are being eaten up. The canteen was full price with a vending machine. You had to find a manager to sign your grocery receipt even if it was your day off. If I remember correctly your family had to do the same (yeah right). Yet, you would see some staff comply with everything the managers said.

    1. ReproBertie

      “the plebs”
      “idiot customers”
      “there horrible kids”
      “racist baby boomer customers”
      “dozy customer”

      You come across as perfect for a customer facing role. Do you still work in retail?

      1. postmanpat

        I’ve worked serving customers for the last 18 years in all kinds of jobs. I can mask my contempt for the nasty ones quite well and treat every one the same and take their money so what’s your point? You obviously believe “the customer is always right” in the most literal way, which leads me to suspect you’ve never worked a service job in your life. You probably think the polish girl at the coffee shop that gives you the glad eye actually fancies you.

        1. ReproBertie

          I’ve spent plenty of time in service jobs and while I don’t believe that the customer is always right I manage to complain about previous jobs without dismissing all customers as dozy, idiot, racist, baby boomer plebs with horrible children. Basically my point is you’re portraying yourself as a bit of a dick.

          It’s a wonder Dunnes didn’t move you to management as you clearly display the attitude to others that they aspire to.

          1. postmanpat

            Hold on there slick. I don’t think I ever suggested that I think all customers in every consumer situation was all the things you paraphrased. (BTW you forgot “High Cholesterol”) . I think you, seeing yourself in a customer role,feel you are being attacked personally. That says more about you than anything else. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. I was illustrating the casual disrespect that supermarket employees suffer from customers on an hourly basis. If you ever worked in that type of job you would know that. Knowing every day you wake up that someone is absolutely guaranteed to abuse you in some form during your work day.

          2. ReproBertie

            “I was illustrating the casual disrespect that supermarket employees suffer from customers on an hourly basis.” by casually disrespecting the customers? The same points could have been made without the casual disrespect and would have made them more powerful.

            Among the many customer facing jobs I’ve had I worked on the doors of pubs in Dublin and elsewhere so there’s really nothing you can tell me about taking abuse from customers on a daily basis.

        1. ReproBertie

          Whatever he thinks he’s doing here he’s doing a fine job of promoting his superior attitude to both the work and the customers.

  22. fluffybiscuits

    Best wishes to the Dunnes Colleagues. Im going to aim to get to the Henry St protest at lunch time show some support. As you read above the contracts are practically meaningless. They have no work life balance, no guaranteed income and it plays havoc for any benefits they could get. To anyone stating they can get another job, I dont think you really understand the whole idea around pickets and strikes – to ensure a better deal for workers and keep up a standard of living that is for all of us, not just some of you on your €100k a year jobs in your ivory towers…

  23. Soundings

    If BS wants to show how problematic Dunnes Stores is, they could do a search on

    highcourtsearch.courts.ie

    And stick Dunnes Stores in a defendant. Nearly 80 cases alone in 2014, including cases taken by what appear to be suppliers and landlords. They’re a nightmare and have a reputation for trying to bury those who have a grievance in legal costs.

  24. Buzz

    Charlie Haughey once threw Ben Dunne Snr out of a trade show calling him a Cork knacker. (Dunne apparently had a bunch of drip dry shirts hanging about the place). Haughey may have been a crook but he was an astute judge of character. It seems the apples haven’t fallen far from the tree, especially the Margaret one.

  25. Kieran NYC

    Firstly, can we just establish the facts? Workers are not on ‘zero hours’ contracts. They work from a floor of 15 hours to a max of 38. The 15 hour minimum was established in law back in 1996 the last time Dunne’s workers went on strike. They are campaigning for better/more secure working hours and wages/other conditions to be brought in line with other retailers. Which I fully support. I don’t know how anyone could plan a life or family where one week you might earn 50% of the week before on the whim of a manager.

    Secondly – when wages/hours DO improve, please don’t moan about rip-off Ireland when Dunne’s prices go up and/or your pension performs poorly because Dunne’s aren’t paying out as much of a dividend next year. If you want these workers to be treated properly, it’s going to cost you a little too, at least initially.

    Thirdly – who is surprised? This is the same Dunne’s that let apartheid protests drag on for three years.

    1. yrtnuocecnareviled

      I guess so yes- but no matter what days you are rostered for you are not entitled to work on any particular day. I agree it’s a horrible cycle of weekly stress to meet other commitments.
      If wages improve some of that money can go towards each worker’s pensions, not just the pensions of those in sinecures.
      We tolerate all kinds of hypocrisy and blatant inequality- Dunnes may restructure but in the meantime shoppers will flock to other abusive employers.

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