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In many respects, it's emblematic of a wider industrial trend, with zero-hour contracts having become a central political issue in the UK, where 700,000 workers are reportedly employed under such conditions. Certainly the moral of today's action seems to be "If you tolerate this, then your company could be next!"
Worked in Dunnes before doing 3 hour shifts, mostly in the mornings from 7am-10am. Disaster of a place to work.
Have never heard anything good about it as a workplace. Everyone I know who worked for them hated it, seems to be a poisonous culture there. Fully support this strike action.
I was a kid the last time Dunnes workers striked and my dad had to explain to me why you don't pass a picket. Added to the anti-Apartheid strike, Ben Dunne being Ben Dunne, etc. It just seems to be a poisonous company.
Had my first job in there as a 16 year old, and they went on strike then too. Had no idea what to do, but I had joined the union after starting. My dad's a big union man so he made damn sure I knew exactly what I was supposed to do when I went down to stand on the picket
There was another guy in there who had passed the picket in a previous strike, and was in work again. Needless to say, nobody spoke to him, he wasn't allowed in the union, and his work life was pretty hellish
Of relatives and friends who worked there, not one will ever utter a good word about the place, other than "it was a learning experience". Sad.
Worked in Dunnes for about three months post college many years ago. They didn't give a f*ck about employees then and I can't imagine it's improved. Good on the strikers.
I 100% support the workers. Its like the contracts and shift patterns are deliberately to keep the workers beholden. Not enough hours to qualify for family income supplement, shift patterns that mean they are working more days on a 15 hour week so that they cant qualify for dole.
I'd love the idiots that claim we don't need unions, and have enough legislation to protect workers to defend these type of practices.
I liked working there.
Your masochistic tendencies are well-known from your contributions to the Shane Long thread.
Worker dismissed 24 hours after strike according to Mandate: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/u...ke-670835.html
All over the Journal and Newstalk also.
Par for the course with Dunnes that unfortunately. They spent the last few years dangling redundancy in front of the general workforce only to pull it at the last minute and then upped their efforts to bully and harrass any of the long term staff who were on proper hours contracts out of the place, replacing them with minimum wage zero hours etc. I'm 100% behind the staff and it was disappointing to see people crossing the picket lines and the dirty tricks Dunnes tried and are continuing to pull.
Having said that, much like has been mentioned above I'm a union man too, the absolute brass ******** (and not in a good way) of Jack O'Connor pulling that stunt on Vincent Brown last week. He's kept his head down for the most part over the last few years since the crash and even before that. The only time you'd see or hear from him was for the public sector dispute. He's another who, much like his buddies and glorious leader in the Labour party, has completely dissociated/ forgotten about the principles and ideals from whence their positions came. I'm alright Jack indeed.
I didn't mind working there either, although I did work for a contractor. The contractor was an asshat and the F&V manager was a muppet, and they played me against each other, but the hours were fairly fixed, the pay wasn't bad and the rest of the staff was ok. I wouldn't choose to work there, but I wouldn't discount it if I was stuck. I wouldn't cross a picket line though, and I support this action as zero-hour contracts are ridiculous, they should have been wiped out the last time the issue came up. Typical Oirish politics.
So another resounding Yes But No from dahamsta.
I fully support the Dunnes staff and their confrontation of creeping yet blatant corporatocracy.
On a practical matter does anyone know anywhere ELSE I can get Douwe Egbert instant coffee? Y'know the one with the goldy looking label in the glass jar with the glass lid that has that plasticky seal device?
A guy at work used to be employed by Dunnes and still has a lot of friends there. He was saying yesterday about how the 'sound' managers tell you when you're going to be pulled up on a baseless disciplinary (they say a secret shopper was round and the employee made a mistake) so you can fight it and they'll have to back down. Funnily enough though the vibe among the staff seems to be quite good.