DUNNES DISPUTE OVER BADGE

[james redpath]

REINSTATE JOANNE DELANEY
SACKED BY DUNNES FOR
WEARING A UNION BADGE

Joanne Delaney was sacked by Dunnes stores in
November
2005 for wearing her union badge on her uniform. With
more than four years service in the Ashleaf store in
Crumlin on the south side of Dublin, the 22 year-old
MANDATE shop steward received a letter on the 29th of
November 2005 informing her that she had been
dismissed by the company.
Dunnes Stores has accused her of not complying with
company policy in relation to the wearing of her union
badge on her uniform, despite the fact that there is
nothing in the policy about wearing a union badge.
Joanne had been suspended by a manager at the store
since 18th October for refusing to remove the Mandate
Trade Union badge from her uniform. Joanne member was
advised to attend a disciplinary meeting at 6.00p.m.
on Friday, 21st October . However, the meeting was
cancelled due to the fact that she was accompanied by
her Union Representative. The Company has continually
denied Joanne the right to Union representation at
meetings with management.
Responding to the
dismissal, Mandy Kane, Divisional
Organiser of Mandate said „This sacking is petty,
vindictive and does the image of Dunnes Stores no
favours whatsoever‰. Its also pretty much in keeping
with the anti-union record of a company that sacked
workers who refused to handle goods from South Africa
during the Anti-Apartheid
Boycott of the mid-eighties.
Things we can do to support the re-instatement of
Joanne:
Support this picket and others.

Get your union branch to pass a motion in support of
Joanne Delaney

Send a message to Dunnes Stores management

Or
alternatively pay a visit to the current management
in Dunnes in your local Dunnes store to express your
disgust at the action taken by the company and in
support of Joanne Delaney. You can also send a message
to Dunnes management at:

To send a standard protest letter to Dunnes management
join the online campaign at Labourstart (where more
information can be obtained about the dispute) at:
www.labourstart.org

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!

[james redpath]

Over 5,000 join worldwide protest to protest dismissal of Joanne Delaney
A staggering 5,070 people have taken part in the LabourStart email campaign in the last three weeks to protest at the dismissal of Joanne Delaney who was fired by Dunnes Stores for wearing her union badge. In Northern Ireland the UNISON trade union has demonstrated outside a number of Dunnes Stores branches while in Dublin, Labour Youth supporters gathered outside Dunnes Stores in South Great Georges Street to add their considerable voices to the protest.

Mandate welcomes the great show of solidarity from around the world by the many individuals and organisations who have expressed their disgust at the behaviour of Dunnes Stores.

Meanwhile, following the raising of this matter in the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament and the Dail, Labour Party Councillor Eric Byrne has placed an emergency motion before Dublin City Council as follows:

Dublin City Council deplores the actions of Dunnes Stores in initially suspending Joanne Delaney, an employee in their branch store in the Ashleaf shopping centre in Crumlin, for wearing her trade union pin on her uniform;
Dublin City Council further deplores Dunnes Stores for refusing to meet with Ms. Delaney and her representative from her trade union, Mandate, at a disciplinary hearing and subsequently dismissing Ms. Delaney from her job; Dublin City Council calls on Dunnes Stores to immediately reinstate Ms. Delaney and to refrain from actions that constitute a ‘race to the bottom’ in terms of treatment of employees and their representatives.

For further information contact;
Brendan Archbold,
National Official,
Mandate.
Tel: 087 – 264 00 43.

[Pat McDonnell]

This is disgusting and I know I'm late, I've just discovered this site.

I am writing from Canada, and want to suggest, if the situation has not been resolved, that all unions organize "shopping sprees" at Dunnes.

This involves two completely legal activities.
1.

[Pat McDonnell]

This is disgusting and I know I'm late, I've just discovered this site.

I am writing from Canada, and want to suggest, if the situation has not been resolved, that all unions organize "shopping sprees" at Dunnes.

This involves two completely legal activities.
1. As big a group as possible go into Dunnes stores and pick things up in one department and leave them in another, back and forth, back and forth. The shop is in a mess and you create lots of employment for staff restocking things where they should be.

2. "shoppers" pick up a number of items and bring them to the till, toward the end of the ring through politely say "I'm sorry, I've changed my mind"....or forgot my wallet..or more. The till is not onlt tied up during the ring through but also during the void process. With lots of people doing that Dunne's other customers can't be served and they lose revenue, the employer hates to do that.

[union man]

Sacked Dunnes union activist reinstated

A store worker sacked for wearing a union badge on her uniform at the Dublin supermarket where she works was reinstated last night.

Joanne Delaney received support from trade unions across Europe after she was fired from her position in Dunnes Stores in Crumlin for wearing the badge.

The case of Ms Delaney, a Mandate union shop steward, had received worldwide attention since late last year with protests outside stores in Ireland and in the UK.

Ms Delaney's position was also raised in the Dáil and by British MPs in the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin's TD for Dublin South Central, said her reinstatement in her position was welcome but she should never have lost her job in the first place.

"It is a tribute to Joanne and to all those who supported her campaign that Dunnes Stores has backed down," the TD said.

Ms Delaney is understood to have received a letter by courier offering her the opportunity to return to work next week.

"The management of Dunnes Stores clearly underestimated the strength of public opinion on this issue.

"Public disquiet with the anti-union stance of Dunnes and people's support for Joanne Delaney played a pivotal role in bringing this dispute to a successful conclusion," Aengus Ó Snodaigh.