Up to 2,000 staff at Roches Stores, the privately held department store chain, are demanding the retention of their current terms and conditions when the company is sold to Debenhams, the British group.
In anticipation of an imminent transaction, which may close today, shop stewards and officials from the union Mandate held a meeting with Roches management yesterday.
Further meetings are planned next week.
Mandate's national official Linda Tanham said that Debenhams was likely to retain all Roches staff, excluding 90 people employed at its general sales office in Sandycove, Dublin.
However, Ms Tanham said staff wanted assurances that their conditions would be protected and that the benefits enjoyed by Roches staff would be retained. The benefits included staff canteens in its stores and agreements for taking certain overtime duty as time off in lieu, she said.
While some of the 90 staff at the Sandycove office had the option of redeployment into the stores, she said none were likely to take up that option.
They will take a redundancy package under terms already agreed with Roches Stores. This involves six weeks pay per year of service up for the first eight years of service and five weeks pay per year thereafter.
Informed sources say the Debenhams chain is set to take over nine of the 11 Roches Stores outlets.
This will pave the way for a big increase in Debenhams Irish business and see the Roches name leave Henry Street in Dublin, where it has had a presence since 1927. Debenhams will gain stores in Blackrock, Tallaght and Blanchardstown in Dublin as well as in Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Tralee.
It will also acquire the Roches outlet located in Patrick Street, Cork.
While Marks & Spencer has agreed to buy the Roches shop at Wilton in Cork, the fate of the remaining Roches outlet at the Nutgrove centre in Rathfarnham, Dublin, is uncertain.
Neither Debenhams nor Roches is willing to buy that outlet.
Roches will retain ownership of the nine store sites, which will in turn be leased to Debenhams.
The sale of the family-owned company has been under discussion for several months.
Roches is said to be loss-making so Debenhams is believed likely to pay only a "nominal sum" for the retail business.
