UNIONS and management in the Dunnes Stores' dispute are to meet next Tuesday in an effort to avert a strike that could close all the firm's outlets in the State from September 2nd.
While the three unions involved have agreed to attend the talks, they have also warned that the strike would go ahead if the company does not honour the substance of the Labour Court recommendations that resolved last year's strike.
"A deal is a deal," Mandate's national industrial officer, Mr John Douglas, said yesterday after the result of a strike ballot was announced at the union's headquarters in Dublin. Dunnes Stores staff voted by almost nine to one for strike action.
The result came as no surprise. In July Dunnes Stores staff voted by a similar majority to reject a company proposal that was, in effect, a watered-down version of the Labour Court recommendations issued in July and October last year.
At the centre of the dispute is the firm's refusal to honour the 3 per cent productivity pay rise the court said should be implemented from September 4th, 1995. When the workforce voted on the company's offer last month, it was on the basis that the increase would only be backdated to January.
At the time the company presented the terms on a "take it or leave it" basis and refused to negotiate with the unions. After the company's offer was rejected the outcome of yesterday's ballot for strike action was a foregone conclusion. Even before the count took place, the company is understood to have initiated contact with its unions through the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to hold new talks.
Significantly, it was the newly recruited technology and information director with Dunnes Stores, Mr Andrew Street, who was in touch with ICTU's assistant general secretary, Mr Kevin Duffy, about arranging talks. Technically Mr Frank Dunne has overall responsibility for industrial relations within the company, but he was not involved in the discussions.
If no breakthrough is achieved next week then the unions are unanimous in their commitment to strike action. In the ballot, 3,189 Mandate members voted for a strike and 359 against. The respective figures for SIPTU were 342 to 45. The vote in the much smaller Marine Port and General Workers Union was 41 for strike action and 15 against.
The Fianna Fail spokesman on labour affairs, Mr Tom Kitt has attacked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Richard Bruton for his "total inactivity" on the Dunnes' dispute.