MORE than 7,000 Dunnes Stores workers begin balloting today on settlement terms to their 10 day strike. If these are accepted, most of the company's 73 outlets are expected to be trading normally by early next week.
The workers are being asked to accept the first comprehensive industrial relations document negotiated between management and unions in the company's 50 year history. It is accompanied by a letter signed by Mr Andrew Street, a senior director of the board, pledging the company to a "co-operative approach".
The agreement meets the key requirement of the three unions at Dunnes Stores that the company honour the substance of last year's Labour Court recommendations. These formed the basis for ending the three week strike at the company in 1995.
However, the unions have also had to make concessions in the intensive negotiations of the past two weeks. As a meeting of shop stewards broke up at the head quarters of Mandate in Dublin yesterday, it was clear the most unpopular concession was allowing new full time contracts at Dunnes Stores to be on the basis of liability to work Sundays as part of routine rosters.
New full time personnel will thus be paid overtime for Sundays at time and a half instead of the traditional double time. The unions have also agreed to co-operate fully with the introduction of new technology at the company, which has been lagging behind rivals such as Quinnsworth and Superquinn.
The company has agreed to pay full retrospection on the 3 per cent Labour Court award, which will be worth up to £300 to existing full time staff. It has also agreed to create 400 new full time jobs, instead of the 200 allowed for by the Labour Court.
But the biggest gain has been the agreement itself. It provides for procedures to deal with grievances and disciplinary issues, which will replace existing company guidelines. They will provide for the referral of disputes to the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court if necessary. There will be a full review of how the agreement is operating by February 28th next.
The Mandate general secretary, Mr Owen Nulty, said after the meeting. "This is hopefully the start of a new relationship between the two sides. The key issue all along was trust. If the membership accept the agreement and the company are committed to it it has to endure." He said there were "hopeful signs" management was committed to the agreement.
There was much apprehension among shop stewards going into the meeting. Mr Peter Ryan, from the Cornelscourt, Co Dublin branch of Dunnes Stores, said his members would not accept any agreement unless it was "signed in blood" by the Dunnes directors.
But, after hearing details, he expressed cautious optimism. "It's the first time ever that a director of the company has signed an agreement. If we accept it then the ball is back in Dunnes Stores' court to implement it in full.
"It remains to be seen if they will do it. I believe they will, but they'll have to earn that trust after what happened last year."
His attitude reflected the general mood. After three hours of debate, the company's 174 shop stewards voted overwhelmingly, by a show of hands, to recommend it to members. Many congratulated Mr Nulty and other officials on the agreement as the meeting broke up. The Mandate executive met immediately afterwards to endorse the decision of the shop stewards.
Balloting will take place over the next three days at venues around the Republic. The votes will be counted on Saturday morning. If the agreement is accepted, the union representatives will meet management to endorse the document formally.
The director of the Small Firms Association, Mr Brendan Butler, said there was an urgent need for a speedy return to work to end lay offs of 900 employees in 550 firms supplying Dunnes Stores.