26th April 2021
To: All Members Dunnes Stores Ard Easmuinn
From: Gerard Halligan, Organiser, 087 3674257 ghalligan@mandate.ie
Re: Letter to Store Manager
Further to the general meeting for your store where the majority of members voted in favour that the concerns raised be made known to the Store manager, Adrian Campbell, by way of a letter from the Union requesting that he address these issues as a matter of urgency. Please see letter below which was sent to Adrian on the 23rd of April.
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By Registered Post
Mr Adrian Campbell
Store manager
Dunnes Stores
Ard Easmuinn
Dundalk
Co Louth
23rd April 2021
Re: Issues Raised at Store Level
Dear Mr Campbell
Following extensive consultation with our members in Dunnes Stores Ard Easmuinn, I am formally advising you of a range of serious issues which require immediate remedial action by store management. You will be fully aware of these staff concerns as staff recently approached you to seek adequate workplace changes, however, no action was taken.
The following issues require your immediate attention:
- Staffing levels are not sufficient to cope with the workload and to enforce health and safety in-store.
- Rostering staff who are on leave is creating confusion and resentment in many departments.
- There is a management victimisation culture targeted at any staff member who raises concerns.
- In-store provision of a safe working environment is totally inadequate. Hygiene standards during a global pandemic are insufficient to adequately protect staff. No cleaning staff during the day and staff rostered for hygiene duties are regularly placed on other duties thus compromising the health and safety of both staff and customers.
- Inadequate provision of P.P.E.
- In-store overcrowding is a major concern with no adequate queueing in place to deal with customer access and egress.
- Staff morale is at an all-time low and subsequent stress levels experienced by many staff have increased tenfold over recent months. There is significant pressure already on essential front line workers and the ongoing aggressive management behaviour within the store is exacerbating stress levels and creating huge anxiety amongst staff.
To say these serious issues are an indictment of poor management and a serious lack of an employer’s duty of care to their employees is frankly putting it mildly. These matters must be comprehensively addressed by management as soon as possible and failure to do so will necessitate further action to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of both our members and customers at the store.
I look forward to an early response and immediate action on all of these serious workplace concerns.
Yours Sincerely
For Mandate Trade Union
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Brian Forbes
National Coordinator
CC. Mandate Members Dunnes Ard Easmuinn
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