Picket in support of Joanne Delaney

national | worker & community struggles and protests | event notice Wednesday February 15, 2006 20:02 by Sean - Organise!

It´s having an Impact!

Organise! will be picketing the Dunnes stores city
centre branch near Corn Market in Belfast from 1.00pm
to 2.00pm this Friday (17th February) in support of
Joanne Delaney, a shop steward sacked for wearing her
union badge. We are calling on comrades and groups
join us in Belfast in raising awareness of Joanne's
case and her victimisation by Dunnes management.

Organise! will be picketing the Dunnes stores city
centre branch near Corn Market in Belfast from 1.00pm
to 2.00pm this Friday (17th February) in support of
Joanne Delaney, a shop steward sacked for wearing her
union badge. We are calling on comrades and groups
join us in Belfast in raising awareness of Joanne's
case and her victimisation by Dunnes management.

This is the third picket of Dunnes in Belfast, a
picket also took place last week at the Park Centre
outlet.

The text of the leaflet handed out at the pickets is
reproduced below. A special meeting of the Belfast and
District Trade Union Council is meeting in the Belfast
Unemployed Resource Centre on Lower Donegall Street at
7.30pm on Thursday 16th to discuss solidarity with
striking postal workers and Joanne. A Joanne Delaney
support group has also been set up in Dublin.

In Solidarity;

Jason Brannigan
for Organise!

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: frank.dunne@dunnesstores.com
or info@dunnesstores.com
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:
http://www.labourstart.org

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!

ORGANISE! P.O. Box 505, Belfast, BT12 6BQ.
Email; organiseireland@yahoo.ie