Crossword Genius

Staff agreement ignores mass petition (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

entreaty

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'petition' is the definition.
(both can mean a request)

'staff agreement ignores mass' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'agreement' could be 'treaty' (treaty is a kind of agreement) and 'treaty' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'en' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for entreaty that I've seen before include "Earnest plea" , "Teeny rat (anag.)" , "petition" , "application for assistance" , "Supplication" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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