Mandate urges members to support Davenport Hotel Workers

Friday 18 February 2011

Douglas says hotel’s actions give the lie to Government assurances on implications of cut to National Minimum Wage

The Mandate Trade Union has today urged its 45,000 members in the bar and retail trades to support the striking workers at the Davenport Hotel in Dublin. The workers went on strike this morning after being taken off the roster for refusing to sign new contracts reducing their National Minimum Wage rate by almost €1 an hour.

John Douglas, Mandate General Secretary said that Mandate is asking all of its members, as well as workers generally, to give their full support to the striking Davenport Hotel workers.
“Firstly, we want our members to show their support by not crossing the picket line at the Davenport. Secondly, we’re urging our members to raise the issue of the cuts to the National Minimum Wage with all the canvassers and candidates that call to their doors over the coming days. Thirdly, we’re asking our members to support the Fair Hotels’ campaign to ensure that hotels like the Davenport don’t benefit by undercutting their competitors who treat their staff fairly.”

John Douglas said that the current Government and Fine Gael are also proposing to attack the pay and conditions of low paid workers through dismantling the current system of Employment Regulation Orders that ensure a decent minimum income for workers in the retail and other trades.

“Trade union members have to make clear in the ballot box that they will not accept the scapegoating of low and middle-income workers as being the problem in our economy. That is why we in Mandate are encouraging our 45,000 members, and their friends and families, to vote for parties and independent candidates of the political Left.”

John Douglas concluded by explaining that when the legislation on reducing the National Minimum Wage was being debated in the Dáil, the Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan TD, said that the reduced Minimum Wage rates would only apply to new employees not current staff.

“The Davenport Hotel’s actions have given the lie to the assurances given by Brian Lenihan last November. Unless trade union members act to support the strikers and to ensure that the next Government reverses the cuts in the National Minimum Wage, we can expect that more employers will try to copy the Davenport Hotel’s actions.”