Mandate Trade Union calls on consumers to ‘spend their money where workers count’

Tuesday 1 October 2013

The Fair Shop campaign has today (Tuesday, 1 October 2013) launched a ‘Fair Shop Pledge’ which will give supporters of the campaign the opportunity to avail of special offers in Fair Shops throughout Ireland.

The Fair Shop campaign is about promoting decent work and rewarding employers who voluntarily recognise the right of their employees to be represented by their trade union for collective bargaining purposes.

Members of the public can sign the Fair Shop Pledge by going to www.fairshop.ie.

Launching the Fair Shop Pledge, Mandate National Coordinator for Campaigns Brian Forbes, said: “By signing the Fair Shop Pledge, you can stay up to date with what’s happening in the campaign and you can also avail of some really great offers from Fair Shop retailers – including a really great deal from Tesco which we’ll be promoting later this week.

“We are encouraging all consumers to take two minutes to pledge their support for the campaign and a worker’s right to have a voice in their workplace.”

Mr Forbes said that the Fair Shop campaign – by encouraging consumers to shop with retailers who treat their workers fairly – is also designed to promote the value to retail companies of respecting workers and offering them a decent living income.

“In recent years, there have been increasing assaults on workers’ rights, pay and conditions of service by many unscrupulous employers. These employers have sought to gain an unfair and financial advantage over those competitors that do respect their employee’s entitlements. This approach needs to be challenged across the retail sector by the spending power of thousands of ethically-minded consumers,” he said.

Mr Forbes explained that the Fair Shop campaign is particularly significant this year on the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Lockout.

“In 1913, thousands of workers fought for the right to collectively bargain and for trade union recognition. For the vast majority of workers in Ireland, that ideal is still an aspiration.

“However, what we can all do to ensure we continue their legacy is to support retailers who allow their workers to avail of the basic human right to be in a trade union and to be represented by that trade union for collective bargaining purposes.”

During the next number of months, Mandate Trade Union will be organising local launches of the Fair Shop campaign in towns all across Ireland. Keep an eye on our website for further details.