Mandate General Secretary calls on retail and bar workers to “Organise for €15 per hour”
Monday 23 April 2018Mandate Trade Union General Secretary, John Douglas, has today (Monday, 23rd April 2018) called on all workers in the retail and bar trades to join their union and win pay rates of at least €15 per hour.
In a speech to the Mandate Biennial Delegate Conference in Wexford, Mr Douglas said that “no retail worker in Ireland should earn less than the living wage,” which is currently set at €11.70 per hour.
He went further, stating that the “union rate” should be “at least 30 percent above than the living wage”, which equates to €15 per hour.
Mandate represents 40,000 workers in the retail and bar sectors, including workers in Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Penneys and Supervalu, along with other major retail outlets.
“We have a very serious problem in Ireland with, on the one hand, low pay and insecure work, and on the other hand, high costs of living,” said Mr Douglas.
“This is leading to many of the social problems we see today including the dramatic increase in homelessness across the country, along with high poverty and deprivation rates.
“If we are to tackle this crisis,” continued Mr Douglas, “it will mean winning significant pay increases for many low paid workers.”
Mandate has been winning pay increases for its 40,000 members since 2013 with the union quantifying these at more than €60 million.
A survey conducted by the Mandate in 2016 showed that unionised workers in retail outlets earned 30 percent more than those in non-union outlets.
The Union has also won secure hour contracts in a range of employments including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Boots, Penneys, Supervalu and others and has led the way in lobbying for legislation to protect low hour contract workers from exploitation.
“The benefits that our members enjoy in retail, including pay rates in excess of €15 per hour in some instances, were not handed to them freely by some benevolent employer. They were fought for and they were won through workers joining their trade union and getting active,” said Mr Douglas.
“Ireland is one of the most profitable countries in the world to be a major retail outlet, and we know that Tesco Ireland make approximately €250 million in profit every year while Dunnes Stores make €200 million,” he said.
“There is absolutely no doubt that many employers can afford to increase pay rates for their staff and give them secure hour contracts. They simply choose not to, and instead prioritise shareholders and wealthy owners over their workers,” continued Mr Douglas.
“There is only one real and effective solution to this, and that is for all retail and bar workers to get organised and prepared to stand up for better conditions of employment.”
Mr Douglas said that Mandate is a responsible trade union and if an employer can prove they have a genuine inability to increase wages, his union will not be left wanting.
“During the financial crisis, our Union and our members behaved responsibly and reluctantly did deals to protect jobs. That often meant pay freezes or reduced terms and conditions. But now that the economic crisis is coming to an end and we are supposedly experiencing an economic recovery, it’s only fair that retail and bar workers share in that recovery,” said Mr Douglas.
Mr Douglas concluded by explaining that Mandate Trade Union had already lodged claims in a number of retail outlets to achieve the union’s objective of decent work in the retail sector.
“In recent weeks Mandate has lodged claims in Dunnes Stores, Tesco and others which would have life changing impacts for our members. We intend to follow up with these claims, and to campaign and mobilise with our members to win significant and lasting change for workers in the retail and bar trades,” concluded Mr Douglas.
