Debenhams Workers' Fight for Justice Pages 2
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MANDATE TRADE UNION AUGUST 2020 SHOPFLOOR What Covid did from a societal perspective: it re-established the notion of community and solidarity and collectivism – sure they are the basic tenets of the trade union movement... GERRY LIGHT INTERVIEW P4&5 While my race is run, there are many more hard races facing retail and bar staff – together you can win... JOHN DOUGLAS STRAIGHT TALKING P2 NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES BEYONDSOME WORK IN RETAIL... THE CALL DEBENHAMS WORKERS’ Covid-19 coverage PAGES FIGHT FOR 2,13,14, OF DUTY 18,20, JUSTICE PAGES 2 30 & 38 & 4-11 NEWSCOVEROPINION STORY It’s time to clock out A farewell and a thank you to every shop worker and bar worker ON December 6th, 1979, I started Mandate Trade Union face a very Gerry Light will take over as General as a junior official for the Bar uncertain and challenging fu- Secretary and I wish Gerry all the Workers’ Union (Banba Hall) 20 STRAIGHT ture. Pressure on our sectors and best for the future. His background Parnell Square, Dublin 1. On Au- on the quality of jobs is being ex- as a grocery worker and shop stew- gust 21st, 2020, nearly 41 years TALKING erted from many quarters – ard in Quinnsworth will stand him later I will clock out as General Covid-19; Brexit; online shop- well. He has also put in the hard Secretary of Mandate Trade ping; and, of course, unscrupu- miles and never missed a game. For Union, Cavendish Row, Parnell John Douglas lous and exploitative employers. that reason, and many more, he is Square, Dublin 1. General Secretary, We on the workers’ side are at best placed to lead Mandate Trade To all of the union members I Mandate Trade Union a crossroads, we must choose Union during these uncertain times. have known, the shop stewards the right route. We need to plan While my race is run, there are and the activists who trained and to protect workers, their families many more hard races facing retail and their communities, and we assisted me, I would like to sin- every game, never feigned injury and and bar staff – together you can can only achieve this through cerely thank you for your friend- while we might not have won every win. strong trade unions and collec- ship and comradeship. You taught game I believe we always gave our I thank you again and now clock tive action when necessary. me about life, about work, about best. out. Yes, I am sure mistakes were made Together we are strong, so we decency and about struggle. Yours fraternally and possibly we could have achieved need to organise and mobilise. I have, on many occasions, been Every member of Mandate has in awe of workers who stepped up more, but I can honestly look back in John Douglas the mirror of life and say that we gave a responsibility – not only to to the plate at times of struggle themselves but to their fellow and conflict, the immense bravery it our all. For those who played on the same team and displayed the same workers, their families and their displayed by those who had little class – to ensure that every re- commitment and values, I truly thank to lose but everything to lose. tail and bar worker is in the you for your solidarity. My trade unionism was learned union. in the field with workers who be- It has been a privilege to have It is not the job of someone lieved in justice, fairness, a better worked for workers – something else to organise, it is all our re- society and who understood that which we should never forget nor sponsibility and only when these could only be achieved by take for granted. We must never be- workers and union officials un- collective struggle in a union. tray the trust that union members derstand this concept and the While we may not always have place in us as paid officials. We have power of collective organising, agreed on tactics, we were always but one responsibility – to be there can we truly challenge for de- on the same side. Personally I when we are needed. cency and justice at work and in turned up for every fixture, played Retail and bar workers and their society. You may be aware that MANDATE TRADE UNION A S HOPFLOOR TRIBUTE JOHN DOUGLAS IN WORDS AND PICTURES PAGES 21-26 Shopfloor is published bi-monthly by Mandate Trade Union. Mandate Head Office, O'Lehane House, 9 Cavendish Row, Dublin 1 T: 01-8746321/2/3 F: 01-8729581 W: www.mandate.ie Design & Editing: Brazier Media E: [email protected] W:brazier.media Shopfloor is edited, produced and printed by trade union labour Retail workers should not have to police the wearing of masks in shops GENERAL Secretary John Douglas has “So it has to be done at the en‐ have a box of cheap masks that they hands and practise social distancing. claimed it would be “totally impracti‐ COVID-19 trances. Our members generally don’t could ask people to use if they forget I think people should do that at the cal” to expect shop workers to enforce work at the entrances and it would be their own mask. If some people very least.” the mandatory wearing of masks by impractical to expect them to go point‐blankly refuse, well, they won’t Douglas added that wearing a customers in retail outlets. CRISIS around a shop following people and be allowed in.” mask was a “small price to pay” to Speaking on Newstalk’s Lunchtime insisting they leave. He said though some people didn’t protect retail staff and customers and Live programme on August 6th, he “Our members certainly won’t be want to wear a mask when shopping, reminded listeners that employers “It certainly shouldn’t be shopping said instead shoppers should be asked chasing around supermarkets and de‐ what was more important was to do had a responsibility to provide a safe assistants who do this,” Douglas con‐ to wear face coverings at the en‐ partment stores and asking people to the right thing. working environment for their staff. tinued. “If a customer comes in and trances to shops and shopping cen‐ leave.” “There are people who do not want “That will require them to monitor tres, insisting that compliance should picks up a bottle of milk, a sliced pan Pointing out that most shops al‐ to comply, people who feel it is their effectively those entering the shops NOT be up to retail workers to police. loaf and their newspaper, it’s a bit late ready had sanitising stations, he said: own individual right to wear a mask and if the rule says you have to wear He claimed such a development when they get to the counter to tell “It’s not beyond the realms of possi‐ but ultimately it’s for the common a mask, then you have to wear a would be “a recipe for conflict and a them that they can’t shop and will bility that shopping centres, super‐ good,” he said. “The medical advice is mask. It’s important the employers recipe for disaster”. have to leave. markets and department stores will that we should wear them, wash our get this right.” 2 SHOPFLOOR y August 2020 NEWS We will work tirelessly to secure just deal for Debenhams workers... IN A SPECIAL video message to great deal of effort into processing Debenhams workers, Mandate Gen‐ thousands of individual claims to the eral Secretary Designate Gerry Light Workplace Relations Commission for Retiring General Secretary John Douglas and his successor in the role, AGS Gerry Light, touch elbows to signify a handover outside O’Lehane House on Friday, August 21st, John’s last day as Mandate GS has given assurances that the union potential compensation arising out of would work “tirelessly” to secure a insufficient consultation before ter‐ better solution for members im‐ mination of employment. BROWN THOMAS/ARNOTTS pacted by the UK‐based retailer’s Light insisted that “nobody with move to close its chain of shops any sense” would argue that Deben‐ across the Republic. hams employees have not been He said shop stewards on the treated deplorably by their employer Meetings begin over union’s national representative group but pointed out that the retailer had were meeting regularly to raise the been able to do this “because the law public profile of the dispute and to of this state allows them”. agree on a range of actions. He claimed that because of this the Light said that a key part of “our state – as well as current and previ‐ redundancies shock ongoing fight for decency” was the ous governments – was “complicit” in use of industrial action already sanc‐ “this abuse of workers”. MANDATE officials held a prelimi‐ that information. Importantly, man‐ tioned by members but pointed out However, while welcoming new nary meeting on August 19th with agement also gave a commitment that success largely depended on “the Taoiseach Micheal Martin’s July 7th Brown Thomas/Arnotts manage‐ that no staff member would be made biggest participation possible from acknowledgment in the Dáil that ment to discuss the retailer’s August redundant until the consultation pro‐ among the members concerned”. Debenhams workers had been 13th announcement that it was seek‐ cess has been completed. To this end, it was essential mem‐ treated “very badly and very poorly”, ing 150 redundancies. Light continued: “We also raised bers continued to give as much sup‐ Light claimed that these would prove While describing the discussions concerns about the implications port as possible to pickets and Gerry Light: ‘Still much to play for’ to be “hollow words…if he and as “constructive”, union representa‐ these proposed redundancies would cautioned against any view that the his colleagues do not move tives did voice their concerns over have for those staff who remain in the dispute was over and that it was time particularly the pickets on quickly to follow them up how the announcement was handled.