Tesco Douglas | Dominick Donnelly

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Cllr. Donnelly congratulates Tesco workers in Douglas, as their strike is over

Published May 1, 2009 Douglas , Economy , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

1^st May 2009

At direct talks between Tesco management and the Mandate union in the Labour Relations Commission yesterday evening, agreement was reached on the transfer of staff from the old shop to the new Tesco Extra shop in Douglas. The Green Party’s candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council and for Passage West Town Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, congratulated all sides in bringing the dispute to a speedy resolution. It just remains for Tesco and Mandate to go back to the LRC next Thursday to sign off on the agreement.

“The long-standing workers at Tesco in Douglas are delighted that they can now transfer to the new shop with all their terms and conditions intact. This is all they wanted all along, and why Tesco was trying to bully them in to accepting lesser terms and conditions, when Tesco is highly profitable, is a symptom of a corporate greed culture which must be challenged, whenever it rears its ugly head,” Cllr. Donnelly said.

“The workers were absolutely delighted with the support they received from the people and businesses of the Douglas area, without whom this result would not have been possible. This dispute was a classic case of people power – when people stand together to fight for what they believe to be right, anything can be achieved,” Cllr. Donnelly added.

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes news that strike at Tesco Douglas is suspended

Published April 30, 2009 Douglas , Economy , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

30^th April 2009 – 6:30 am

After one day of their strike action at Tesco Douglas, members of the Mandate trade union have suspended their strike, to allow Mandate and Tesco enter talks at the Labour Relations Commission later today, without preconditions. Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council for the Douglas area, has welcomed this suspension of the strike.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “It is wonderful news that the strike has been suspended, and that the parties are going to try to resolve the dispute at the Labour Relations Commission later today. Today is the last day of business for the old Tesco shop in Douglas. The staff are delighted to be able to go back to work today, and hope that the negotiations at the LRC have a successful outcome.”

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes news that Tesco will be meeting with their Douglas workers tonight

Published April 29, 2009 Douglas , Economy , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

29^th April 2009 – 8pm

After the first day of their strike action at Tesco Douglas, members of the Mandate trade union have been invited to emergency talks this evening to try to resolve the dispute. Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council for the Douglas area, has welcomed this move from Tesco.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “I do not understand why Tesco did not try to talk properly to their workers before now, instead of bullying them. The strike notice was served to them a week ago. However I welcome that they now seem to want to negotiate, and I hope there is a satisfactory outcome to their negotiations tonight, and that this needless dispute can be resolved quickly. If not their long-standing employees in Douglas are technically out of a job as of tomorrow (Thursday) evening.”

“The level of support for the strike was amazing in Douglas today. The workers were overwhelmed with the support they received, with many individuals and local businesses giving them gifts, and showing them tremendous support. It was surely this level of support from the general public, and the business community around Douglas, that has brought Tesco to their senses,” continued Cllr. Donnelly.

Tesco workers in Douglas will not give in to bullying, says Cllr. Donnelly

Published April 29, 2009 Douglas , Economy , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

29^th April 2009

Following the start of their official strike this morning at the Tesco store in Douglas, members of the Mandate union have shown their unity and it is clear that they are not going to give in to the bullying tactics of their employer. Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council for the Douglas area, who has been supporting the workers for the past fortnight in their dispute, joined them this morning as they started their picket.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “The way Tesco has been treating their long standing employees in Douglas is nothing short of inhumane. They have shown a complete disregard for any kind of human decency. However from talking to the employees as they started their strike this morning, it is abundantly clear that they will not be bowed by the bullying tactics of Tesco, and will stand up and fight for their rights. All they are asking is for their jobs to continue with the same terms and conditions they have enjoyed for all their time working for Tesco in Douglas (formerly Quinnsworth), some of them for over thirty years.”

“I urge the public to support the Tesco workers by not passing the picket lines, and to avoid spending any money in any Tesco stores. This is the only way Tesco will be forced to be reasonable. It is now clear that Tesco intend to try to remove the working conditions enjoyed by all their long standing employees right around the country, and that they are using Douglas as a test case. We, the public, have the power to stop this happening, as the only language Tesco understand is money, so it is quite simple – don’t spend any money in Tesco until they treat their employees reasonably,” continued Cllr. Donnelly.

Additional Information: The official strike (by members of the Mandate trade union) started this morning (Wednesday) at the old Tesco store in Douglas. They will be joined from tomorrow by their SIPTU colleagues. The old shop closes tomorrow (Thursday) evening, and Tesco intend to open their new Tesco Extra store on Friday morning (1^st May).

Public should support the striking workers in Tesco Douglas, says Cllr. Donnelly

Published April 28, 2009 Douglas , Economy , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

28^th April 2009

Following the ongoing appalling way in which the management of Tesco Douglas have been treating their long-standing workers over the transfer to the new store later this week, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council for the Douglas area, will be joining the workers on the picket line when the strike starts tomorrow morning.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “I feel compelled to join the Tesco workers on the picket line in Douglas tomorrow morning, due to the appalling way they have been treated by Tesco management. Tesco seem to be just driven by pure naked greed, and they really don’t seem to care either about their workers or their conditions. They want to just use the excuse of the recession to tear up existing contracts so as to improve their own enormous profits.”

“I urge the public to support the Tesco workers by not passing the picket lines, and to avoid spending any money in any Tesco stores. This is the only way Tesco will be forced to be reasonable. It seems that if Tesco get away with this appalling behaviour in Douglas, they will do the same thing in other shops around the country,” continued Cllr. Donnelly.

Cllr. Donnelly asks the public to support the Tesco workers’ strike

Published April 21, 2009 Douglas , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

21^st April 2009

Following the meeting of the Mandate trade union yesterday evening, at which a clear majority voted for strike action at Tesco Douglas, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, who has been working with the Tesco workers since this problem first came to light over the Easter weekend, expressed regret that Tesco’s unwillingness to negotiate has led to this strike.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “This strike has become inevitable given the disdain Tesco has shown to its workers over the past week and a half. With Tesco announcing record profits globally of over €3 billion today, this is obviously not a company in trouble. Therefore Tesco should just transfer its existing workforce in Douglas to the new larger Tesco Extra store, which is due to open on May 1^st, without changing their contracts of employment. There is absolutely no reason for the workers to have their terms and conditions changed, except the corporate greed of Tesco Ireland.”

“I hope Tesco will see sense, and will see sense very soon, so that this dispute can be resolved quickly. The sympathies of the population of the Douglas area are very much on the side of the workers, and they will support the workers by staying away from Tesco if this strike proceeds. This is hardly the start Tesco want for their new store.” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes Tesco’s change of heart with some employees in Douglas

Published April 16, 2009 Douglas , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

16^th April 2009

Now the same must happen for all their existing workers

Following meetings today between management at Tesco Douglas and representatives of SIPTU and the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland, at which satisfactory terms were agreed for their members in the transfer to the new Tesco Extra store in Douglas, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, has encouraged Tesco Ireland to treat the vast majority of their existing workers, who are members of the Mandate union, in the same way.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “I welcome the fact that Tesco has today agreed to treat its employees who are members of SIPTU or the Craft Butchers fairly. However these are only small numbers of people, and the vast majority of Tesco’s employees, who are members of Mandate, are still being treated appallingly. Why Tesco is behaving in this way with people who have given just long and loyal service is beyond belief, and is proving to be a P.R. disaster for the company.”

“I urge the management of Tesco Douglas to sit down with representatives of Mandate as soon as possible, and to negotiate reasonable terms for the transfer of the staff to the new store. Otherwise they are going to lose huge numbers of customers, as the level of anger in the community is huge, and Tesco are very rapidly losing the goodwill of the local community in and around Douglas,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.

Tesco’s attitude to its workers in Douglas is atrocious, says Cllr. Donnelly

Published April 15, 2009 Douglas , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

15^th April 2009

Following a meeting this afternoon between representatives of the Mandate trade union and Tesco management in Douglas, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, has strongly criticised Tesco for the approach they are taking with their existing workforce in Douglas. Tesco want all their existing workforce in Douglas to sign up to new terms and conditions, and for their existing work contracts to be nullified, when they move over to the new Tesco Extra shop at the end of this month, and they showed no willingness to change their attitude at today’s meeting.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “Tesco are treating their existing employees with disdain, and are trying to bully them into accepting lesser terms and conditions of employment. There is absolutely no need for this, as all that is happening is that Tesco’s are moving into a new larger store, adjacent to the existing store. However because the new store will be a Tesco Extra, instead of an ordinary Tesco, the management are trying to use this as an excuse to lessen the terms and conditions of its existing employees.”

“The employees who are members of Mandate have informed me that they are having a meeting next Monday, at which they will decide what course of action to take. They are feeling completely betrayed and bullied by their employer, and have no intention to take this lying down. Many of these employees have been with Tesco since they first came to Ireland in 1996, and were with Quinnsworth before that, and are disgusted at how they are now being treated. All they want is to continue working for Tesco under their existing contracts,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.

Tesco Ireland must not be allowed treat its loyal employees this way, says Cllr. Donnelly

Published April 15, 2009 Douglas , Tesco Douglas Leave a Comment

11^th April 2009

Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly has today slammed Tesco Ireland for issuing ultimatums to its employees in Douglas, Co. Cork, over the Easter weekend, when they are unable to consult either their union or their solicitors. .

Cllr. Donnelly said: “I have been approached by a number of employees of the Tesco store in Douglas Shopping Centre, who are extremely concerned about how they are being treated by their employer. A number of employees of Tesco in Douglas received letters on Good Friday, which were hand delivered to their homes, saying that they must sign up to new terms and conditions before Tuesday next, the 14^th April, or they will be made redundant. To give your employees such an ultimatum over the Easter weekend, when they are unable either to consult their union or to seek legal advice, is bullying behaviour of the highest order, and cannot be tolerated. The employees I spoke to today are literally petrified they are going to lose their jobs.”

“Tesco is about to move in to a new larger shop in Douglas as part of the redevelopment of Douglas Shopping Centre at the end of this month, and have been recruiting new staff for the new shop, and seem to be using this as an excuse to bully their existing employees into accepting new terms and conditions. The employees’ unions have been in negotiations with Tesco, and have instructed their members not to accept the new terms on offer from Tesco. Tesco basically want to tear up the existing employment contracts, and impose new inferior ones without going through a proper consultation process, and they are threatening redundancy for any employees who refuse to accept the new terms,” continued Cllr. Donnelly.

Cllr. Donnelly concluded: “I have a copy of the letter received by the employees on Friday, and to receive such a letter over the Easter weekend is extremely distressing for long standing loyal employees, to say the least. At the very least Tesco must enter into meaningful dialogue with its existing employees in Douglas, via their unions, and must apologise to its employees for treating them in this appalling way. Tesco Ireland has been an extremely profitable company for many years, and such behaviour is completely out of order.”