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At a conference of over 300 Mandate shop stewards from a range of different commerce companies, UNI supported a union-wide response to attacks by Tesco Ireland on long serving staff members.

Head of UNI Commerce Alke Boessiger said, “When Tesco workers take their stand in Ireland, they will have the support of UNI Global Union’s 20 million members. We fully support Irish workers standing up for decent work and pay.”

“This is not just a targeted attack on a specific group of workers, but an attack on the union to facilitate an expansion in profits and growth at the expense of their own employees.”

Assistant General Secretary Gerry Light said, “Tesco’s disgraceful treatment of their longest serving workers has resonated with trade unionists and workers across Ireland. At a time when people are talking about an economic recovery – Tesco’s threats to cut workers’ incomes, especially after an 8 billion Euro turnaround for the company, is indefensible.”

As the largest private sector employer in Ireland, with 14,500 staff in 149 stores, Tesco should be leading the way, but are instead threatening to cut wages for long serving workers. At the Mandate Conference in Galway, an emergency motion was unanimously passed “to enlist the assistance and solidarity of all trade unions in Ireland to support Tesco workers in their struggle”.

UNI Commerce is the global union for the retail and wholesale industry, representing more than 160 trade unions and more than 4 million workers worldwide.