Mr. Gerry Light:

Like Mr. Berney, I thank the committee for the opportunity to address it today on this very important issue. My words should be taken as representative and reflective of the experiences endured by the many thousands of retail workers who have lost their jobs over the past number of years, in particular since the start of the Covid pandemic. For far too long, workers have been left totally exposed in a cruel and unfair fashion when the businesses for which they work collapse - many in contrived and preordained circumstances.

The Bill under scrutiny today matters not only to those who have lost their jobs but those who might suffer the same fate in the future. Since early 2020, between Debenhams and Arcadia alone, over 1,500 Mandate members were compulsorily redundant leaving the State to pick up the bill while the businesses in which they worked conveniently disappeared into the dark and mysterious world of liquidation. The stark reality is that both of those businesses collectively negotiated agreements regarding redundancy that covered the terms of a previous redundancy deal. This is of particular importance given one of the key stated objectives of the Bill under scrutiny today.

For a remarkable 406 days, Debenhams workers stood on picket lines across this country in an effort to vent their frustration and anger at the way they had been treated but to their credit, they also demanded a better deal for workers in the future. At this juncture, I acknowledge some of the representatives of the ex-Debenhams workers in the Gallery here today. I do not know how many people in this room have ever stood on a picket line for any length of time, particularly for 406 days. To do so takes determination and courage beyond belief and a burning desire to expose the injustice that has been inflicted upon you. Instead of regularly noting that this dispute was a unprecedented record-breaking achievement, which it was, the time has come to recognise in a real and tangible way the sacrifices of these abandoned workers and ensure their collective efforts were not in vain and that workers in the future will not be left so crudely exposed. The greatest and most fitting recognition we can show is through the speedy passing of the Bill under consideration here today. This is why, along with ICTU, Mandate is unequivocal in its support for the main objectives contained in the Bill.

Along with the main requirements contained in the Bill, we should at the earliest opportunity take the Duffy Cahill report off the shelf where it has been gathering dust for the past seven years and seek to have as many of its recommendations implemented through appropriate changes to employment and company law. This is something ICTU and Mandate have been petitioning the Minister of State, Deputy English, to do with greater intensity since the demise of Debenhams and Arcadia and it is a campaign we intend to vigorously pursue to a satisfactory outcome.