Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important issue of the plight of GAME stores workers. This is an urgent issue both because of the injustice done to these workers in the past week and because of the strong trend emerging where employers are dumping workers with no notice and no redundancy payments. I understand that sit-ins are taking place in most of the stores. Our first message here this afternoon must be one of solidarity with the protesting workers at all locations. I welcome the representatives of the workers who are with us in the Visitors Gallery.

On Monday, with my colleague councillor Seán Conlon, I visited the workers at the GAME store sit-in at Monaghan shopping centre. These are young people totally abandoned by a company which they have served as a dedicated and well-informed workforce. The company washes its hands of its responsibilities and leaves it to the State to take up the burden. We have similar situations in Lagan Brick in Kingscourt, County Cavan, and in Vita Cortex in Cork. Retail workers like those in GAME were similarly treated by TalkTalk and La Senza. This requires Government action. Words of regret from Ministers are not enough. Pointing to existing industrial relations machinery and existing legislation is not enough. Clearly, this machinery and legislation are not working. Employers feel free to act in this way without fear of sanction of any kind.

GAME continues to trade in hundreds of its stores in Britain. It must be called to account both for the laid-off workers as well as for those customers in Ireland who have built up credit in the company's stores and now are out of pocket as a result of the closures. We are asking for an outline of action here today.

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