Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today across the country there are up to 6,000 Dunnes Stores workers on strike. This strike is not about an increase in pay; rather, it is about basic rights such as respect, equality and dignity.

Yesterday, the Taoiseach said in the Dáil:

I support the Dunnes Stores workers in having a right to clarity in so far as their working lives and working weeks are concerned ... I hope this strike does not go ahead ... I support the workers in their right to have clarity about their working lives. Therefore, the message to the employers is that this can be sorted out. These workers are loyal workers. They provide services every day of the week on a 24-hour basis. That should be recognised.

Unfortunately, it has not been recognised. Today across this country there are workers outside Dunnes Stores outlets protesting - not about anything extravagant, but highlighting that they are on zero-hour contracts. They do not know from day to day how many hours of work they will get. Nobody is worth zero. There should be some basic element of protection in terms of working hours and conditions.

The point I am making is that Dunnes Stores has not listened to the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach was weak, in my view, in his expressions of solidarity with the Dunnes Stores workers.

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