Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Some 1,500 employees at 16 Tesco stores are already on strike and a further 500 based in six more stores were due to join the industrial action from Monday. The core issue here is the unilateral decision of the company to rewrite or totally undermine the validity of existing contracts. Contracts, such as those under dispute, may need to be modernised but the key question is why this updating should always result in preferential treatment for the company at the expense of the ordinary worker. There is something particularly grasping and covetous about the manner in which Tesco has approached this matter. Under the guise of reasonable engagement, it has sought to crush and frighten workers into abandoning the satisfaction of their rights. Let us not forget that last April, Tesco Ireland reported total revenue of €2.5 billion over the year to the end of February as it saw the first quarter like-for-like sales increase since 2012.

This puts the perfectly fair and legitimate demands of the workers for contract protection in perspective.

I compliment the workers and, indeed, the management in Clonmel and in Tipperary town.

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