Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank those who brought forward this motion. I have had the honour of standing with the workers of Debenhams, who have been on strike for over 100 days in Blanchardstown and at some of the other stores, including Henry Street. It must be remembered that many of these stores that people are picketing today were trading profitably prior to the Covid-19 crisis, which forced the closure. The vulture groups still have their hands on the stores in Britain and the highly profitable Irish website. I am not sure whether the Minister of State knows this but going on strike is not an easy route. It is tough and often soul destroying. These people are hard workers who have done their best. I have spoken to many of them and they loved working at Debenhams. They have built up lifelong friendships with their co-workers. There is a real sense of sadness, loss and anger about what has been done to them.

The time for sympathy and words has passed and it is time for action from the Government. Unfortunately, an amendment to the motion has been tabled which completely dilutes its spirit. The Taoiseach expressed his sympathy and said he supported the Debenhams workers and that they had been treated in a very shabby way. He said that the company's behaviour was unacceptable. We listened to him say those words. However, as usual, those words have not been followed up by action or deeds. I was struck by the words of Ann Peppard, the shop steward in Blanchardstown, outside this Chamber last week. Ann has worked in the retail sector for 26 years and is now facing working on the minimum wage. She said sympathy will not pay her bills or mortgage, will not put food on the table or help get her kids through college.

The shocking thing about this situation is that we have seen it before time and time again. People before me have stood in similar positions and have said similar words. That is utterly unacceptable. We can do something. In the short term, I urge the Government to change its mind and support the motion. Deputy O'Reilly has proposed bringing forward a motion on the Duffy Cahill report. When that is brought forward, I urge the Government to support it. The workers need their support now more than ever. The Minister of State talked about supports and stimulus packages. The stimulus package is what we need now for workers because they are facing a really tough time following this Covid crisis.

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