Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask the Taoiseach about the shocking treatment of the workers in Tesco. This is a hugely profitable firm the great success of which in this country has mainly been achieved on the back of its loyal workforce. However, there has been shameful treatment of workers employed by the company prior to 1996. Effectively, these people have either driven out of their jobs because of the refusal by the company to pay agreed rates and increases in pay or have been subjected to attempts to try to force them to sign new contracts. All of this has happened contrary to recommendations that were made. Now we are seeing the shameful treatment of delivery and pick-up workers in this company whose changes in contracts will result in the loss of €3,000 to €4,000 a year in their earnings at a time when we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. When will we see legislation that will stop companies behaving like this towards dedicated and loyal workforces? Will the Taoiseach do as I did and write to the CEO of Tesco urging them to respect the pre-1996 workers and the delivery workers who worked so hard during the pandemic and are facing, as all of us are, the cost-of-living crisis?

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