Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise an issue with Tesco. As some Senators will know Tesco is Ireland's largest private employer, employing more than 11,000 staff. Unfortunately, Tesco has also decided to go down the road of union busting. It has hired a specialist firm of lawyers who engage in union busting as a career. It is trying to drive Mandate, a fine trade union, out of Tesco. We know this because some of the most loyal and hard-working staff in Tesco have been told their terms and conditions are to be cut unilaterally later this month. As a result, Mandate has had no choice but to ballot its members and as things stand today they are to go on indefinite strike across nine stores with probably another 15 to follow from 14 February, St. Valentine's Day.

Tesco is not making these cuts because it is somehow short of cash. In fact, it has just bought out the biggest wholesaler in Britain. It is doing extremely well. It will not reveal its profits in Ireland, but we believe they are in the region of €200 million to €250 million a year. It does not have to do this; it is not in financial difficulty. Its sole reason for doing this is greed. It wants to cut the terms and conditions of the longest-serving staff purely to increase its profits further. It is the largest private-sector employer in the State.

I am asking the Leader to bring the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the Seanad to discuss the matter, which affects people throughout the State, and to make a clear stand on this. Nobody in this Chamber should stand over Tesco's policy of greed and disloyalty to its longest-serving staff. I would welcome a clear statement of condemnation from the Leader over Tesco's despicable behaviour towards its own staff.