Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also wish to represent the Mandate members in Tesco. I attended this morning's briefing and, like Senator Gavan, was shocked. Indeed, I was shocked on one front more than any, namely, by how the company was openly distributing letters to staff urging them to leave the union. That was a new low.

I have been involved in the trade union movement since I was a child, but I have never seen what is happening in this form. This is about the defence of workers who, as we all accept, are in jobs that are not very well paid, work long and unsocial hours and need protection. Based on the correspondence that we received this morning from Ms Heffernan representing Tesco, they need a great deal of attention. I add my voice to the call to have the Minister, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, attend the House next week.

Yesterday, I brought the House up to date with the situation in the greyhound industry. I am sorry to say that next Saturday's race meeting in Shelbourne Park and the national awards have been cancelled. Something about Nero, fiddling and burning comes to mind. I have been alerting the Leader, the House and the Minister to this matter for nearly two and a half weeks, but the Minister still has not addressed it outside or within the House. The greyhound industry fully supports the current campaign. In the coming weeks, there will be a large general meeting of greyhound owners and breeders and those with an interest in the industry. Sooner or later, the Government will have to introduce the legislation to clean up the industry that it has been promising for six months. I call on the Leader to schedule a debate on the industry next week with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.