Shopfloor - Fair Shop Special

MANDATE TRADE UNION JULY 2013SHOPFLOOR SPECIAL EDITION SPEND YOUR MONEY

WHERE WORKERS COUNT

L VE THE LABEL!

ONE SIZEFITS ALL!

Workers’ Rights

Ethical Shopping

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SHOPFLOOR y July 20132

SPECIAL

Picture: Howard Lake (CC BY 2.0)

EACH day as consumers we arefaced with a bewildering diversityof choice about what to buy andwhere to shop. Major retailers spend hundredsof millions, billions even, on high-end advertising and eye-catchingbranding to try and persuade you– the shopper – where you shouldspend your hard-earned cash.But one option we tend to over-look as shoppers is choosing toSpend Your Money Where Work-ers Count.Mandate has launched a newand exciting campaign that couldrevolutionise the way you shop.This is designed to give you –the consumer – the valuable op-tion of spending your money andsupporting retailers that respectthe rights of their employees.Welcoming the innovativedrive, Mandate General SecretaryJohn Douglas said it was designedto “promote a value” for retailersby highlighting the advantages of“respecting workers and offeringthem a decent living income”.ETHICALHe added: “Fair Shop is a mod-ern ethical consumerism cam-paign. It is built primarily on theprinciple of putting workers firstfor a change. We would call onconsumers to shop with a con-science, back the campaign andsupport workers’ rights.”The idea behind Fair Shop isnot new – in fact, you could sayit’s 100 years old.Just look at the archived min-utes of the Twentieth AnnualTrades Congress held in the CityHall, Cork, in May 1913.One of the motions debated atthe congress concerned “TradesUnion Shops”.According to the records, dele-gates T Johnson and A Doran ar-gued for the need for unions touse the ethical buying strength ofconsumers to further workers’rights.We feel sure comrades Johnsonand Doran would have whole-heartedly thrown their backingbehind the current Fair Shopcampaign.Nowadays, Fair Shops recog-nise their employees’ rights tojoin a trade union and affordthem full collective bargainingrights.We believe these rights are fun-

damental and basic and wellworth supporting with yourspending power.One of the key objectives of FairShop is to support and promotequality employment in the retailsector by encouraging consumerswho care about workers’ rights tochoose Fair Shop companies andtheir local stores. Assistant General SecretaryGerry Light told Shopfloor: “Asmany trade unionists will un-doubtedly testify, very few – ifany – relationships between anemployer, their employees andtheir union is ever perfect.“Disagreements happen fromtime to time but Fair Shop tran-scends the day-to-day drudgeryof industrial relations and ac-knowledges those employers who

‘do the right thing’.”And we hope Ireland’s 800,000trade union members, their fami-lies and supporting organisationswill also “do the right thing”.They can make an informedchoice by checking out a FairShop in their local area and bymaking ethical purchases on aregular basis. In recent years,there have been increasing as-saults on workers’ rights, pay andconditions of service by many un-scrupulous employers. Mr Light

said: “These employers havesought to gain an unfair and fi-nancial advantage over thosecompetitors that do respect theiremployees’ entitlements.“This approach needs to bechallenged across the retail sec-tor by the spending power ofthousands of ethically-mindedconsumers.”As trade unionists and as re-sponsible citizens we should bemaking the “informed choice”each time we make a retail pur-chase. Fair Shop not only pro-vides the information needed byconsumers to make the choice ofspending money where workerscount much easier but it alsodemonstrates to retailers the im-portance of recognising the rightsof workers to join and be repre-

sented by a trade union.Our use of collective and indi-vidual consumer power has thevery real potential to improveconditions for workers across theretail sector and Fair Shop pro-vides the basic information re-quired for you to make thoseethical purchasing decisions.Over the coming months and inthe years ahead, Fair Shop willdevelop brand recognition andstrength by working alongsideFair Shop retailers and by encour-aging 800,000 workers and theirfamilies on this island to shopFair. Our intention is clear, we wishto acknowledge those employerswho ‘do business’ with their em-ployees on issues such as pay, de-cent contracts and terms andconditions and we jointly commitwith these employers to supportand promote quality jobs and de-cent work in the retail industry inIreland.VALUEDescribing the initial reactionto the campaign as “fantastic”, Na-tional Coordinator Brian Forbestold Shopfloor: “Already manyFair Shop-nominated employersseeing the value in the initiativehave been talking to Mandateabout developing brand aware-ness and promoting joint actions.”As an integral part and thedriving force behind the FairShop initiative, a website –

www.fairshop.ie – has beenlaunched. The site is compatible with allmodern Smartphone technologyand is running regular Fair Shoppromotions that are only accessi-ble on the site. It also features a list of FairShop employers and supporters.Added to that the campaign alsohas dedicated Facebook andTwitter social networking pages.Mr Forbes added: “Importantlyfrom a consumer’s point of view –the site incorporates a Fair Shoplocation finder so you have no ex-cuse for being unable to locate aFair Shop locally. “Fair Shop is about making theinformed consumer choice andabout putting workers and re-sponsible employers first for achange. It’s plain and simple....It’sabout Spending Your MoneyWhere Workers Count.”

Fair Shop is aboutmaking an informedconsumer choice and about puttingworkers and

responsible employers first for a change

‘ ‘

July 2013 y SHOPFLOOR 3

John Douglas:promoting a value

THE trade union principle of an injury to one is aninjury to all is as valid today as it was during the1913 Lockout. Workers’ solidarity is the glue whichbonds the trade union movement together into aforce for change.

In 1913 the struggle was for the right to join and berepresented by a union; rights which the employersof the day saw as such a threat to their elite posi-tions, that they locked out tens of thousands ofworkers from their jobs.

In 2013 there are still major employers in Irelandwho deny their workers these basic human rights –they too have locked out their workers through fearand intimidation.

John Douglas Mandate General Secretary

Be aware, Shop FairMandate’s Fair Shop campaign sets out to identifythose major retail employers in Ireland who respectthe rights of their workers to join a union and col-lectively bargain. We ask you, our trade union familyto show solidarity with these fair shops by spendingyour union wage where workers count.

Together we can make a difference, Think Union,Think Fair Shop.

Picture: Creative Tools (CC BY 2.0)


SPECIAL

All proceeds from this ad donated to the Clean Clothes Campaign in aid of Bangladesh Clothing Workers’ Fund

supporting

By Joan GaffneyMandate PresidentBrown Thomas, Grafton St, DublinOn bEHALf of retail workers and the tensof thousands of Mandate members work-ing diligently across theIrish retail sector, I’d like toextend our sincere appreci-ation for your continuingsupport for this importantcampaign.

As a retail worker I appre-ciate and empathise withthe economic struggles anddifficulties being experi-enced by so many retailworkers caused by the im-position of austerity meas-ures and the contraction ofdomestic demand and thereduction in our spendingpower caused by thesecrazy policies.

fair Shop is all about putting workersfirst and rewarding employers whorecognise the importance of those sameworkers to their business. All too often

we as consumers complain about the factwe never know where to shop from anethical perspective so having fair Shopindicate the locations and the addresseson the website is fantastic.

The special fair Shop competitions onfacebook and Twitter alsobring a new and exciting di-mension to the campaignand it is great to see somany people actively in-volved in supporting work-ers’ rights to collectivelybargain.

I work in a fair Shop and Icommit to supporting fairShops as a consumer andalso as a union activist.

I’d encourage each andevery one of you to do thesame. It is the very leasthard-working staff in theIrish retail sector deserve.

A bit of respect and recognition for ajob well done in an employment that ac-tively bargains with workers is what fairShop is all about. Shop fair in a fairShop – I know I will!

Recognition fora job well done

Union Representatives Introductory Course

Course content:• Background to Mandate.

• The role and responsibilities of a Shop Steward/Union Representative.• Examining disciplinary/grievance procedures.

• Developing negotiating skills.• Representing members at local level.

• Communication skills/solving members’ problems.• Organising, Recruitment and Campaigns.

• Induction presentations.

Certification and Progression:Members who successfully complete this course will obtain a

Mandate certificate. They may progress to a Union Representative Advanced Course and to other relevant training courses

offered by Mandate.

If you are interested in this course, please contact your Mandate official or Mandate's Training Centre at 01-8369699. Email: [email protected]

The Union Representative IntroductoryTraining Course is for new shop stewards/union representatives. The course aims to provide information,skills and knowledge to our shop stewards/union representatives to assistthem in their role in the workplace.

UNIONREP

‘When you go to work, in whatever in-dustry you’re in, you should be entitledto dignity and respect and to not be liv-ing below the poverty line. The bestway to ensure that retail workers getpaid fairly and are treated with respectis to shop in an outlet which respectsthe workers’ basic human right to be ina trade union and to be represented bythat trade union through the collectivebargaining process. That’s why I alwaysshop in a Fair Shop’

WHY I BACK FAIR SHOPDavid Gibney (Mandate),ICTU Youth Committee Secretary

Ciara Kinsella (ASTI), ICTU Youth Committee‘One reason why I support Fair Shops isbecause employment can/should bemore than just a job. In order to utiliseproductivity to its fullest, employeesneed to not only feel but to experiencevalue of worth and to have a real say inthe workplace. Through Fair Shops thisplatform is provided’


AbOUT 150 years ago, workingpeople the known world overhad a collective brainwave. In-stead of facing all-powerful em-ployers individually and alone,they reasoned, why not combineand leverage the strength of themany?

Like all brilliant ideas it hadthe virtue of simplicity and onceunleashed, it proved unstop-pable. Thus trade unions wereborn – the most powerful forcefor positive social and economicchange that the world has everknown.

but at times it seems that weforget this vital lesson from his-tory and that every generationhas to learn it anew.

Without basic human solidar-ity we can have no hope whatso-ever of influencing or shapingthe world about us.

It is a lesson that has beenlearned and taken to heart bythe organisers of the fair Shopinitiative, in Mandate, some-thing for which they are to becongratulated.

It is based essentially on aview of people not as passiveconsumers, but as active citizenswho are interested in fairnessand want to see decent stan-dards applied to all.

The fair Shop initiative allowsthem to do so simply by makinginformed choices about how andwhere they shop and the type ofretail outlet that they support.

fair Shops are those outlets

which recognise unions andhave collective agreements withMandate, thereby giving theirworkers a real and significantvoice in the workplace.

Over the last five years, as thecrisis has deepened, employersand governments have resortedto bargain basement politics inever more desperate efforts tocontrive a resolution.

This has seen workers’ condi-tions and protections targetedand weakened all over Europe.

Here in Ireland we have seensocial welfare rates cut, the Mini-mum Wage targeted and mecha-nisms that protect the low paidscuppered.

but making the weak weaker,or further impoverishing thepoorest is no solution – justmakes the crisis worse.

We see evidence of this dailywith our own eyes.

Recovery can only be built onthe back of decent jobs andgood standards – another lessonfrom history that is currentlybeing ignored.

As trade union members andactive citizens we have thepower – through initiatives likefair Shop – to help drive stan-dards upwards in workplaces allover the island and to ensurethat decent work becomes thecornerstone of recovery.

It’s about the strength of themany, not the needs of the few.

By DAVID BEGGCOMMENT ICTU General Secretary

When you make out yourshopping list, make it a...

Picture: striatic (CC BY 2.0)

...it’s aboutstrength ofthe many,not needs ofthe few...



www.fairshop.ie www.cwu.ie

ENDORSED BY THE

Communication Workers Union

‘All we are saying is giveFair Shop a chance’

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Picture: orsorama (CC BY-SA 2.0)


SUPPORTS


See what we can do for you.Good design can benefit your organisation and its members.Contact David in Language on 01 878 3300, www.language.ie

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www.fairshop.ie www.impact.ie

CAMPAIGN IS BACKED BY

Pi c

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MANDATE’S Fair Shop campaign has success-fully encouraged Ireland’s 800,000 tradeunionists and consumers to shop with retail-ers who respect decent work. What is important is that aFair Shop employer recognisesan employee’s right to join aunion and afford workers repre-sentative’s full collective bar-gaining rights.Many of Ireland’s leading re-tailers are listed as Fair Shopsbecause they realise their cus-tomers now expect them to actethically, with their own work-force and all along the supply-chain.And UNI Global Union hascongratulated Mandate on thissuccessful initiative which isvery much in tune with UNI’sdrive for global frameworkagreements with multinationals. To date, UNI has signed 48 agreements andthey provide companies with a set of agreedstandards on workers’ rights to apply acrosstheir international networks. Fair Shop and UNI’s global frameworkagreements are all about improving workers’

lives by giving them access to union member-ship and ensuring they can benefit from col-lective bargaining. UNI Global Union’s Head of Commerce,Alke Boessiger, points out thatthe newly-established Accordon Fire and Building Safety inBangladesh is another exampleof the important role of unionsin devising innovative ways ofengaging companies.She told Shopfloor: “50 lead-ing multinational companieshave signed the Accord in thewake of the Rana Plaza tragedy. “The Accord and Fair Shopshare the same guiding princi-ple: workers’ rights are part ofhuman rights and workersmust be treated fairly. “Safe working conditions, theright to join a union and collec-tive bargaining are inalienable rights. UNI ap-plauds Mandate for the work they have donewith Fair Shop and wishes the initiative everysuccess in the future.” UNI is also encouraging all its retail affili-ates to consider introducing a similar schemeto Fair Shop in their own countries.

Uni Global backsFair Shop drive

Alke Boessiger: ‘innovative’

Rescuers scramble through the debris at the collapsed Rana Plaza building in a desperate bid to locate survivorsPicture: Qamrul Anam Coordinator, Textile & RMG, IBC

Designed and text edited by BRAZIER MEDIA • [email protected]

SHOPFLOORMANDATE TRADE UNION

The voice ofMANDATE



PROUD TO BACK FAIR SHOP

CAMPAIGN

SPECIAL

THERE has been much discussion about howto support workers in employment – whetherthrough higher wages, more working hours,better conditions, or more labour rights. This usually revolves around joining aunion and influencing government policy.However, there has been up to now little dis-cussion about how we get the general publicinvolved – the people on the other side of thecash register, at the restaurant table, on thepub stool. That is why Mandate’s Fair Shop campaignis so welcome. Its innovation is to invite peo-ple to participate in the campaign to improveworking conditions in the retail sector in avery simple, easy and everyday way; namely,to get people to shop in businesses that treattheir workers fairly by recognising their rightto negotiate with their employers through atrade union. The benefit to the owners of a Fair Shopand their employees should be obvious. Ifmore people shop in their premises, thehigher their sales and the greater their profits– profits which can be shared out to workersthrough collective bargaining. But is there alarger economic and social benefit? Yes, andthis is what gives the Fair Shop campaignsuch potential.First, let’s acknowledge that just because abusiness is a Fair Shop doesn’t mean workerswon’t have problems with their employers.However, where workers bargain collectively,they are in a stronger position to addressthese problems on their own terms. On theother hand, where businesses refuse to recog-

nise their employees’ rights, workers are at amuch greater disadvantage and have lesschance to correct or mitigate any wrongs. So,the Fair Shop campaign seeks to direct morebusiness activity to work places where em-ployers are in a stronger position.Why does this matter for the overall econ-omy? Here is one small example.If workers are able to negotiate higherwages or more working hours so that theirweekly income increases on foot of higherturnover, the state benefits from higher taxa-tion (for every €100 wage increase, the stategets nearly €42 through directtaxation/PRSI). Other businesses also bene-fit, because those workers will spend more. This has the win-win effect of increasinggrowth and reducing the deficit. However, ifthe employer hoards the money, the state re-ceives far less while there is almost no in-crease in consumer spending. Apart from afew enriching themselves, where is the gain?Question: in which workplace is a successful

negotiation for higher incomes likely to takeplace? The one where workers can negotiatethrough a trade union.There’s another way the economy benefits.In Fair Shop businesses, workers are able toprevent, if not all, then many violations oflabour law – in the area of working time, pay-ments, discrimination, etc. This, of course,benefits the workers involved. But there is a wider social gain – and thiscuts to the core of the general trade union de-mand for what can be called ‘high-road em-ployment’.

Shopping

for theeconomy

ANALYSIS By Michael Taft

IFUT supports theFair Shop campaign

Love the label...

www.fairshop.ie www.ifut.ieAll proceeds from this ad donated to the Clean Clothes Campaign in aid of Bangladesh Clothing Workers’ Fund


Shopping

for theeconomy

Many employer organisation, governmentministers and media commentators equate‘competitiveness’ with reduced wages andworking conditions. This ‘race-to-the-bottom’results in not only lower spending but lowerproductivity as well. Productivity means how much can be pro-duced by a business for every hour of busi-ness. The higher the productivity, the moreprofit can be shared out. We used to have a public agency called theNational Centre of Partnership and Perform-ance (before it was abolished through spend-ing cuts). They studied what makes for goodworkplaces. A key finding of theirs was that businessesthat (a) recognised workers’ right to negotiatethrough a trade union, and (b) involved theiremployees in the decision-making process ofthe business (profit-sharing, consultation,etc.) were the most productive. Businessesthat refused to recognise this right and fosterthese practices were the least productive. Why is this? An involved, engaged work-force whose rights are respected and whoseparticipation is welcomed are more produc-tive than workplaces that deny rights, engagein dodgy practices and generally treat theiremployees like a commodity. Imagine whichworkplace you’d like to work in. Of course,low-road employers can and do make a profit– but it is not shared out to the same extent asthe ‘fair’ employers. The few benefit, the resthave to make do – and the rest includes notonly the employees but the economy at large.The more successful businesses understand

the benefits of higher productivity throughmore progressive practices. And economiesbuilt on these kinds of businesses are moresuccessful – for the employer and the em-ployee. Look at countries which have economieslike our own: small open economies whichare highly reliant on exports (Austria, Den-mark, Belgium, Finland, and Sweden). Inthese countries, workers have the right to ne-gotiate through trade unions. And their wagelevels reflect that: workers in thewholesale/retail sector earn on averagenearly 30% more than retail workers here. And that doesn’t count the social benefitsthose workers receive such as free GP careand low-cost prescription medicine becauseemployers pay a much higher PRSI payment.Yet, retail enterprises in those countries arestill highly profitable.These higher wages feed back into the busi-ness economy through higher spending. Thisis the virtual circle that starts from a FairShop. This is not to say retail workers in theseother countries don’t have problems withtheir employers, but they have a stronger ne-gotiating platform than most retail workershere.Mandate’s Fair Shop campaign can promotethese beneficial impacts – for workers, for FairShop companies and the larger economy. Butwe all need to participate in that campaign.There are over 650,000 trade unionists in theRepublic. That doesn’t count their families,retired members and people who would liketo join a union but are under pressure from

employers not to. Nor does it count the thou-sands who are not in a trade union but sup-port the aims of the campaign. What would happen if even a small portionof trade unionists (e.g. one in 10) switchedspending to Fair Shops at, say, an average of€10 per week? It would come to €33 milliona year. That is a significant sum being di-verted into workplaces that respect workers’rights – a real gain for the business ownersand for the employees. These gains will feedback into the economy bringing more positiveresults.And if this is an inducement for good busi-nesses, it should also as an incentive for busi-nesses to sign up to the Fair Shop label. If youthink about, it would be the easiest profit abusiness could make – acknowledge the rightsof your workers to gain the patronage of moreworkers. There are challenges ahead for the FairShop campaign. For many people who wantto support this initiative, a Fair Shop may notyet exist in the area or be convenient to reach.And there is the need to ensure that the em-ployers realise the actual gains accruing tothem from the campaign itself (this alsomakes it easier to show the businesses thatare not Fair Shops what they are losing). But Mandate has provided the platform totackle these and other challenges – by settingup the campaign in the first place. Now it isour turn to take the next steps – to advertisethis campaign wherever we can: with ourfamilies, friends and workmates. And to sup-port the campaign by shopping in Fair Shops.

Picture: Miki Yoshihito (CC BY 2.0)

Higher wages feedback into

the businesseconomythrough higher spending

‘ ‘


SPECIAL


What awonderfulworld itwould be...10 reasons to

1. Fair Shops recognise the right of workers to join a union.

2. Fair Shop workers have access to advice on workplace rights.

3. Giving a Fair Shop your custom is good for the economy.

4. Fair Shop workers can collectivelybargain for better wages and conditions.

5. Fair Shops tend to have better health and safety procedures.

6. A Fair Shop allows a level of democracy in the workplace.

7. Fair Shop workers understand thatthere is strength in numbers.

8. Fair Shop workers tend to have minimum levels of hours and therefore a decent income.

9. By shopping in a Fair Shop you acknowledge workers have a right to collectively bargain.

10. Fair Shop workers have better access and support with grievanceand disciplinary procedures.

This cartoon is part of a new education and campaign resource developed by Comhlámh and is available for use by NGOs, organisa-tions and activist groups for non-commercial purposes. Check out: http://www.comhlamh.org/trade-how-it-is-and-how-it-could-be



Together we canchange the world

UNI Global Union represents more than 20 million workers from over 900trade unions in the fastest growing sectors in the world – skills and services.

UNI has signed 48 Global Agreements with multinational companies designedto set fair standards and conditions for their more than 10 million workers.

UNI and our affiliates, including Mandate in Ireland, are driven by the responsibility to ensure all jobs in our sectors are decent and workers’ rightsare protected including the right to join a union and collective bargaining.

In partnership with IndustriALL and a group of leading NGOs, UNI is developing the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. More than 40 leading global brands have already committed to the Accord. The Accord shows how unions can come together all along the supply chainto benefit workers and break through.

UNI Global Union - strength in numbers!

SPECIAL


www.fairshop.ie www.siptu.ie

backs

EvEN from a neutral perspective it is clearthat the notion behind the Fair Shop idea isone which should sit comfortably in a modernprogressive society that values all its citizensequally and affords them the opportunity ofparity of esteem. Unfortunately whilst many so-calledcivilised western cultures appear to, in gen-eral, espouse this particular societal aspira-tion, often they fail dramatically in the waythat they treat people from both an individualand collective perspective. The Fair Shop concept is simple in its con-struct and we should robustly defend its ad-vancement against those who casually dismissit or attempt to render it as a meaningless ex-ercise in futility and one which has no part inthe overall priority of things which presentlyface us in this post Celtic Tiger era. COLLECTIVE In fact it has never been truer to state thatwe now need initiatives such as Fair Shopmore than ever to ensure that we regularlyprick our individual, and more importantly,national collective conscience in order to chal-lenge smug, right-wing orthodoxy which sug-gests that workers and their organisations aresomehow to blame for our current economicwoes and, therefore, we have an obligation tomake further regular unknown sacrifices inorder for recovery to take place.One thing the last five years of austerityhave shown us is that any opposition whichrelies on a disparate individual response willnot succeed in the face of vested interests thatlargely control the powerful tools of commu-nication, finance and sadly politics. It is time to bring home and open up the po-tential of the collective which for many yearshas been feared and openly resented by theso-called privileged classes. Ironically, in the year that we celebrate thecentenary of the 1913 Lockout and recall theextent to which employers went to smash thepotent power of the collective we also remem-ber the views expressed by the late MargaretThatcher who once famously claimed therewas no such thing as society rather just indi-viduals. In fairness, Thatcher and her ilk were nothiding anything – they were simply remindingus once again that divided we are weak, to-gether we are strong. Clearly this central tenet of Thatcherism isalive and well and it is high time that we stop

exerting our energies towards a simple butunderstandable detest for those disciples whoblindly follow it. Instead we should deploy the most potentforce available to the working class in order todestroy it, and that is the deployment of cohe-sive and determined collectivism.It is obvious that we do not need to create anew type of vehicle to drive this forward asone is clearly and readily available to us andthat is membership of a trade union and, byassociation, the wider trade union movement. The simple manifestation of the power ofthis collective approach starts first in theworkplace. Obviously if an employer is willing to en-gage on this basis the chances of a successfuloutcome for the workers is more likely. Conversely, where such willingness is ab-sent, individual workers are instead morelikely to be exploited and taken advantage of. The negative precedents and order thatevolve from such a reality are then clinicallyused in an attempt to portray some form ofnormality within the relevant sector which isused over time as an effective and dangeroustool to dismantle established collective negoti-ated agreements.RESPECTSignificantly, since the demise of the JLCsand REAs, workers across a range of differentsectors can no longer rely on the protectionspreviously afforded through statutory mecha-nisms. It is apparent more than ever that the likeli-hood of workers being treated well and withthe dignity and respect they deserve is greatlyenhanced when they are collectively repre-sented by a union. It is an indisputable fact that this will rarelyor ever happen in a store which does not fulfilthe criteria for a Fair Shop. That is the FairShop concept in a nutshell. For it to grow and take root it requires notonly the active participation of workers, em-ployers and unions but, most importantly, theconsumer. It makes sense that if we as workers are todrive home the importance of the right to beformally recognised with the intent to collec-tively bargain, we must collectively act as aworkers movement in a decisive way.

SUPPORT A FAIR SHOP THE NEXT TIMEYOU, YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS SHOP.

MAKE A SMALL CHANGE FOR A BIG DIF-FERENCE.

By GERRY LIGHTCOMMENT

Small change that makes abig difference

Mandate Deputy General Secretary

SUPPORTS

CAMPAIGNS

www.fairshop.ie

www.mandate.ie/campaigns/respect-retail-workers.aspx

www.iboa.ie


&

13July 2013 y SHOPFLOOR

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We shoulddeploy

the most potent force available tothe workingclass...thedeploymentof cohesive,determinedcollectivism

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‘In a time when the wages and con-ditions of workers are under con-stant attack from employers weshould be conscious of where we ascitizens, trade unionists and con-sumers spend our money. Throughthe Fair Shop initiative we are af-forded the opportunity to supportthose companies that recognise andrespect their workers right to join atrade union and to collectively bar-gain which ultimately ensures thema fairer deal’

WHY I BACK FAIR SHOPDerek Keenan (CWU), ICTU Youth Committee Chairperson

Paul Dillon (Unite), ICTU Youth Committee‘We should all support this cam-paign because it is a chance to re-spond to a trade union initiativethat is making a difference’


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SPECIAL

The Public Service Executive Union supports workers in their fight for union recognition and fair conditions.

We applaud the ‘Fair Shop’ and ‘Clean Clothes’ campaigns

and we are happy to be associated with them.

Union Representatives Advanced Course

• Understanding Mandate’s structures• Overview of Mandate’s rules• Industrial Relations institutions and mechanisms• Mandate’s Organising Model

• Negotiations & Collective Bargaining• Understanding Equality and Diversity• Developing induction presentation skills• Introduction to Employment Law• Identifying issues and using procedures

If you are interested in this course, please contact your Mandate official orMandate's Training Centre at 01-8369699. Email: [email protected]

Certification and Progression: Members who successfully complete this training course will obtaina Mandate certificate. They may progress to the FETAC level 5 Certificate in Trade Union studies

or other relevant training courses offered by Mandate.

The Union Representative Advanced Training Course is for shop stewards/union representatives who have completed the introductory course or who have relevant experience.

Course content:

‘I support Fair Shops becauseFair Shops support theirworkers. INTO believes thatworkplace representationand collective bargaining areparamount factors in pro-tecting workers’ rights’

WHY WE BACK FAIR SHOPTeresa Walsh (INTO),Vice-chair of ICTU Youth Committee

Gareth Murphy (IBOA), ICTU Youth Committee‘Union jobs are better paidand better protected jobs,young workers increasinglyface precarious work andneed to organise and achievecollective bargaining, thiscampaign highlights and sup-ports those companies thatrespect their workers’ right tocollective bargaining and Isupport that’


www.facebook.com/Primark www.facebook.com/PenneysIreland

Operated by



Trade Union Shops“That we call on all Trades Union-ists and their families to make in-quiries when purchasing goods, notonly in regard to the conditionsunder which those goods were pro-duced, but also in regard to the con-ditions in the particular distributiveshop in which they are purchasing,and to ascertain from the assistanton all occasions whether he or she isa Trades Unionist”.Mr T. Johnson proposed, and Mr. A.

Doran (Belfast) seconded and it wasagreed.

The Shops Act“That this Congress, composed ofthe Representatives of Irish TradesUnionists, heartily sympathise withthe object of a weekly half-holidayand shorter hours for shop assis-tants. We strongly protest againstthe manner in which certain public

bodies in Ireland endeavour to evadethe provisions of the Shops Act, moreespecially in regard to the granting ofthe weekly half-holiday and adequatetime for meals. We are of opinionthat the Act should be amended inthe following respects:1. There must be a limitation of thehours to 48 per week; a compulsoryclosing on the weekly half-holiday;and a total abolition of Sunday trad-ing.2. The provisions of the Act mustbe extended to all shop assistantsand clerks no matter where em-ployed, and the clause exemptingtowns other than Borough or Urbanareas must be deleted.3. The exemption clause dealingwith Licensed Traders must also beamended.“Copies of this resolution to besent to the Home Secretary, the ChiefSecretary for Ireland, and to theWhips of the various Parties in Par-liament.”Mr M.J. O’Lehane, who moved the

motion, stated:“There was no reasonwhy the 48 hours week should not begiven. It was unfair to exclude nearlyone-half of the shop assistants fromthe Act because they lived in ex-cluded areas. “An extraordinary anomaly in theAct was that in premises that were li-censed they could sell anythingwhilst other shops which were not li-censed were closed. “That clause was not in the originalBill, and was smuggled in in the inter-ests of the licensed trade, and wasnot opposed by those who shouldhave opposed it.”Mr. Johnson (Belfast) seconded theresolution saying: “The 48 hoursweek should be the limit for shop as-sistants, as it should be for the gen-eral workers of the country.”Fair Wages Resolution“That, having regard to the unsat-isfactory interpretation given to theFair Wages Resolution by the greater

number of Irish administrative bod-ies, this Congress instructs the Parlia-mentary Committee to use itsinfluence with County Councils, PoorLaw Boards, and other departmentsof Irish administration to adopt andenforce the Fair wages Clause, clearlydefining that only firms who payTrade Union rates and observe TradeUnion conditions shall be eligible totender for their contracts”.“That this Congress pledge itself toinquire minutely into the conditionsof labour which employees on allGovernment Contracts work under,and see that the Fair Wage Resolu-tion of same be put into full effect tosecure to these workers the remu-neration which they are entitled toby law”.Proposed by Mr. James Nolan

(Dublin). The resolution was wereseconded by Mr. T. Lawlor, T.C. , P.L.G.(Dublin), and Messrs. Ronayne(Queenstown), and supported by J.Hanlon (Dublin).

Minimum Wage& Apprenticeships“That owing to the miserably lowwage generally paid to shop assis-tants and the growing practice of in-troducing boy and girl labour intoshops, we are of opinion that a mini-mum wage for all shop assistants andclerks should be at once established,and we strongly condemn the actionof employers who trade on cheaplabour, and who induce apprenticesto enter shop life under false pre-tences, knowing that a very large per-centage of them will never have anopportunity of making a livelihood. “We desire to warn parents andguardians of the fact that shop life isconsiderably overcrowded, and be-fore being induced to send their sonsor daughters as apprentices theyshould make strict inquiries in re-gard to the possibilities of the future”.Proposed by Mr M.J. O’Lehane.

The Irish Trade Union Congress Executive Committee of 1913. Irish Drapers Assistants Associationchief Michael O’Lehane, far rightfront row, sitting next to Jim Larkin.James Connolly stands far left. TheIDAA were a predecessor union toMandate in the retail sector

Picture: 1913 Committee

A bright idea at any timeTrade unionists rightly remember 1913 as the year of the Lockout – and dozens of commemorations and events have marked the centenary of that great clash between Irish labour and Irish capital. Fair Shop, launched in the run up to last Christmas, may not have been around for as long but its inspirational pedigree stretches back to those momentous times. Below is a selection from the archived minutes of the Twentieth Annual Trades Congress, held in City Hall, Cork, in May 1913. One motion debated at the congress concerned ‘Trade Union Shops’ – the Fair Shop initiative in all but name...

16 SHOPFLOOR y July 201316

SPECIAL

CPSU backs Fair Shop...supporting lower paid workers home and away


Communications Workers’ Union

To find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:Imelda Wall, Communications Workers’ Union, William Norton House, 575-577 North Circular Road, Dublin 1 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +353 1 866 3000 Fax: +353 1 866 3099

TECHNICAL SPEC & CAPACITIESConference Hall capacity Theatre Style 240Conference Hall capacity Classroom Style 180National Executive Boardroom 45Leinster Boardroom 22Munster Boardroom 20Connacht Boardroom 16Ulster Boardroom 10Breakout Areas for various no delegates 3Secluded Private GardenRooftop GardenComplimentary parking for over 25 carsComplimentary wifiVideo/Tele conference facility

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o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:7 North Circular Road, Dublin 1

o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:

Communications Workers’ Union

To find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:Imelda Wall, Communications Workers’ Union, William Norton House, 575-577 North Circular Road, Dublin 1 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +353 1 866 3000 Fax: +353 1 866 3099

TECHNICAL SPEC & CAPACITIESConference Hall capacity Theatre Style 240Conference Hall capacity Classroom Style 180National Executive Boardroom 45Leinster Boardroom 22Munster Boardroom 20Connacht Boardroom 16Ulster Boardroom 10Breakout Areas for various no delegates 3Secluded Private GardenRooftop GardenComplimentary parking for over 25 carsComplimentary wifiVideo/Tele conference facility

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E-mail: [email protected] T

o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:orkers’ Union, Wall, Communications W

o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:illiam Norton House, 5orkers’ Union, WFax: +353 1 80006 36el: +353 1 8

o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:7 North Circular Road, Dublin 1775-5illiam Norton House, 5

9906 36Fax: +353 1 8

o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:7 North Circular Road, Dublin 1

o find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event, please contact:

TECHNICAL SPEC & CAPACITIES• Conference Hall capacity Theatre Style 240 • Conference Hall capacity

Classroom Style 180 • National Executive Boardroom 45 • Leinster Boardroom 22• Munster Boardroom 20 • Connacht Boardroom 16 • Ulster Boardroom 10

• Three breakout areas for various numbers of delegates • Secluded Private Garden • Rooftop Garden • Complimentary parking for over 25 cars • Complimentary wifi

• Video/Tele conference facilityTo find out more about the facilities at William Norton House, or to book your next event,

please contact: Imelda Wall, Communications Workers’ Union, William Norton House, 575-577 North Circular Road, Dublin 1

E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +353 1 866 3000 Fax: +353 1 866 3099


Our Conference Hall can cater for240 Theatre-style or 180 Classroom-style

By Sandra StapletonEVERy week, we all make a deci-sion at least once about wherewe’re going to spend our hardearned cash.

Where will we buy our groceries,our clothes, our shoes, our toi-letries, or for some of us, ourmakeup?

That decision, for most of us,takes very little consideration.Some of us choose a place wherethere’s a comfortable shopping ex-perience, or somewhere where thecustomer service is exceptional.Sometimes it’s as simple as what’sconveniently close by.

Increasingly though, followingseveral years of austerity measureswhich have resulted in a loss of in-come for many households, it hasbecome tempting for some of us toshop in discount stores in order toget ‘value for money.’

However, at times like this it iseven more important that we, asconsumers, pay particular atten-tion to which retailers we support.

In a country where trade unionshave no collective bargainingrights, it is imperative that we sup-port retailers who voluntarily re-spect their own workforce by

entering into agreements withtheir staff. Retailers such as Tesco,boots, Superquinn, Penneys,Marks & Spencers, to name a few,allow their workers to have a say inhow the workplace is run and whatterms and conditions of employ-ment the staff enjoy.

If a company announces recordprofits, sometime for three or fouryears in a row, the workers canargue for a fairer share of thoseprofits through the collective bar-gaining process. Over the past yearor so, Mandate members have ne-gotiated several collective agree-ments with retailers which will seeseveral millions of euros in thehands of workers instead of goingto already wealthy shareholders,here or abroad. This extra cash inthe hands of workers will not onlyhelp them to pay their bills, it willalso help to boost the local econ-omy through extra spending whichin turn creates jobs.

Workers with collective bargain-ing rights can negotiate grievanceand disciplinary procedures whichare strictly adhered to ensuring allworkers are treated equally andthat the employer doesn’t targetthose who he/she takes an arbi-trary disliking to.

Some retailers say they allow alevel of ‘engagement’ with theirstaff, but that is no substitute forreal trade union collective bargain-ing led by trade union members.

What Ireland needs now as acountry is for working people tostand together collectively and youcan help by making a simple deci-sion to support retailers that en-gage in collective bargaining withtheir staff.

It makes sense from an ethical,economical and workers’ rightsperspective and says a lot aboutwhat type of society we want to be.I personally make a decision toshop in a fair Shop because I wantworkers to be respected and haveaccess to their fundamental humanright to be in a trade union and berepresented by that union, some-thing that successive Irish govern-ments have shamefully failed tolegislate for.

If you believe all workers have aright to be respected, and to berepresented by their trade union,starting from today, I’m asking youto make a commitment that you’llspend your money where workerscount.

Why I choose to shop in a Fair Shop

Picture: John Chaney

17July 2013 y SHOPFLOOR


We’re happyto support Fair Shop,

a better,fairer

way to shop...

www.fairshop.iewww.into.ie


...Spend your money where workers count......Spend your money where workers count...

Congress backsCongress backs


SUPPORTING LOW PAID WORKERS

www.fairshop.ie www.mrci.ie


BAC NK GI

www.nwci.iewww.fairshop.ie


SPECIAL

Health & Safety FETAC Level 5This course is aimed at Health and Safety representatives

• Health and Safety Legislation• Role of Health and Safety Repre-sentative• Safety statements• Role of Health & Safety Authority• Occupational health

• Identification of hazards and riskassessment• Accident investigation• Fire safety• Effective communications• Health and safety promotion

Topic covered on course:

Certification and Progression: Members who successfully complete this course

receive a Fetac Level 5 component award certificate and may progress to other courses offered by Mandate.

If you are interested in this course, please contact your Mandate official or Mandate's Training Centre at 01-8369699. Email: [email protected]

Safetyfirst atwork!

‘Our fight in 1913 was aboutrecognition. Fair Shops recognise unions. I’d say that’s progressive’

The Lockout 1913-2013 Commemo-rative Committee of the ExecutiveCouncil of Congress have committedto an ambitious programme for thetrade union movement to mark thecentenary of the 1913 Lockout. A number of unions along withCongress have contributed fundingto support a range of events, most ofwhich will take place between July2013 and February 2014.One particularly interesting proj-ect, Living the Lockout: TenementExperience, commences on July 1, isbeing supported byMandate.Living the Lock-out: Tenement Expe-rience explores thesocial and economicconditions in early20th Century Dublin,when tens of thou-sands of people livedin cramped, insani-tary and hazardousconditions – theircircumstances dic-tated entirely by theextent to which theyhad access to contin-uous, decent em-ployment. Living the Lockoutmakes use of theground floor of a for-mer tenement house– 14 Henrietta Streetin Dublin 1 – to tellthe story in an inno-vative and emotionally engaging wayof the impacts of the Lockout as wellas portraying what day-to-day lifewas like in the Dublin’s tenementsThis is a unique project – which isa joint initiative of Dublin City Coun-cil, the 1913 Committee of the IrishCongress of Trade Unions and theIrish Heritage Trust. It will be opento the public six days a week (closed

on Wednesdays) during July and Au-gust 2013. Tickets – which cost €5 (€3 concession rate for unemployed,OAPs, students and children) – can be bought at the venue itself or pre-booked through www.dublintenementexperience.com Early booking is advised as thou-sands of visitors are expected overthe next couple of months. The Experience involves dramaand exhibition materials, includingarchival records, photographs andpersonal testimonies. visitors will get achance to gain an un-derstanding of theLockout and its impacton the people ofDublin’s tenements. The drama – beingstaged by the award-winning ANU Produc-tions – features scenesthat capture the headyoptimism of the strik-ers at the beginning ofthe Lockout in Septem-ber 1913 as well as thedesperation of the fam-ilies as they faced ruinand possible starvationas the Lockout nearedits end in 1914. It also portrays theheroic determination ofthe workers and theircommunities to bringabout lasting change inrelation to their right to organisethemselves in a union and to im-prove the grim living conditions ofthe tenements.The Tenement Experience is anevent not to be missed.This projecthas been funded by Dublin CityCouncil as well as trade unionsSIPTU, IMPACT, Mandate and theCWU.

Living the LOCKOUT... new exhibition looksat tenement life in 1913


Communication Skills/ Personal Development and EffectivenessFor those who want to brush up on their writing and spelling skills while you develop personal and interpersonal skillswhich are important for dealing with workplace situations and improve communications in everyday life situations

Communication through ComputersThis course is ideal for adults just learning about computers and confidence for communicating online.

MathsPerhaps you’d like to brush up on your everyday maths,including home budgets, tax and weights/measures.

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Workplace

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Adult Education Courses for the WorkplaceMandate Trade Union with the VEC network is offering a programme of Training Courses called Skills for Work. Skills for Work offers members the opportunity to get back into educationat their own pace with a wide range of courses to choose from. Each course has 6 – 8 participants and may be held locally and outside of working hours. Some of the courses include:

Courses are free and open to members who have not achieved Leaving Certificate or who have an out of date Leaving Certificate. You can also achieve a FETAC Level 3 Award. Skills for Work is funded by the Department of Education & Skills

Please tick the box or boxes of the courses which interestyou and return this form with your details to:

Mandate’s Organising and Training Centre DistilleryHouse, Distillery Road, Dublin 3

Phone 01-8369699, email [email protected]

You can go directly to www.fairshop.ie byscanning this code with your smart phone

Picture: Kheel Center, Cornell University (CC BY 2.0)

fairshop.ieUP TO 500 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

LIST OF FAIR SHOPS:ArgosArnottsBootsBrown ThomasCaulfield’s SupervaluClerysDebenhamsHeaton’sHickeysMarks & SpencerPenneysPettitt’s SupervaluShawsShoe ZoneSuperquinnTesco Ireland

Use the location finder

on fairshop.Ie to find

fair shops in your area

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