Kiran Emrich,Galway Central ward People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA) candidate, supports the Marks & Spencer strikers.
Kiran Emrich, People Before Profit candidate for the Galway City Central ward, has spoken out against the Marks & Spencer (M&S) company over their decision to close their workers’ pension scheme.
On the 31st of October M&S management took unilateral steps to close their workers defined benefit scheme by informing employees that it was now considered a ‘discretionary benefit’. Unlike many other defined benefit schemes, which are non performing, the M&S retirement fund is performing and is currently in surplus to the tune of €17 million.
Mandate trade union, which represents the majority of the 2,300 staff at M&S, balloted members for industrial action. The workers voted overwhelmingly for strike action, which took place across 17 stores nationally- including the Galway store- last Saturday 7th December. Kiran Emrich PBPA candidate visited the Galway M&S picket line at the Corrib Shopping Centre on the day.
"The great news was that the strike was 100% solid in Galway, " said Emrich, "and the staff on the pickets were getting a hearing and supportive reaction from the public."
"Attacks on workers’ entitlements are becoming common place with many large companies using the crisis as a means to chop workers' rights," he said.
"We see it in the semi-state sector and in the private sector alike, with the attacks on the pensions of ESB workers and the pension scheme of M&S workers. The forthcoming new Companies Act will further weaken workers' bargaining power. Take a look at Senator Fergal Quinn’s latest bill to jail striking workers of essential services for up to 5 years. The message coming through is that in industrial disputes the law will not act as a neutral independent arbiter, but will be firmly on the side of management."
Kiran Emrich added that he will be down at the picket line at the Corrib Shopping Centre this week and next week too to show support and solidarity with the striking workers of the Galway store if they are forced to continue their action to get a result.
