Right To Change Radio talks with Jane Crowe Shop Steward Debenhams Henry St

"Almost 1,000 workers across 11 stores balloted for industrial action last year after around 2,000 – 1,400 directly employed staff, 500 concession staff and 300 cosmetic staff – lost their jobs.

The workers want to see the recommendations of a 2016 report on workers’ rights implemented.

The report, which was published by Kevin Duffy and Nessa Cahill, centred on employment rights where companies separate assets from their operations by moving those assets into a separate legal entity.

The report’s recommendations have never been enacted."

Jane is one of these workers left down by the failure to act in the interests of workers after Clery's closure.

Joan Collins put a private members motion forward that mandate stated - “The time for talking and reviews is now over. What we need is action. This motion today will illustrate to the Debenhams workers which side TDs and political parties are on.”

“What we’ve seen throughout this pandemic is that where there’s a will there’s a way. The government insisted they couldn’t implement rent freezes or ban evictions because they would be unconstitutional. Then they went and implemented that exact legislation at the start of the COVID19 crisis. This proposal from Joan Collins and the Independent group is less complex and is entirely possible if the government were to prioritise workers for once.”

Text Source - https://www.thejournal.ie/debenhams-strike-anniversary.../

https://mandate.ie/.../mandate-trade-union-calls-on-all.../

Private Motion Debate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLNYGmUzryg

Dail Record - https://www.oireachtas.ie/.../debate/dail/2020-09-16/18/

https://www.oireachtas.ie/.../debate/dail/2020-09-23/30/...