Des Doyle is not a happy man. And who could blame him, given his business was down by 80% at the weekend through no fault of his own?
Des is a well-known butcher in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, and runs an independent butcher in a shopping centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Unfortunately for Des, his store is one of a number of small independent stores in a shopping centre where the majority tenant is Tesco.
As many Tesco employees who are members of the MANDATE trade union are currently engaged in industrial action, the location of their pickets has driven down footfall into the shopping centre in general, affecting all businesses, not just Tesco. Included in those is the butcher’s shop belonging to Des Doyle, who spoke to Damien O’Reilly on Liveline.
“On Friday and Saturday, we were down between 70 and 80%. Sunday was a bit better than yesterday, because people are coming across the picket now, supporting the shops a little bit more now. But we are still down probably 60%.”
According to one union representative, Keith Pollard, who also spoke to Damien O’Reilly, they have been required to picket at the gate entrances to the car park, rather than within the shopping centre, immediately outside the doors to Tesco.
As an industrial officer with MANDATE, who has himself been joining the pickets at the Tesco store in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Keith is advising customers who wanted to shop in the independent stores simply make their intentions known to the strikers at the picket line.
“Our fight is not with them, the smaller retailers in the shopping centre. We have tried to go in and just simply picket the Tesco store. That’s who our fight is with.”
To listen back in full, click here.