Aramark are a huge company making millions, billions indeed, globally. AIB bank hired them to provide catering services at their head office. And now both walk away from workers with decades of commitment to their job like workers don’t even matter. And this is becoming a pattern – Debenhams for instance, among others. That’s why solidarity is so important.

Sept 21 – This is the protest by residents and staff, outside St Mary’s today, that I was proud to support. I also spoke in the Dáil about closures such as this. They should be banned during Covid, and the State should step in and take over the institution. This short video explains.

This is a shout out for the Aramark strikers – this is just to explain the background. I hope to have other posts of the strikers themselves, soon

This is the protest by residents and staff, outside St Mary's today, that I was proud to support. I also spoke in the Dáil about closures such as this. They should be banned during Covid, and the State should step in and take over the institution. This short video explains.

Posted by Bríd Smith TD on Monday, September 21, 2020

Brid queries the expert panel on Covid in our Nursing Homes, commenting that the terms of reference for their report seems to have limited its findings and seeking information on the current protocols in care homes.

Bríd gets assurance from Minister English regarding appealing the recent legal ruling against Sectoral Employment Orders, and that the government will meet, not only with Debenhams workers, but also with representatives from Construction, Contract Cleaners and Security companies, most affected by SEOs. She also challenges the contention that the workers rights’ are protected by the law, pointing out that union recognition is still not enshrined in law, some 100 years after the Lockout.

Awful weather but great spirit down outside the National Conference Centre today demanding that the new government recognise workers’ rights, especially those who are victims of the greed of companies like #Debenhams. Jane Crowe, shop steward from Debehams, was our party’s ‘honoured guest’ (each party was allowed one) and we were inside the Centre most of the morning for the vote, but we addressed the gathering just before the demo broke up