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Workers at Iceland’s Talbot St store held a demonstration yesterday, drawing support for their continued occupation of the store.
The workers said that they had no intention of ending the occupation until issues such as non-payment of wages, redundancy deals, and payment of owed sick and holiday pay were resolved.
The Talbot St store was closed in June, and staff gained entry and began to occupy the store on 25 June. They have maintained a 24/7 occupation, rotating who sleeps in the store.
Donna Grimes, a worker at the store, said that the Iceland workers fight is one that affects workers across Ireland.
We thought that our jobs were safe. On the Wednesday morning when the store closed, some of the girls showed up for work, and by nine o’clock their jobs were gone
“It’s us today, but it could be anyone tomorrow, because nobody’s job is safe,” she said.
Alexander Homits, a representative of the Independent Workers’ Union, said that the union now represents half of all Iceland workers in the country, and that the workers are drawing a “line in the sand”.
Homits, who has been the main point of contact for the workers throughout the dispute, said that the union and workers had “gone on strike, organised phone and media pickets, and researched who we were up against”.
Also present was James O’Toole, a housing activist involved in recent resistance to mass evictions at Tathony House.
“It’s not just a battle in the workplace that we’re waging, we’re also waging a battle to stay in our homes” he said.
“When Alex said that the IWU and the Iceland workers were drawing a line in the sand, it reminded me of the sentiment coming out of Tathony House. Because we’re drawing a line in the sand too, it’s the same fight against the same system.”
Among those in attendance was actor Liam Cunningham, who has been vocal in his support for Iceland workers since stores initially started to close.
Iceland’s Irish operations were taken over by Metron Stores Ltd in January 2023. Since the takeover, staff began to experience issues with payment of wages, holiday and sick pay, and deteriorating working conditions.
The company entered examinership in May, and store closures were suddenly announced in June.
The High Court heard in June that Metron Stores Limited, is insolvent and unable to pay estimated debts of €36 million as they fall due.
The examiner’s initial report recommended reducing Iceland’s Irish operations from 26 down to 10 stores.
The examiner’s final court date is set for 21 August.
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We can’t talk about Palestine, but we can talk about the rain.
@Dan Breen: It’s raining bombs in Palestine
@Dan Breen: meant to be free speech in this country, but they don’t want us to speak up for Palestine
@Dan Breen: would telling strangers you opinion be something important to you?
@Murro: ah yeah…hamas. The great freedom fighters. Just like the IRA. They blew up innocent women and children too.
@Alison Hughes: that’s how they get their dopamine
@Alison Hughes: but hamas isn’t Palestine just like IRA isn’t Ireland
@Joe Doe: never said they were! They are, however, the ones firing rockets from hospitals, from behind ambulances and taking civilian hostages….you know, the stuff real hero’s do!
@Alison Hughes: No comparison with the 2 groups,as per usual ridiculous statement to wind people up,do you ever get out ?
@Alison Hughes: which the Israelis have been doing for years. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
@Alison Hughes: That does not justify what Israel is doing to the people of Gaza. It’s monstrous, and if you can’t see that you are wilfully blind.
@Murro: there’s a big difference between free speech and the verbal diarrhoea the usual suspects spout in the comment section. Ruins it for everyone.
@Dan Breen: why can’t we talk about the two women attacked by XLBULLY in Waterford.
@Dan Breen: The article ‘Humanitarian crisis deepens etc” in the last paragraph quotes the UN as saying that more than 100 Palestinians have been killed since 7 Oct. This is extremely disingenuous.
Why is the journal publishing that obvious falsehood? (I note that it does quote the health ministry in Gaza, “7,703 people, more than 3,000 of them children”, which is much more plausible.
Many thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing bombings, far more than died in the 7 Oct attacks.
Israel is behaving like a terrorist state, in response to the original Hamas attacks, (which were also very wrong).
@Dan Breen: Genocide needs to be manufactured in the the media and made acceptable in people minds before it’s manufactured in reality – we had punch magazine in the 1840′s we have western media today. Portray Palestinians as animals, inflame people with propaganda against them, shut down dissent, target journalists, create mass confusion and then release the hounds. The hounds are officially released now, this not a war on Hamas – it’s a good old fashioned settler colonial genocide. We need to accurately identify, then break the ‘propaganda machine’ to stop these wars
@Alison Hughes: time to call a halt to brutality in the holy land
@Dan Breen: we are a little wet rock on the edge of Europe, we have no say, the sooner Irish people wake up and grow up, the better
@kerrill thornhill: still never answered my question to you earlier, where do you stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
@Alison Hughes: Did u ever stop to think why this is happening ? Why Hamas are even there Go get your facts before u put texts up
@Joe x: I’ve been asked this question on many threads Joe. The occupations in Palestine & Ukraine needs to end with an immediate ceasefire and negotiated settlement. We gave Ukraine $150bn in weapons & print their propoagand unfiltered, we give Israel billions to bomb caged Palestinians and print their propaganda unfiltered. Ireland housed 70,000 Ukranian refugees, but no Palestinians, while our media cover up Israeli war crimes killing 3000 kids already: Go ahead take a look at the names, real flesh and blood. The utter white supremacy of EU/US treating these kids like meat https://twitter.com/jvplive/status/1718287003769614735?t=iZPhll18Q0bwYIX3Gyd19Q&s=19
@kerrill thornhill: “We” did not send money for arms anywhere near the middle east. What we did send were troops on peacekeeping duties in the area, several of whom never came home
.
In terms of Ukraine, yes, we did send non-lethal aid and give refuge, and while you claim support in the first sentence of your reply, the rest of your reply seems to begrudge the Ukrainians that aid. As to giving Palestinians refuge, they never needed it until Hamas kicked off the current round of troubles
@kerrill thornhill: Now, I am going to ask a very simple question. How much do you know of the full history over there?
And just do you know, I support niether side. As far as I am concerned, they are both as bad as each other and, quite frankly, our troops should be brought home, along with all peacekeeping troops in the area and let them fight it out.
@Dan Breen: yes. Why are comments closed on anything but the weather?
Varadkars comments about having to double down on our assistance to the Ukraine both financially and militarily do not represent the wishes of the electorate.
Why are no FFG ministers calling for peace . Why are they warmongering
@BL Music: If Russia took its troops out of Ukraine the fighting would stop – it’s not that complicated.
@BL Music: Don’t let that troll Alison Hughes have you say a bad word on the worse Irish government to have been ever in power
Worst
@Kilkenny Proud: Yes: supporting Ukraine’s self-defence is not ‘warmongering’ no matter how many times that lie is repeated.
@BL Music: You do NOT speak for me !
@BL Music: the guys committing the war crimes hold the purse strings and the levers of power in the West.
@BL Music: Russia chose not to attend the ongoing UN peace talks, because they are not interested in peace.
@BL Music: Slava Hamas and Hezbollah!
Going to be flooding because the rivers are half full and the ground is saturated.
@P. V. Aglue: Looks like it. Glad to see flood works going on, hope they’re completed before the weather gets worse in December & January.
A lot of people have concreted over front gardens, maybe we should be doing more to drain water off?
In the meantime ban all pit bulls. Who needs such wretched dogs, get a golden retriever or similar …
@JP: Agreed $cummy dogs with scrotey owners.
Ban those bloody dogs already!
We lucky it only rain the poor people of Palestine being mder by the thousands. While the west dose nothing. And any one whom supports the pal people is labelled a hamas supporter. Israel have played this very well they scarified a few of their own. To be allowed take control when they finished with Palestine they wont leave the will stay there probably with the UN labelled under some peace treaty and time like the rest of the region become is rale. Thats why they keep saying Gaza cause most will presume it a city in israel.
@J M: what?
israel needs to be stopped
@Joe Doyle: And Hamas too?
@Hugh De Payans: no just israel
Thought so. You think those Israeli babies deserved to be beheaded?
They are both as bad as each other….Remember what kicked this this round of violence off seversl weeks ago.!
Never mind the rain as the world sits back as those poor people in their Palestinian homeland are terrorised by an illegal occupier of their land
Something to do with Leo
@Mary Toilet: homophobes unite: blame Leo for everything, even the rain
Norma Foley is a tranny.
Mary loves her far-right rim-jobs!
That Eileen Gleeson is a lovely bit of skirt
@Mary Toilet: Scissor ze quimbers!
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