PBPA CALLS FOR PUBLIC BOYCOTT OF CONNOLLY SHOES IN BRAY AND ELSEWHERE
In a statement, Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA) has condemned the decision of Connolly Shoes to close their Dun Laoghaire stores in the midst of a long running dispute, which has seen four of their longest serving employees on strike for more than eleven weeks.
PBPA believe the closure move is a cynical ploy by the owners of Connolly shoes to break the strike by workers, who were sacked by the company when they asked for consultation on a drastic company plan to slash wages, hours and conditions.
PBPA said this sort of mistreatment of workers could set an alarming precedent for other workers during the recession.
They appealed to the public to now boycott all other Connolly shoe stores, such as those in Bray, until the company owners agreed to negotiations with the sacked workers and just settlement for their long years of service. (Between 15 and 38 years).
Members of PBPA, the Right To Work Campaign and some of the sacked workers will be going out to the Connolly Shoe stores in Bray this Friday 25th at 12 midday to let the Bray public know how the Company has mistreated its Dun Laoghaire employees.
One of the sacked Connolly Shoes workers will also address the Right To Work demonstration taking place outside the annual IBEC dinner at the Mansion House tomorrow evening, which will be attended by An Toiseach Brian Cowen.
PBPA have been involved in supporting the striking Connolly shoes workers since the dispute began and have organised a number of rallies and protests in support of them.
Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett said: “This is really a cynical and ruthless ploy by the owners of Connolly Shoes to break the will of the strikers, who have been treated abominably by the Company after decades of loyal service.
The workers were shocked to arrive at the picket this morning to see closed signs on the shops windows and a letter from the company blaming the workers themselves for the closure.
From the very beginning the workers sought to avoid a dispute and accepted that some cuts in pay and hours were necessary in the current economic climate. They simply asked that the company would sit down with them to discuss the extent and implementation of these cuts. The company refused to negotiate or any third party mediation and then sacked the workers for refusing to sign an ultimatum.
It seems very clear that this whole dispute was from the beginning orchestrated deliberately by the company with the intention of driving out its longest serving staff, to avoid paying redundancy and replace them with lower paid workers.
The Connolly Shoes dispute is a microcosm of what’s happening in many sectors of the economy and what may happen to many more workers. Some employers and organisations like IBEC are simply using the atmosphere of recession to smash up pay, conditions and trade union organisation to boost profits.
I would appeal to members of the public to continue their overwhelming support for the Connolly Shoes workers by boycotting the Company’s other stores in Bray and Arklow. Connolly Shoes can not be allowed away with this or the same thing will happen to many other workers over the coming months.”
For more info contact Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett 087-6329511