Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights, Senator Paul Gavan, has called out the despicable treatment of workers at the food retailer Iceland and expressed his belief that there are underhand tactics at play in the takeover of the company.

Senator Gavan said: 

“Over the past number of weeks, several Iceland staff have reached out to Sinn Féin regarding their employment situation since the company sold their 27 stores to ‘The Project Point Technologies’.

“These workers allege that staff have not received wages owed, others have not received wages in full, and workers in head office have been put on a prolonged period of layoff.

“Off the back of Sinn Féin’s engagement with the workers, our party spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Louise O’Reilly TD, raised the situation with the Taoiseach, who committed to investigating the matter further.

“Unfortunately, the situation continues to escalate and head office staff in Iceland have relayed to Sinn Féin that they have been put on a further period of layoff.

“It appears to the workers, and to Sinn Féin, that the new owners are trying to force the workers to make themselves redundant. Such a move would thereby allow the new owners to escape certain redundancy payments to the workers. 

“This is a well-known and underhand tactic and is completely unacceptable.

“These workers have families, they have bills, they have mortgages, they have lives to live, and yet the new owners of Iceland only care about themselves and their bottom line.

“These workers are owed wages, they deserve clarity, and they should be entitled to their full redundancy payments.

“Sinn Féin previously wrote to the Director of ‘The Project Point Technologies’ seeking this information on the situation and asking for the issues to be addressed, however, we received no reply.

“This is an unacceptable situation that has been going on for far too long and it requires immediate intervention by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment.”