Following the announcement that SuperValu is to close its outlets in Carlow and Clonmel, both Mandate and SIPTU trade unions have said that they will engage with the retailer to seek to secure the 98 jobs affected.
SIPTU organiser Derek Casserly said that the union will be meeting with SuperValu this week, and "will be trying to save as many jobs as possible through redeployment.”
Casserley added that the union's members are "particularly disappointed at the timing of this announcement three weeks from Christmas, as it follows the announcement last week by analysts Kantar that SuperValu were the largest retail brand in Ireland.” SIPTU represents the butcher staff at the affected stores.
Mandate's divisional organiser for the Clonmel store, Bill Kelly, said that the closures "are down to the lack of investment and a continued lack of disposable income for workers and unemployed people in the local areas. The outcome, of course, will be that the whole region will suffer further as a result.”
Kelly added that be believed there are "very few alternatives at this moment in time, partly because the southeast of Ireland has become an unemployment black spot.”
According to a statement issued to Checkout by Musgrave, the group “will make every effort to help colleagues at the affected stores find alternative employment. We will be updating colleagues on any potential redeployment opportunities that arise in Musgrave-owned stores on a weekly basis between now and the store closure date.
“As the vast majority of SuperValu stores are independently owned, colleagues may also apply for roles in other stores once they leave SuperValu on Kennedy Avenue Carlow or SuperValu at Marketplace Clonmel. Other services being provided to colleagues include outplacement support from the outplacement providers Harmonics focusing on personal financial planning; self-marketing; CV preparation and interview skills; pension information services; Skills for Work workshops; and one-to-one meetings with our HR team.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
