To: All Mandate Trade Union Members Employed in the Licensed Trade Sector
(Bar workers, chefs, cooks, floor staff and administration
Re: Member Update – Return To Work Protocol Training
28th May 2021
Dear Member
It is hard to believe that it’s been 15 months since we seen the effective closure of the Bar Sector. It is equally difficult to comprehend the range of difficulties and hardship that have been experienced by our members as a consequence of this stark reality. On a daily basis we see increasing pressure and calls being made for the reopening of the sector so we thought it was timely to reach out to you, the members, in an effort to outline the activities your union have been engaged in since the start of the pandemic and what we believe to be important as you head towards a potential return to work.
Income Supports
From an early stage of the Covid-19 pandemic your union was to the fore in fighting for the highest level of state financial supports whether they came in the form of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) or the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). We will continue to fight for the retention of these measures until we reach a point where our members can return to work in a safe manner.
Safety Protocols
Your union has had a central role in devising the Return to Work Safely Protocols which cover all employments that have reopened for business to the public. It is our belief as we move hopefully closer to the reopening of public houses that there must be a renewed focus on the protocols with an emphasis on the specific needs of bar workers. To this end Mandate has arranged a Licensed Trade Membership Return To Work Safety Training Module which will be delivered online via Zoom on Thursday 3rd June 2021 at 3pm. To register for this extremely pertinent event please enter your details in the spaces provided below and we will forward the meeting details to you.
Right to Redundancy
As a result of emergency measures that were introduced to deal with Covid-19 a worker’s right to automatically claim redundancy after a specific period on lay off was suspended. Your union has maintained a position that this should not be the case and we have supported proposed legislative changes that are attempting to remove the current position.
Individual Representation
Over the course of the last year your union has represented many of our bar worker members, some of whom have had to deal with the dramatic decision of their employer to permanently close the business. Obviously we remain willing and available to assist any members either individually or collectively to deal with issues that arise now or as we move gradually towards the reopening of the sector.
Union Subscriptions
We wrote to our members in the sector early in the pandemic informing them that their obligation to pay union subscription was effectively suspended as long as they remained laid off from their employment. This was the case until July 2020, when fee’s recommenced and if for some reason payment did not recommence back in July 2020 please contact us as soon as is possible to discuss your membership payments.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Online Training Event next Thursday 3rd June 2021 at 3pm. Please enter your details below to confirm your attendance.
Yours fraternally
For Mandate Trade Union
Gerry Light
General Secretary