Derry City and Strabane councillors support Tesco worker in goods dispute
A proposal was proposed at December’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee meeting that council write to Tesco management
Derry City and Strabane District Council members clashed over a proposal by People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin to write to Tesco management regarding the suspension of an employee in Newcastle, County Down, who refused to handle Israeli goods.
In response to the suspension, pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the supermarket and called for the worker’s immediate reinstatement.
Councillor Harkin mooted that Council “write to the company asking them for clarification on the matter, to request the worker be reinstated without punishment, and to ensure Tesco workers in the Derry City and Strabane District are not victimised for acting on their conscience to oppose genocide”.
Councillor Harkin also noted that Derry workers for other companies have refused to handle Israeli goods without punishment.
“There’s been a long-standing campaign calling on Tesco to remove its products,” he said. “So I would like to propose that we write to Tesco management asking for this worker to be reinstated without punishment, but also asking that workers in our district who work for Tesco are not punished for acting on their conscience.
“It’s very important that we do everything we can, because this can’t be allowed to stand.
“We can’t have workers getting fired and suspended or threatened because they’re taking a stand in solidarity with Palestine and refusing to support apartheid.”
SDLP councillor Rory Farrell seconded councillor Harkin’s proposal and agreed that workers should not be punished for “exercising their conscience at their place of work”.
Councillor Farrell noted: “Tesco stocks literally thousands of products, I would imagine in terms of Israeli products the percentage is pretty small, so it seems like a very heavy handed approach from management.”
Sinn Féin councillor Emma McGinley also supported the motion and added: “It is completely wrong that people would be punished for acting on their conscience in the face of a genocide.
“it’s ridiculous from Tesco, to be honest.”
DUP alderman Keith Kerrigan opposed the proposal and argued that it was not council’s place to “dictate what Tesco does or doesn’t do as an employer”, while UUP alderman Derek Hussey said he “won’t be supporting the motion, from the Derry City and Strabane branch of the Palestinian authority or the Hamas government in Gaza”