A new report published by Mandate trade union on Wednesday (15th February) shows that retail workers are facing huge difficulties in terms of pay, conditions, and access to hours.

The report titled “Smoke and Mirrors: The facts about retail workers’ income in Ireland” is based on a survey of 3,000 Mandate members and found that the biggest challenge to improving incomes for workers is the number of hours worked in the sector.

Nearly two-thirds of retail workers are earning less than €451 per week with just under 20% paid more than €500 per week. Restrictions of the number of hours available to retail workers was a key factor limiting earnings in a sector which is among the poorest paid in the economy.

Forty-percent of respondents indicated they would like to work more hours, with 1 in 5 of those saying they were prevented in doing so by their manager. Other reasons for not working additional hours include study (3%), care duties (17%), and no extra hours available (30%).

Mandate member, Lorna Langan, indicated that if there are more hours available at work management will generally distribute them to new staff or those on a smaller wage.

Mandate is seeking amendments to the 2018 Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which effectively banned zero-hours contracts, to allow employees easier access to additional hours where they are available.

General Secretary of Mandate, Gerry Light, highlighted the point by saying: “Employers must show meaningful cause on why workers won’t be able to get extra hours if they request them. Hours are being used as a form of discipline against staff and this can be seen as a form of coercion or control. These ‘battleground’ situations for hours are more prevalent in non-unionised workplaces and shows the positive force a trade union can have,” he said.

Mandate is also calling for the national minimum wage to be replaced by a "cost-of-living wage" and says that the sub-minimum rates that apply to young workers need to be abolished.

You can read the full report and its recommendations by clicking HERE.