‘We want to know what’s going on’ – staff occupy Iceland branch as retailer closes several stores across Ireland
Several Iceland stores across Ireland closed their doors today with staff ‘temporarily laid off’
Donna Cassells, who is manager at Iceland in Coolock, outside the store where three staff members, Molly Prendergast, Karen Keating and Jeanette-Joyce Flood remain on a sit-in protest inside the store. (Photo by Steve Humphreys)
Messages of support at Iceland in Coolock where some staff members remain on a sit in protest inside the store. (Photo by Steve Humphreys)
Workers Karen Keating, Jeanette Joyce and Molly Prendergast at Iceland in Coolock stage a sit-in as they claim the store was closed without notice. Photo: Avril Kinsella
Employees at an Iceland supermarket in north Dublin are occupying the premises in protest after arriving to work to find the store had been closed.
Several Iceland stores across Ireland closed their doors today with staff “temporarily laid off”.
Stores in Talbot Street, Northside Retail Park and Clonmel did not open for business today, with more expected to follow.
The supermarket chain sold all of its 27 stores in the Republic of Ireland in February, and they are now owned and operated by Metron Stores Limited.
Messages of support at Iceland in Coolock where some staff members remain on a sit in protest inside the store. (Photo by Steve Humphreys)
On Tuesday, the High Court agreed to appoint an interim examiner to the company that operates the chain of retail stores in Ireland, which has said it is insolvent and unable to pay debts of €36m.
Staff in the Coolock store in Northside Retail Park in Dublin showed up to work at 9am to find the shutters closed and no notice of closure.
The three staff members occupied the store and refused to leave in protest.
Gardaí were called to the scene shortly after 9am and confirmed that the occupation or “civil trespass” is legal, and the only way to remove the workers is through a court order.
Works stage sit-in as Iceland store closes
Meanwhile, staff in a number of other stores received emails on Tuesday night informing staff that they will be “temporarily laid off” and not to show up for work.
Iceland worker Jeanette Joyce told Independent.ie from inside the store that staff did not receive an email before showing up for work and the closure is "upsetting".
“We don’t want to be sitting in here, but we want to know what is going on. We want some written clarity that we will be paid, we will be paid our holiday pay, back money and our wages and we are happy to leave if we get that in writing,” she said.
“We showed up for work at about twenty to nine this morning and found our manager sitting on the ground, she had been removed from the premises.
“We would rather not be in here, but we need to make some sort of a stance. I don’t know if anything will come out of it but it’s just really upsetting after seven years,” she said.
Workers Karen Keating, Jeanette Joyce and Molly Prendergast at Iceland in Coolock stage a sit-in as they claim the store was closed without notice. Photo: Avril Kinsella
Store manager Karen Cassells said staff have been treated “absolutely diabolical, there is no communication”.
She said a number of fridges and freezers inside the store have been turned off since yesterday and the store smells “rancid”.
She said staff were rostered to work this morning and showed up as normal. When Ms Cassells arrived and opened the store at 8am she was greeted by a man sent to carry out “loss prevention”, who arranged for the perishable items to be taken from the store.
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Store manager Karen Cassells said staff have been treated “absolutely diabolical, there is no communication”.
She said a number of fridges and freezers inside the store have been turned off since yesterday and the store smells “rancid”.
She said staff were rostered to work this morning and showed up as normal. When Ms Cassells arrived and opened the store at 8am she was greeted by a man sent to carry out “loss prevention”, who arranged for the perishable items to be taken from the store.
“I came down this morning and opened the store at 8 o’clock.
“I was in the office doing the roster for next week, I had absolutely no idea,” she said.
“He said, ‘did you not get an email?’, and I knew instantly. None of us got emails and we all turned up for work today.
“I gave him the keys under duress, because I don’t know my position, and he said, ‘don’t take it out on me’,” she said.
In an email to all staff this morning Metron Stores Limited said: “In February 2023, it became clear that the business required significant restructuring and investment due to the ongoing losses being incurred.
“In this regard, we immediately commenced a process of cost and operational restructuring. A full line by line review of costs was carried out to ascertain whether any immediate cost reductions could be achieved.
“The focus was to maintain as many jobs insofar as possible, while ensuring unncessary costs were removed from the business.”
The email carried on to say, “unfortunately, the consequences of our review are that there is a requirement to close the Coolock store from 12:00 midnight, 20 June, 2023.
“Please be advised that at this time, it is with regret that we wish to inform you that your employment will be affected by the store closure and you will be temporarily laid off.”
Other Iceland stores, including the Northside store in Dublin, received this email on Tuesday night.
Iceland and Homesavers were contacted for comment.
