There once was a union maid, who never was afraid

Report on meeting to found support group for Joanne Delaney

At a meeting in Crumlin Village Tuesday evening (Feb 7th 2006), about 60 local activists and residents agreed to form a support group for Joanne Delaney, sacked by Dunnes Stores for wearing a trade union pin, last October. They also agreed to place a weekly picket on Dunnes Stores in the Ashleaf Centre starting next Saturday at 12 noon.

An image of Joanne Delaney was one of the last pictures on the top of the newswire of this site before the layout changed. She was a Mandate worker representative in Dunnes in Ashleaf in Crumlin last October when she was fired for wearing her union pin. An Irish owned retailer, Dunnes was famously involved in a pay off in 1997 to a Taoiseach (Haughey) and a minister (Lowry) leading to the wonder of Tribunal land. It achieved international notoriety in the 1980's as 11 workers stood firm for nearly three years over a Mandate member who was suspended for refusing to handle South African fruit during apartheid. It is heavily involved in both retailing and land deals around Dublin 12, both in the Ashleaf centre where Joanne worked and in the Crumlin and other shopping centres in the area.

In January Joanne's case was taken up by labourstart.org, an international trade union website which made its reputation during the dockers and other disputes in the 1990's. Dunnes management have received 5,200 emails of solidarity with Joanne as of Tuesday evening, according to Brendan Archibald from Mandate, who addressed the meeting in Crumlin tonight. The meeting had been called by the Community Workers Action group and there were contributions from the floor from the SP, SWP, WP and Labour activists along with speakers who identified themselves as being from ATGWU, SIPTU, MANDATE, and NBRU. But more importantly there was an understanding that this struggle was going to have to happen in Crumlin, at Joanne's place of work. She is demanding reinstatement and has cases of unfair dismissal and other support from her union.

The meeting was divided into two sections. Firstly Joanne gave the details of the case and Brendan spoke of the work done to date. There was mention of pickets that had taken place organised by groups in Dublin and Belfast, about questions in parliament and the Dail. The Dublin Council of Trade Unions and the City Council are due to discuss the sacking. Contributions from the floor were often angry, with many local people feeling it had taken a long time for this to become an issue in the area, whatever about media and international exposure. The Industrial Relations Act, Social Partnership and Dunnes management all got attacked as a range of groups and individuals intervened to express solidarity.

The second section was focussed on the founding of a support group and the agreement on an initial action by placing a picket on the shop in question. This is made more difficult by the large number of entrances to the centre, including through the carpark and the lack of a doorway onto a public street from the shop itself. It was agreed that rather than a rota over a longer period it would be more effective if a larger number picketed and were willing to move around a bit. People are due to meet at 12 at the Ashleaf Shopping Centre next Saturday 11th February 2006. Labour Youth also have a picket called for Friday afternoon, 1.45 at the shopping centre [time corrected - ed] and Organise! have a picket at 1 pm at the Park Centre in Belfast.

The mechanics of the suppport group filled the end of the meeting with a collection and sign up sheet circulated. Then Pat Dunne, from CWAG who had chaired the meeting, spoke a bit on the importance of the dispute and shared a Woodie Guthrie song he felt appropriate. When union density is falling (its only 40% in Joannes workplace) it's important to be proud of our trade unionism, it's history and symbols.

UNION MAID - By Woodie Guthrie

There once was a union maid, who never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sherriff
who made the raids
She went to the Union hall, When a meeting it was called,
And when the company boys came round, she always stood her ground

Chorus

Oh, you can't scare me, I'm stickin to the Union,
I'm stickin to the Union,
I'm stickin to the Union,
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm stickin to the Union
Till the day I die

This union maid was wise
To the tricks of the company spies
She'd never be fooled by the company stolls
She'd always organize the guys
She'd always get her way
When she struck for higher pay
She'd show her card to the National Guard
and this is what she'd say...

You women who want to be free
Take a little tip from me
break outa that mold we've all been sold, you got a fighting
history
The fight for women's rights, with workers must unite
Like Mother Jones, move those bones to the front of every
fight.

A woman's struggle is hard,
Even with a union card,
She's got to stand on her own two feet
And not be a servant of a male elite.
It's time to take a stand,
Keep working hand in hand,
There is a job that's got to be done

Related links:

• List of recent tribunals

Joan Collins and Pat Dunne with Joanne

Brendan Archibald talking to the crowd

Joanne wearing her union badge