Mullingar man left ‘worse than reeling’ after Tesco decision

A Mullingar man was left “worse than reeling” this week after being told that he is one of 98 people across the country affected by the decision of Tesco to contract out its security services.

Informed last Tuesday that Tesco was to make the change by the end of this month, James McGrath was devastated.

“I’m totally stressed: the anxiety of the thing is huge,” says James, the only staff member in Mullingar who holds the role of RSO (retail security officer).

“Since I was told last Tuesday, I pretty much have not set foot in the place: I’ve been out sick with stress.”

He and the others affected have been told they have three options: apply for one of a limited number of severance packages available; apply for redeployment to another position in their store, if available; or to transfer to OCS security services.

Workers have been told that if they transfer to the incoming security firm, under the Transfer of Undertakings protocol, they are entitled to be employed under the same conditions or better – there are some substantial concerns.

“Already we have been told that first of all, our clubcard is gone – that gives us a 10 per cent discount, which does come in handy; we won’t be in the Tesco pension scheme any more; I know it’s only small but Tesco do staff lunches for just €1.50, and it all adds up; we have a ‘save as you earn’ scheme; that’s going to be taken off us. There’s a list of things we are going to lose out on.”

Among the things that is worrying James is the loss of a death-in-service benefit, which would provide for his wife if he were to die.

Tesco has been practically his entire working life to date says Dublin native James, who, with his wife, bought a house in Lakepoint six years ago.

“I’m living in Mullingar over 20 years, and when I first moved here, I worked for another security company that worked in Tesco and Tesco actually asked me to take a job in Dundalk as one of their own security officers. I was there for two years and then to get closer to home, I moved to the new Roscommon store at the time for a year and then finally to Mullingar, where I was living.

“You kind of feel alone,” he said, adding that it was impossible – as the only Mullingar person affected – not to be able to avoid the feeling of having been “nitpicked”.

However, he says, the support from colleagues in Mullingar has been “really really brilliant”.

“They have been really supportive and I have been getting messages all week off them all – and from customers too, believe it or not, sending me messages on Messenger as well. Everybody has been brilliant – but they are concerned too: if they can do that to me, they can do that tot hem down the road.”

A meeting between Tesco and the trade unions SIPTU and Mandate is to take place this Thursday.

“We are going to fight this all the way,” says James.