The interim general secretary at one of the country’s largest trade unions, Mandate, is to step down over the coming weeks as the organisation continues it search for a permanent successor to Gerry Light.
The union, which says it represents 40,000 people, mainly in the retail sector, has been without a permanent general secretary since late last year when Mr Light departed and Jonathan Hogan, his deputy, stepped into the role on an interim basis.
The post was advertised in September but Mr Hogan did not apply and despite a number of candidates having reportedly been interviewed, no appointment has been made.
The union has faced a challenging time in recent years, in part because of the changing landscape in the retail sector with the closure of Debenhams, for instance, having cost it hundreds of members in one go.
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It has also found it harder to organise in areas such as supermarket multiples amid increased resistance from management.
Pay in the sector remains generally low despite basic wages having been driven up somewhat by competition for staff and research carried out by the union last year suggested a key issue was the relatively low number of hours full-time staff tended to work, something that contributed to keeping average weekly earnings down.
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The union is part of the recently launched Respect at Work campaign run in conjunction with Siptu and the Financial Services Union. The campaign launched a new video on Wednesday intended to highlight the issue of victimisation of staff in some workplaces where they have tried to organise staff.
The launch coincides with a hustings of candidates in the European elections due to take place at 6pm on Wednesday evening at the offices of the Communication Workers’ Union in Dublin.
In a statement on Wednesday, the union said that “on the May 26th, 2024, Jonathan Hogan announced that he would be standing down in eight weeks’ time as interim general secretary to take up a role in the semi-State sector following 16½ years working for the union.
“The recruitment process for the role of the general secretary of Mandate, this is still ongoing and is a matter for Mandate’s national executive council to complete.”
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