It was not quite a sterling day for the ailing Tesco, finally eclipsed as the State’s largest grocer by SuperValu, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel.

But it is another supermarket giant, Dunnes Stores, which is really feeling the heat these days.

The Mandate union plans to escalate industrial action over low-hour contracts and union negotiating rights.

While the company makes no public comment on its affairs, it is a given that any stoppage cuts right into its bottom line at a time of high competition in the market.

There is more. Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger has been quoted by thejournal.ie saying the nationalisation of Dunnes would have to be considered in a situation where the company is reported to be threatening the jobs of striking workers.

Dunnes’ demeaning employment practices have – quite rightly – drawn acute criticism. But this seems more than a little over the top.

It turns out, however, that Coppinger was answering a rather pointed question.

Although she did indeed respond in the affirmative to the “nationalisation” query, Dunnes would not be top of the Socialist Party’s list of candidates for State ownership.

That particular slot is reserved for the banks, the target of blanket (and exceedingly costly) nationalisations in the aftermath of the crash.

Dunnes must be thinking that Tesco is having an easy time of it – and SuperValu must be smiling at them both.