One Year On Éirígí Stands With Debenhams Workers By Highlighting KPMG Role
Éirígí Baile Ath Cliath activists today (April 9th) showed their support for the Debenhams workers with a banner drop outside of KPMG Ireland’s head office on Harcourt Street. The action came on the one year anniversary of the sacking of up to 1,000 workers by the British retailer.
Speaking outside of the KPMG offices, Éirígí activist Eoin O’Se, said, “This day one year ago, a thousand Debenahams workers were told by email that their jobs no longer existed. Worse was to follow when it became clear that management were refusing to honour a redundancy agreement that they had entered into with MANDATE, the workers trade union, in 2016.
The unilateral abandonment of the 2016 agreement by Debenhams management saw the workers redundancy packages slashed to just the legal bare minimum. In a particularly cruel twist, this meant that those who had loyally served the company the longest were the ones who were most severely financially impacted by Debenhams betrayal.
Éirígí Galway standing in solidarity with the Debenhams workers in January
Today we are highlighting the role that KPMG have played in the systematic shafting of the Debenhams workers. As the appointed liquidator it was within their remit and ability to engage with the workers to find a settlement that all sides could live with.
Instead, they entered the negotiations with MANDATE in bad faith, using the talks to project the illusion of flexibility and movement, when in fact there was none. Their ‘offer’ to the workers was nothing short of an insult.
KPMG are one of the ‘big four’ global accountancy firms. Along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PWC they dominate the provision of accounting, taxation, auditing, legal, financial and other services to many of the world largest multinationals.
In countries across the globe these four companies have developed complex systems and processes to bolster the profits of their corporate customers. In many instances this is done through the exploitation of workers and by paying as little tax as possible.
Collectively they are a hugely important cog in the in machine of modern international capitalism - they are one of the means by which the global elite grow ever richer and richer.
The rewards that they are paid for their services are simply staggering. In 2020 the ‘big four’ had a combined revenues of over €150,000,000,000. This is what the Irish Debenhams workers were up against. A global behemoth that had no interest or care for their years of hard service or their futures.
Of course, KPMG only did what it did because they were allowed to by the government. The government for their part did what the gombeen politicians always do — they stood back and pretended it had nothing to do with them, while in fact they control the legal framework that is allowing Debanhams and KPMG to betray the workers.
Today Éirígí salutes the formidable determination and courage that the Debenhams workers have shown over the last year - their fortitude and dignity in the face of a global pandemic, a disloyal employer, a spineless political establishment and a global monster that liquidates workers labour into bosses profits.
And we continue to stand with them in demanding that their former employers, KPMG and the government recognise their legitimate claim to a fair redundancy package in line with their 2016 agreement.”