Pat McDonnell Paints Suspends Worker Over Wearing An Easter Lily Badge
A worker at Pat McDonnell Paints in Blanchardstown, North Dublin has been suspended for not removing an Easter Lily badge, following weeks of pressure and intimidation from management.
The incident began in early May, when the worker was called to a meeting about signing a new contract. Management had been holding a series of such meetings to push changes to staff pay and conditions for part-time staff. When the worker challenged management’s claims that other staff were happy with these changes, the tone of the meeting shifted.
During the discussion, the worker was wearing an Easter Lily. Near the end of the meeting, the manager said: “What did I say about Palestinian symbols? You’ll have to remove it.” After the worker explained that it was an Easter Lily and its significance, the manager replied that he would “check about that” presumably with his superior.
A few days later, in mid‑May, the worker received a text instructing him “not to wear any badges other than your name badge.” That weekend, with no management present, he continued to wear the Easter Lily.
The following week the worker was called to the manager’s office. A disputed allegation about timekeeping was raised, and immediately afterwards the manager claimed that “a member of staff” had reported him for wearing a badge other than his name badge. The worker believes management either asked a colleague to monitor him or checked CCTV footage to confirm he was wearing the Easter Lily.
When he acknowledged wearing it, the manager said the issue would “go to disciplinary” and told him to go back to the floor, only then to call him back moments later to discuss the date of the disciplinary hearing. The manager then ordered the worker to remove the Easter Lily he was wearing; when he refused, he was suspended with pay and given written confirmation.
At the disciplinary meeting two days later, the worker - following advice from the Independent Workers Union (IWU) - requested an adjournment due to the absence of union representation.
This is not the first time Pat McDonnell Paints has targeted workers over political or cultural symbols. The same worker had previously been told to remove a Palestinian badge as management claimed one of the Directors would not like them wearing it, as another worker - who also wore a Palestinian symbol was told to remove it by said Director - that worker soon left over an unrelated dispute.
This demonstrates that Pat McDonnell Paints is a workplace that is hostile to symbols of remembrance and solidarity. The company also appears to have a workplace culture where workers who assert their rights or resist management’s attempts to worsen conditions are singled out under the guise of “company policy.”
Workers should never be persecuted for remembering our Republican dead, especially in a month of major anniversaries that hold deep cultural and historical significance across Ireland. This attempt to police such symbols, while simultaneously pushing through employer favoured conditions, speaks volumes about the company’s priorities: anti‑worker, anti‑solidarity, and anti‑Republican.