One of the country’s best-known trade unions, Mandate, has suffered a decline in membership of almost a third over five years, its latest returns to the Registry of Friendly Societies indicate.
According to the figures provided by the union, Mandate had 20,257 members at the end of 2024, down from 29,250 in 2020 and 32,041 two years before that.
With high turnover long a feature in the retail sector, the union continues to recruit significant numbers of new members with 3,238 admissions recorded throughout 2024, but this was outweighed by the 4,985 who left.
The decline is broadly similar across both genders. And by the end of the year, there were 14,242 female and 6,015 male members.
RM Block
The union’s accounts for 2024 show members’ contributions – which comprise more than 90 per cent of income – falling from €3.86 million to €3.79 million.
A range of outgoings were also cut over the year, however, with administrative costs, including staff salaries, falling from €3.33 million to €3.08 million and total outgoings falling from €4.4 million to €4.1 million.
The union recorded an operating deficit for the year of €109,489. Net current assets reduced from €2.3 million to €2.1 million and reserves, in the form of an accumulated fund, declined from €9.7 million to €9.6 million.
Mandate was formed in 1994 as a result of a merger between the Irish Distributive and Administrative Trade Union and the Irish National Union of Vintners’, Grocers’ and Allied Trades Assistants, both of which had long histories. Mandate traditionally represented workers in the retail and bar sectors.
It is understood to have had about 22,000 members at the time of its establishment, but this was reported to have grown to 40,000 during its first decade after the merger.
Since then, however, it has faced big challenges as substantial sections of retail have declined and significant employers like Clery’s, Arcadia, Argos and Debenham’s closed.
In the latter instance, almost 1,000 jobs were lost, the majority of them members of the union and though Mandate fought a long campaign to secure better redundancy terms, the case highlighted the limitations of what could be achieved under the legislation and sometimes exposed tensions between the union’s activists and officials.
The pub sector, meanwhile, has become increasingly non-union.
Mandate still has significant numbers of members, the largest players in the traditional grocery sector. But the difficulties it faces with Tesco and Dunnes are highlighted by the fact that the most recent claims it lodged with both firms included clauses seeking access to workplaces for its officials and/or collective bargaining rights.
One of its officials told a meeting at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ conference in Belfast last week that Tesco continues to exclude its officials from the company’s premises. And it is understood there have been issues over the processing of membership subscriptions from payroll by the company.
“Tesco is the only food retailer in Ireland to recognise trade unions across all its stores,” said a company spokeswoman. While negotiations last year did not reach agreement, “we continue to remain open to re-engaging”, she said.
“Colleagues continue to have access to representation if, and when, required,” she added.
Mandate was at one point involved in talks over a possible three-way merger with the Communication Workers’ Union and the Financial Services Union, although it is not clear how far the process got.
It was worse hit than many unions by the pandemic as thousands of shops closed for lengthy periods.
In 2019, Mandate recorded a small surplus, €140,512, but the following year this had turned into a deficit of €295,733 and net assets have reduced by more than €1 million since.
It has also encountered some internal turbulence with general secretary Gerry Light, who succeeded John Douglas, stepping down after just three years. The union then took a year to appoint a full-time successor amid internal political strife.
Long-serving official Lorraine O’Brien was eventually appointed to the role in late 2024. The union declined to respond to questions put to it by The Irish Times.
