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EVERY YEAR, BEMUSED tourists stand outside closed pubs in Temple Bar in Dublin on Good Friday.
They don’t understand or haven’t heard that there are two days in the calendar year that Irish pubs close – and one of them is around Easter time.
Publicans have long campaigned for the law to be scrapped. Every year, the Minister for Justice of the day is asked if it will happen on their watch.
Today, the two main representative groups, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) have called on the government to immediately introduce legislation to treat Good Friday as an ordinary trading day for pubs, restaurants and hotels.
Last year, they made a similar call, arguing that there was a particular impetus to lift the ban due to the 1916 centenary celebrations and the Ireland versus Switzerland friendly soccer international.
However, the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald didn’t budge on the issue and ruled out any changes.
Speaking at the launch of their campaign, Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA said the rationale for a change to the law was compelling.
He said the law hasn’t been changed in 90 years, stating that it is “no longer appropriate for a modern era”.
There is no case for the licensed trade to be treated differently to other retail businesses. Easter is a huge tourism weekend right across the country. Forcing pubs and all licensed hospitality businesses to close sends a very negative signal to tourists and visitors who are left baffled and disappointed by the measure.
Last year, O’Keeffe said tourists were dumbstruck to find that after paying for flights to Ireland, they could not buy a drink in an Irish bar.
“One man from the United States pointed out that in his country there was a separation of Church and State and that’s what one would expect in a modern democracy. Others pointed out the negative effect on local business. So this shows the fallacy of the government’s claim to be pro-business,” said O’Keeffe.
The group’s estimate businesses lose between €30 and €40 million by closing on Good Friday.
Padraig Cribben CEO of the VFI said the public view the law as being completely out-of-date and publicans believe there is broad support for the law to be amended.
In 2017, consumers should have the option to go out for a drink on Good Friday if they so choose. Indeed many are choosing to drink at home or organise house parties on the day. Friday itself is a very important trading day – for many publicans it accounts for 30% of their weekly business – and this is especially true of bank holiday weekends.
“Publicans have been engaging with politicians on this issue for the last six years but the constant response is the issue will be addressed as part of a new Sale of Alcohol Bill. It’s as if ministers are living in never-never land while the rest of us have to live in the real world,” he said.
Cribbens said now is the time for politicians to show the political will to make the change, and made an appeal to the Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald to introduce the necessary legislation in time for Easter 2017.
O’Keeffe said the groups have not received any negative feedback from either the unions or from health lobbyists on the issue.
He added that publicans are only campaigning for pubs to be allowed serve on Good Friday and said they were happy to remain closed on Christmas Day.
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Not very “Labour” to vote against workers rights I would have thought.
Exactly. They should be made rename the party. Pity there aren’t more TD’s like McNamara!
Fair play to him for sticking to his principles and trying to bring us in line with international law and best practice. Shame the government didn’t support him.
But he can’t do that and the government can’t have a vote on that because I think it was the E.C.J. has ruled that it is illegal not to let the Gardaí the right to strike. So the E.U. has told this government they are breaking the E.U. law not to allow them to strike.
This is done for show for this useless government, the squeak of the worm not the turn as the E.U. will never allow that… lol.
If the guards did go on strike, how could we tell ?
The sale of doughnuts would collapse , that would be a likely indicator .
There wont be 15 standing over your water meter when you get home.
I’m nearly sure this is the first time a government has voted against a ruling that came from the European social charter. It just goes to show the lack of respect they have for army and gardai . At the very least they could begin to allow such groups to negotiate on pay and conditions themselves. Leave the strike issue for another time when more thought is put into it. It’s now the situation where gardai and army personnel are 2nd class citizens in all but name and these are the very people we need when we are at our most vulnerable. Incredible really.
I think that SF/IRA would be in favour of all of the defence forces going on strike.
There is no SF/IRA and never was
#labour cant afford to lose any more politicians as they face wipeout in next election. Seems strange even being allowed to bring in a bill that your own party is going to vote against. anyway glad it failed for once. have no respect for the cops in this country, and now they are looking for tasers. God help us all.
Fair Play to him but I can’t help thinking that a lot of people will be unruly in FG and Labour coming up to election time to give appearance of going against status quo etc.
They shouldn’t be allowed to strike as should transport operators especially CIE members
Why not strike how the nurses do then?
The E.U. has said it is illegal for this government to prevent them from striking and the government knows this, the rest is just spin for the news media but why is the government doing this, electioneering or what?
Trying to get a fine off the European Union I’d say.. They are only delaying the inevitable
Trying to get fines off the European Union
Ireland are not the only nation
And Oranges are not the only fruit.
The Gardai and the armed forces are not regular citizens. They should by all means be paid what is fair given their responsibilities but they should never be allowed to undermine the authority of the state. The armed forces in particular are an army that are servants of the sovereign state and should be heavily penalised for even suggesting a strike.
If you want special rules about their employment shouldn’t there be special rules about their treatment.. I.e mandatory sentence for attack on garda/emergency services?
Lots of deli food would be left over cos no lads would be up to the garages at closing looking for the free scraps!
Dave the Army cannot go on strike, that’s called a mutiny and can lead to imprisonment and loss of employment. They cover whoever else goes on strike ie fire service, prison service, bin men etc. It’s a seven day week too and for a 24hr duty they get €48 before tax.
48 euro before tax is criminal. Are you aware of any other armed forces around the world that can take industrial action Sean?
What a joke, he brings in a bill and his own party don’t support it. If memory serves me correctly didn’t Peter Mathews bring forward a bill and then vote against it because the party told him to do so ? That is not democracy !!
Niamh I’m almost sure this is all armies but here the army is not allowed into meeting about pay or conditions and are not represented unlike the Guards, nurses, firemen & prison officers. They all have unions or a representative body to fight their corner. The EU has said it is against EU law to not allow the military into pay meetings, yet this government just went against this finding.
Sean gardai are not allowed in to those meetings either. They have to employ a trade union to go in and do there bidding for them. Like the lads in the army they are treated like 2nd class citizens. Disgraceful
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