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LAST UPDATE | 5 Aug 2021
ELECTRIC PICNIC ORGANISERS have called on the government to “immediately issue reopening guidelines” for the live music sector.
Nightlife group Give Us the Night has also written a letter to members of the government calling for a guarantee to the reopening of the night-time industry.
In a statement, the Electric Picnic organising team said it was “extremely disappointed” after the event was yesterday refused a licence by Laois County Council.
The organisers are reviewing the available options and will be in contact directly with ticket holders over the next week, the statement said.
“We now call upon all members of government to interrupt their summer recess and immediately issue reopening guidelines, as we have being calling for, with a reopening date for the sector of the 16th August on a phased basis, building to the implementation of no restrictions from 1st September 2021 onwards,” it added.
Caroline Desmond of music promoter MCD, which is involved in Electric Picnic, said events attended by 100,000 people are taking place in the UK and the US.
“In Ireland we are still socially distancing with 500 people in a field, with no roadmap or anything.
“So, I think what’s happened with EP is: everything that we have been asked to do, we have all done. And it’s still not enough,” Desmond told the News at One on RTÉ.
Our sector just seems to be totally irrelevant in the picture at the moment. We have been the longest closed, and we have no idea what’s happening.
Musician Niall Breslin said Electric Picnic being refused a licence was particularly keenly felt in the live entertainement sector.
“I’m really close to a lot of people in the industry, and people I would work with in events teams and sound engineers and roadies and crew, yesterday had a particular kick,” Breslin said.
“It really hit them because there was huge hope that, even if we get a few weeks in the summer, wouldn’t that be worth it. Wouldn’t it be great to see each other again,” he added.
The founder of Give us the Night, Sunil Sharpe, yesterday wrote a letter to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Culture Catherine Martin calling for a guarantee to the reopening of Ireland’s nightlife.
The group, which represents venues and workers in the Irish night-time sector, has accused the government of not having concrete plans in place for the return of events and venues.
The letter called for a number of changes including a guarantee of non-socially distanced trial events in September, a lift on the ban on dancing at live events and on live/loud music, and the reopening of live events including music venues and nightclubs no later than the beginning of October.
It also called for later closing hours instead of the current 11.30pm cutoff and government-funded training for event and venue staff to handle enforcing Covid-19 regulations.
The letter criticised the government’s response to reopening the sector as “inadequate, inflexible and lacking a basic understanding of how the industry works”.
“Our industry is facing existential difficulties that must be met by a range of Government interventions and emergency help,” Sharpe wrote in the letter.
“The coming months, and in particular the last quarter of the year, is a crucial period in the calendar for venues and even organisers, and it is now vital that the Government allows us to plan for this period.”
On tour
Meanwhile, the UK government announced that its musicians and performers will be able to tour in a number of European countries including Ireland without the need for a visa or work permit.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) said it has negotiated with 19 EU Member State countries to allow British musicians and performers to conduct short tours visa-free.
These countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
It comes after months of campaigning from musicians such as Elton John and Ed Sheeran on the issue of post-Brexit touring, with John previously warning the rules threatened “a generation of talent”.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
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I’m sure the staff are “extremely disappointed” that they’ve had to go on strike at Christmas too. So before anyone starts union-bashing, I know from experience that no one enjoys being on strike without pay at any time of the year but it’s often a last resort. Hopefully it’s resolved swiftly.
@Pascal Coleman: Good luck to the staff. Don’t cross the picket people!
@Pascal Coleman: I thought I heard before that one of the reasons employees contribute a small portion of their pay to union membership is so that they union can subsidise the strikers when on strike and pay them something extent when they are on strike?
@Simon Carroll: Yes , as it should be. Unfortunately it is only pittance , also depends on how long strike lasts. If costumers do not cross the picket line , an Tesco profits suffer… They will not be long in resolving this dispute. Support the striking workers.. Do Not Pass The Picket.
I fully support the staff here, Tesco have a reputation for screwing their staff over and dishonorable work practices in general. Not to mention they don’t give a rats ass about their customers which is evident by the overall presentation of most stores, the general lack of staff in same and the over reliance on “self scan” checkouts wherin they take away a job and offer no cost saving whatsoever to the customer. I’ll continue to shop at lidl thank you where they at the very least pay the living wage.
@Frank Lee: per square ft in shops Tesco hire more staff, and as Tesco do not use central distribution to such a large degree so local supplies still have a chance in Tesco.
@Frank Lee: you complain about the lack of staff in Tesco but yet you shop somewhere that employs less! That’s a bit strange.
@Frank Lee: as someone who has worked for 15 years for that company in the past o don’t know where you getting your info from. Yes they have had falling out with pre 1996 staff over redundancy but trust me they are far from the worst!! We would often get the mandate magazine into each store and left in the canteen and it was always a certain Irish supermarket that was plastered throughout having wronged it’s staff or up in the wrc to the point were I was glad in never took a position there . I have also heard first hand accounts from various managers who worked with me who also worked with this company about the treatment of staff
@Frank Lee: and screwing their customers . Anyone who shops in Tesco and doesn’t focus their Monday on the price displayed as against the price on their bill needs to wake up.
@Terry Cahill: minds
@Frank Lee: Tesco staff have banded guaranteed hour contracts, Do Lidl? Tesco pay premium time for Sunday and early morning & double time for Sundays in December Do Lidl? Tesco have a save as you earn scheme for staff and a great pension, do Lidl? Tesco have subsidised staff food offers, do Lidl? Tesco give staff a 10% discount card, Do Lidl? Tesco allow staff to use money off vouchers as well as the discount card, do Lidl?…
@Fergus Sheahan: They got rid of the drivers, they are kings of the zero contrat and all of it and they make millions. Look at all the Christmas stuff. British Cheeses and all the rest of it.
@Trev: Is that why the staff in my local tesco buy their lunch at the counter or used to buy it in the local spar but it closed. How long are you a management lackey
@Gary Kearney: they have banded contracts not zero contracts! BANDED contracts are what unions would like EVERY other retailer in Ireland to have.. TESCO have them. They do sell some British CHEESE that’s true but also they sell cheese from Italy, Spain, France, IRELAND!! & other places too, You do realise Irish companies sell their products outside Ireland also don’t you?
@Gary Kearney: christ Gary you talk some rubbish. There are literally no zero hour contracts in Tesco. Stop talking crap. Yes, staff may be buying lunch from the counter, but they get it at a discounted rate. Come back when you know what your talking about.
I fully support the staff also. Tesco have no response to the unions and try to influence the new /summer or Christmas staff not to join the union. They still want rid of pre 96 staff that is left.sorry Tesco but you operate in ireland so you need to abide by the laws of ireland not UK.
@Eddie Mc Keown: The only difference for new staff is that they are not automatically entered into the union. It’s up to them to make the decision of whether they wish to join or not.
@Skimothy: how are you now,after your frontal lobotomy?
@Thomas Devlin: good one Tom. Good one.
Let’s not start “Union bashing” or ” Tesco” bashing. I’ve been worker in situations where the union has helped genuine workers with grievances and I’ve been working in situations were lazy workers have hidd behind a union. I don’t know what the situation is with this particular case but all I do know is when Tesco opened in my local area they employed alot of local people and most of them still seem to be working there and semm happy enough. By the way I’m no Tesco fan. I shop in Tesco, Lidl, Aldi & Supervalue- wherever I can get the best prices. You have a choice on where you shop and you have a choice on where you work. Good luck to the workers if these are genuine grievances but let’s have a balanced approach when commenting…
I most certainly will not be shopping in Tesco when they have total disregard for the wishes of the staff and they wish to be represented by Mandate Union . We need to support the Tesco staff
Boycott.Boycott ..
@Margaret ODwyer: ive read the article and the various comments but I am none the wiser on what the actual dispute or grievance is about – i get all the Tesco Bashing / Union bashing whingers – but what EXACTLY is the issue and grievance that is causing them to take the most extreme action a union can take in striking ? anyone ?
Stick to Dunnes and Supervlau
Anyone doubting the strikers here should have a read of Joanna Blythmans book on the practices of tesco and their competitors…. they can well afford to pay staff a decent wage
@Jessie Ginger: they do.
**wont
***wont
Ahh Bless
I’m sure the workers are “disappointed that TESCO engage with the union
I refuse to use the the scan your own lark nor the self service unless in dire emergency. Why as they take jobs. Next they will want us to stack the shelves and unload the trucks too.
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