Madam, – If our media and Cabinet politicians continue to trot out the PR spin that new supermarkets create new jobs then it’s no wonder that they did not see our financial crisis coming down the tracks.
Certainly, some short-term jobs will be created in the construction phase, but it is obvious that any major new supermarket will displace existing businesses while using fewer workers. In the case of Tesco, its 748 “new jobs” will displace more than 748 existing jobs. In a perverse way the taxpayer will be subsidising these “new jobs” by giving a PRSI holiday to the employer of people on the dole and by paying the dole and part of the redundancy payment to those displaced by the “new jobs”.
Then there is the adverse effect on town centres to be considered. But local authorities will facilitate these developments for their planning fees, for their capital contribution to services and for ongoing rates income.
Finally, supply lines will be extended and the opportunities for selling local produce will be reduced. Whatever the outcome, let us have honest reporting and analysis of these “new jobs”. – Yours, etc,