Pat(supermacs) on Joe.ie....shut up and do your bit for Ireland

Doom · 14-10-2010 10:20PM #1

Pat McDonagh: economic fall-out

07/10/2010 1:36 pm

Pat McDonagh went from school teacher to one of Ireland’s most successful business leaders. This week, he looks at the fall-out of Ireland’s economic problems.
Pat McDonagh went from school teacher to one of Ireland’s most successful and respected business leaders.
His flagship enterprise, Supermac's, currently has a turnover in excess of €83m and has over 2,500 employees in just under 100 branches. Today it serves an average of over 320,000 customers a week.
In the latest installment of his exclusive JOE.ie column Pat looks at the mishandling of the Irish economy – and at who is going to pick up the tab.
Ben Dunne recently went on record as saying that the whole political system will have to be torn down and rebuilt from the bottom up, and I would have to agree. So much cronyism, crookedness and outright dishonesty has crept in over the past decades that there doesn’t seem to be any other option.
Figures were recently released detailing the amount of money paid by the Government to various firms for legal advice on the issue of the banking crisis and the fate of Anglo Irish. In total close to €40 million was paid out. Arthur Cox was the biggest recipient – earning in the region of €10 million. The figures involved are disgraceful.
Further down the list of recipients was Deloitte & Touche – who had previously worked for Anglo. The Irish Government then decided to pay the firm some colossal amount for giving advice. So here you had a situation where the auditors of Anglo Irish Bank, who should have seen the recklessness that was going on there, were going back and being paid to give advice to the Government on how to deal with a bank where they hadn’t seen the problem in the first place.
With regard to the economy – things may improve, but there will be a fair bit of pain in the meantime. I feel sorry for a lot of the ordinary people who have got tied into massive mortgages and are now finding it difficult to pay because they have lost their jobs.

Never in the history of the state has there been such a need for leadership, and never has there been such a lack of it.

Freefall, on RTE, has been looking at some of the reasons why this happened. It gave the wages of three major chief executives – the head of AIB was on €70,000 per week, a bank of Ireland CEO was on €80,000 while David Drum at Anglo Irish was on €90,000 a week – not including expenses. €90,000 per week works out as €4.6 million per year. When you add on a couple of hundred thousand for expenses, you’re looking at an annual salary of €5 million a year.
Never in the history of the state has there been such a need for leadership, and never has there been such a lack of it.
Now, I know a guy who is self-employed, business is down for him and he has been struggling to make ends meet. He owed a couple of thousand in taxes and the sheriff was called out. He came home from work to find the sheriff waiting for him. The sheriff asked him to sign a form allowing them to take his car and the next morning they came back and took it.
Contrast that to people like Michael Fingleton with his €27 million – who were actually party to the problem and who are now walking from the scene with huge pensions. It’s hard for a normal guy not to lose it when the sheriff comes out to take his car. The weaker in society are going to be most affected at the end of the day. That’s just the way the system works.
The Government at present isn’t taking the steps needed to rectify the situation and I also don’t think the opposition are going to be able to do it. Unless something happens in the next couple of months I can see the IMF coming in to take control. I think it’s going to come down to a situation where someone will have to come in from outside to tell us the steps that have to be taken and lay out how the country will need to be run from here on in. No political party want s to take the tough decisions needed to rectify the situation because they know well they will be hammered at the next election.
Never in the history of the state has there been such a need for leadership, and never has there been such a lack of it.

http://www.joe.ie/business-money/business/pat-mcdonagh-economic-fall-out-2-005951-1

So Pat, do your bit for the country Why don't you hire some Irish people, or at least do it pro rata.....10% foreign workers 90% Irish...and thats been generous to the non nations, cause non nationals account for less than 10% of the working polulation

Absurdum · 14-10-2010 10:21PM

well Pat, since you can't make a decent chip, stick your advice up yo hoop

galwayrush · 14-10-2010 10:22PM

Doom wrote: »

So Pat, do your bit for the country Why don't you hire some Irish people, or at least do it pro rata.....10% foreign workers 90% Irish...and thats been generous to the non nations, cause non nationals account for less than 10% of the working polulation

I'd say he hires the best from those who apply to work there.:rolleyes:

alwaysadub · 14-10-2010 10:26PM

Sure Supermacs were actually brought to court a couple of months ago for paying their non Irish workers less than they were paying their Irish workers. I know for a fact my local Supermacs has one part time Irish person working there and that's it. In saying that, they're sh1t to work for anyway.

stovelid · 14-10-2010 10:27PM

HINT: skip the long bit and go to the end.

Summary: Dey're Turking Our Jobs.

/end

Grimreaper666 · 14-10-2010 10:32PM

alwaysadub wrote: »

Sure Supermacs were actually brought to court a couple of months ago for paying their non Irish workers less than they were paying their Irish workers. I know for a fact my local Supermacs has one part time Irish person working there and that's it. In saying that, they're sh1t to work for anyway.

And that's how they make money.........I don't know why people buy their stuff, it's sh!te, I went there once and I nearly threw up, their stuff is well off the mark.

Sponge Bob · 14-10-2010 10:35PM

Is Pat involved in that Chinatown by Athlone scheme ?? He owns some land there, see item 4 on this list

southsiderosie · 14-10-2010 10:42PM

Doom wrote: »

So Pat, do your bit for the country Why don't you hire some Irish people, or at least do it pro rata.....10% foreign workers 90% Irish...and thats been generous to the non nations, cause non nationals account for less than 10% of the working polulation

Wow, in a long article detailing how utterly corrupt the political system is, your takeaway is about foreign workers. Yes, it's all the Poles' fault that the economy is ****e, rabble rabble.

Oh, BTW, non-nationals were definitely not less than 10% of the working population..they were more than 30% of hotel and restaurant workers at the peak of the boom.

Dudess · 14-10-2010 10:43PM

I once had a Supermacs burger - mmmm... jizz-tastic.

galwayrush · 14-10-2010 10:46PM

Dudess wrote: »

I once had a Supermacs burger - mmmm... jizz-tastic.

That's what jizz tastes like ? :eek::eek::eek:

someuser905 · 14-10-2010 10:48PM

i dont like their chips, burgers are ok, infact good fast food chips are rare

brendansmith · 14-10-2010 10:57PM

galwayrush wrote: »

I'd say he hires the best from those who apply to work there.:rolleyes:

He only hires the ultra elite.

colly10 · 14-10-2010 10:59PM

southsiderosie wrote: »

Oh, BTW, non-nationals were definitely not less than 10% of the working population..they were more than 30% of hotel and restaurant workers at the peak of the boom.

The working population consists of more than just the hotel and restaurant workers. Foreign born residents made up about 15% of the total population in 2006 so saying they make up around 10% of the working population now is probably spot on

colly10 · 14-10-2010 11:01PM

someuser905 wrote: »

i dont like their chips, burgers are ok, infact good fast food chips are rare

I don't think they exist unless you'd class somewhere like bobo's as fast food. It's hard to get decent chips, even from a takeaway

admiralofthefleet · 14-10-2010 11:02PM

the one in blackrock used to offer the staff a room in the flat overhead if they took a reduction in wages

squod · 14-10-2010 11:02PM

Another cash only restaurant near me. Getting seriously pissed with cafe's and restaurants like supermacs not accepting debit cards. I rarely get a receipt now either.

Do revenue ever eat in these places?

phasers · 14-10-2010 11:04PM

Supermacs is absolutely disgusting, I'm not listening to a man who calls that crap food

OPENROAD · 14-10-2010 11:05PM

colly10 wrote: »

The working population consists of more than just the hotel and restaurant workers. Foreign born residents made up about 15% of the total population in 2006 so saying they make up around 10% of the working population now is probably spot on

Well it was 10% in 2007, so must have been a 5% drop from 2006 to 2007

HavingCrack · 14-10-2010 11:09PM

Doom wrote: »

So Pat, do your bit for the country Why don't you hire some Irish people, or at least do it pro rata.....10% foreign workers 90% Irish...and thats been generous to the non nations, cause non nationals account for less than 10% of the working polulation

Back in the boom Irish people had zero interest in working in somewhere like Supermacs. I suppose you could withdraw from the EU and that'd get rid of all those pesky Poles :pac:

whitelightrider · 14-10-2010 11:16PM

Just as well this is in After Hours. Has anyone here ever worked for Pat or for Supermacs? I did when I was 16 and his company was the starting ground for a lot of us. He was the only one to hire us as "kids". The work was hard but the money was pretty good.
And the reason he hires a lot of foreign workers now? Because they want the work. Us Irish got too used to having plenty of cash and wouldnt lower ourselves to that kind of work. Now that things have turned around we're giving out that the "foreigners" have our jobs. Pathetic. They're not our jobs. Supermacs has hired the people who wanted to work. Simple as.
And no, I dont work for Supermacs any more. But am thankful for the start I was given.

colly10 · 14-10-2010 11:16PM

OPENROAD wrote: »

Well it was 10% in 2007, so must have been a 5% drop from 2006 to 2007

True, in May 2007 RTE quoted it as 10% of the total population

southsiderosie · 14-10-2010 11:21PM

colly10 wrote: »

The working population consists of more than just the hotel and restaurant workers. Foreign born residents made up about 15% of the total population in 2006 so saying they make up around 10% of the working population now is probably spot on

Supermacs is in the hotel and restaurant industry, which is why I used that number.

Foreign nationals tend to be younger and have higher levels of workforce participation than natives. So whatever percentage of the total population they are, they are generally a higher percentage of the workforce - this is particularly true for Eastern Europeans.

Hyperbullet · 14-10-2010 11:48PM

Where in that interview was "shut up and do your bit for Ireland" stated?

Sure they employ a lot of foreign workers, because no Irish person wants to work there it seems, people would rather be unemployed and gripe and moan about the state of things here. We lost all sense of what employment is here during the "boom" years, and this elitist sense of looking down on others working in the fast food industry and other sectors grew. Its utter tripe. If I lost my job in the morning I'd have no problem throwing my cv into Macdonalds or Supermacs if it gave me an opportunity to earn a wage every week. People need some perspective.

maxxie · 14-10-2010 11:57PM

question beside the point sorry, but why does the sherriff pay a percentage to the queen to this day?

mikemac · 15-10-2010 12:02AM

Hyperbullet wrote: »

Sure they employ a lot of foreign workers, because no Irish person wants to work there it seems, people would rather be unemployed and gripe and moan about the state of things here.

Maybe but enough of the blanket statements.
I asked a foreign lady for an application in McDonalds, Headford Road, Galway in 2005, Celtic Tiger era and got rejected by the manager, they were fully staffed, fair enough though **** all Irish staff there.
College student, worked years in minimum wage jobs and many Irish people think other Irish people won't work these jobs.

In the end I got another job in Galway as a hotel porter, mopping floors, manning reception, washing dishes and cleaning toilets.

And yet again, posters here think Irish people won't work these jobs? Why?
Have you ever worked in a hotel with 18 full time staff, 16 foreign and two Irish and felt uncomfortable when staff chat away in reception in their own language?
Who worked these jobs before mass immigration? Yes, Irish people did

Hyperbullet · 15-10-2010 12:21AM

feelingstressed wrote: »

Maybe but enough of the blanket statements.
I asked a foreign lady for an application in McDonalds, Headford Road, Galway in 2005, Celtic Tiger era and got rejected by the manager, they were fully staffed, fair enough though **** all Irish staff there.
College student, worked years in minimum wage jobs and many Irish people think other Irish people won't work these jobs.

In the end I got another job in Galway as a hotel porter, mopping floors, manning reception, washing dishes and cleaning toilets.

And yet again, posters here think Irish people won't work these jobs? Why?
Have you ever worked in a hotel with 18 full time staff, 16 foreign and two Irish and felt uncomfortable when staff chat away in reception in their own language?
Who worked these jobs before mass immigration? Yes, Irish people did

A very valid point, yet in an age where mass immigration is nationwide, why aren't more Irish people filling positions that were vacated by other Irish? My issue here stems from my own experience of people I know in Galway that are unemployed and seeking work that turn their nose up at the notion of working in any fast food restaurant. I don't understand the mentality.

I admit my previous post was a bit of a blanket statement, but there's no denying that the mentality among Irish people in general exists.

On your other point about working in a place where there are a minimal amount of Irish staff: You're totally right up to a point. I worked temporary Christmas shifts in Dunnes a few years back where I was the only Irish lad on the floor. It was horrible at the time, had to sit through lunch on my own, had no craic at all, but I was happy with the money I got afterwards. Would I go through it again if I lost my job, damn right. It'd be crap but at least I'd have some income to give myself an outlet to have a social life outside of the workplace.

mikemac · 15-10-2010 12:31AM

A fair reply Hyperbullet, thank you

There are Irish people on the dole who would reject any job stocking shelves or working in a hotel/fast food.
Likewise, there are Irish people getting rejected and wondering how non national staff are getting jobs and they are not. And if they get a job then being the only Irish person on a shift and feeling excluded from coversations in a foreign language is horrible. Maybe the only Irish person is a team of eight, a stranger in your own country

In every country in Europe, some people are lazy and some are some incredibly hard working. Some are wasters and some are legends at work.

I don't like blanket statements, that's all

Amhran Nua · 15-10-2010 01:29AM

Hyperbullet wrote: »

A very valid point, yet in an age where mass immigration is nationwide, why aren't more Irish people filling positions that were vacated by other Irish?

The positions are generally closed after being vacated. During the boom we had around 1% long term unemployment, and before 2004, floors were still swept, burgers were still served, and toilets were still cleaned. We have a well motivated and capable workforce here, cries of "lazy Irish" are utter nonsense.

K-9 · 15-10-2010 01:49AM

Amhran Nua wrote: »

The positions are generally closed after being vacated. During the boom we had around 1% long term unemployment, and before 2004, floors were still swept, burgers were still served, and toilets were still cleaned. We have a well motivated and capable workforce here, cries of "lazy Irish" are utter nonsense.

True, catering became less attractive for Irish people though with the boom in construction and finance.

As for the OP, Jaysus, talk about missing the point.

skelliser · 15-10-2010 01:57AM

what exactly is the issue here?!

every single thing he said in the article is 100% true. Although its nothing we didnt know already.

D-Generate · 15-10-2010 02:28AM

OP does not seem to possess reading comprehension skills as this article in no way suggests that Pat McDonagh tells the affected citizens to "shut up and do your bit for Ireland". On the contrary he seems to be largely sympathetic to the average Joe on the street and critical of inefficiencies in government spending.

OP if you are unemployed I suggest you get a book that covers how to obtain information from reading articles.... but with this new found knowledge don't let it stop you begrudging individuals who have worked hard and become successful in their lives. I wouldn't want you to think that you ever have to admire these people!

Pat(supermacs) on Joe.ie....shut up and do your bit for Ireland

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