Govt Urged To Publish Clerys Report

The government has been urged to publish the report on the closure of Clerys, the Dublin department store, by Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Jobs, Dara Calleary.

Clerys shut its doors last June following the sale of the company to the Natrium consortium resulting in almost 500 workers losing their jobs.

Calling for the publication of the report Deputy Calleary said: "Not only were the Clerys workers summarily dismissed, they only received statutory redundancy and to add insult to injury, the State was left to pick up the tab for payments as the new owners effectively shirked any responsibility.

"The story is a shocking indictment of the actions of one particular group of vulture capitalists. It also highlights a significant gap in legislation which allows a company's assets to be split in a way that puts them beyond the reach of creditors in a liquidation situation.

"Almost 10 months after closure, neither the workers nor the general public know what went on behind the scenes. A report, headed by from Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy and company law lawyer Nessa Cahill, was commissioned to examine the events leading up to the closure of the store. It's my understanding that that work has been completed and is sitting on Minister Ged Nash's desk. In the interests of full transparency, the report examining the dealings surrounding the closure should be published without delay.

"The next Programme for Government must carefully examine the findings of this report. Any necessary reforms must be brought forward in consultation with social partners to prevent similar closures and ensure that workers are protected in the aftermath of any future liquidations."

(MH/CD)