13/06/2016

SIPTU Launch 'Time For Justice' Campaign On Anniversary Of Clerys Closure

Trade Union SIPTU has marked the one year anniversary of the closure of Clerys Department Store in Dublin by projecting the slogan 'Time For Justice' on the facade of the O'Connell Street building.

SIPTU Services Division Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said: "On the night of the 11 June, 2015, a process was set in motion that over the next 24 hours saw the historic store closed and over 400 workers losing their jobs without warning or the owners making any plans for the payment of their outstanding wages or redundancy entitlements.

"On this anniversary, politicians must be reminded of their commitment to legislate to ensure what happened to the Clerys workers can never happen again. This means ending the situation where unscrupulous business people can use loopholes in company law to create bogus insolvency and redundancy situations and thereby avoid their responsibilities to workers."

She added: "Following a campaign by the former Clerys workers and their union, SIPTU, to highlight what happened the previous government commissioned the Duffy-Cahill Report.

"This recommends changes to the law to ensure there are severe penalties for employers who do not adhere to the minimum 30-day consultation period before implementing collective redundancies.

"It also calls for the introduction of a mechanism for recovering assets transferred out of a business in certain circumstances. The new government must legislate without delay to ensure such protections are provided for workers."

(MH/JP)

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