Waterford Workers Picket Dublin Office

Workers from Waterford Crystal are staging a demonstration outside the Dublin offices of the receiver company which is overseeing the virtual dismantling of the business.

Around 12 workers stormed into the reception area of Deloitte & Touche's headquarters on Earlsfort Terrace in protest at the way Deloitte and its partner David Carson are handling the receivership.

Both Deloitte and David Carson were appointed as a receiver to the struggling glassware company last month.

Around 480 workers at the Kilbarry plant were told last week that they were losing their jobs following Mr Carson's decision to halt manufacturing.

They have been staging a sit-in at the factory for the past five days.

Union Unite, which represents the workers, said today’s protest was designed bring to the attention of those 1,100 people who work for Deloitte in Ireland the poor manner in which Mr Carson and their company have handled the situation in Waterford Crystal since last Friday.

Gardaí were called to remove the protesters but the protest ended following a meeting between two Waterford workers and senior partners at the firm, during which the workers registered their dismay at the actions of Mr Carson.

In a statement before the protest, Unite Regional Organiser Walter Cullen said: "It will be a peaceful demonstration. We will not be employing private security forces to 'protect' us as the receiver shamefully did in Waterford."

(DW/BMcC)