‘We’re living on our nerves’
Former Debenhams employees in Cork are on red alert after 22 strike-breakers gained access to the store on St Patrick Street to begin packing stock for removal.
Staff believe it’s only a matter of time before liquidators KPMG attempt to remove the disputed stock from the store.
They said any attempt made in Cork would be met with the same level of staunch resistance seen in Limerick recently where KPMG failed three times in five nights to remove stock.
Speaking to the Cork Independent, former Debenhams shop steward Valerie Conlon said packers have been in the St Patrick’s Street premises all week and are getting though it very fast.
“The next step is that they will be trying to remove the stock so at the moment we are doing a 24 hour watch. We're living on our nerves,” she said.
More than 50 gardaí were deployed in Limerick city on Monday night to oversee KPMG’s attempt to break the picket line.
Ms Conlon condemned the use of gardaí in the dispute describing the use of taxpayer’s money to pay for their overtime as an “absolute disgrace”.
Last month KPMG were granted High Court injunctions allowing them to restrain unlawful attempts by former employees and supporters to interfere with the company’s efforts to remove stock.
At a meeting of Dáil Éireann on Tuesday, Solidarity TD for Cork North-Central Mick Barry asked An Taoiseach Micheál Martin why gardaí were being “used as a battering ram” against working people in a legitimate industrial dispute.
“The gardaí sealed off two entire blocks of the city centre street and unsuccessfully attempted to kettle the workers and their supporters. They also pulled a worker with more than 40 years of service towards this, treating him like a criminal,” said Teachta Barry.
The Taoiseach declined to answer the Deputy’s question at the time.
The Cork Independent has contacted the Taoiseach’s press office posing the same question but no response was received by time of going to print on Wednesday.
A second ballot among former workers on proposals for a €3m training and upskilling fund is currently underway with a result expected this afternoon, Thursday, or on Friday.
The first ballot was rejected by 91 per cent of Debenhams workers earlier this year.
Today, Thursday, marks 406 days of continuous picketing by former Debenhams employees in their fight for what they say is a fair redundancy payment.