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The occupation of the Debenhams department store on Patrick Street in Cork has ended.
Eight people, including former employees there and from the Mahon Point stores in Cork and Tralee in Co Kerry, who occupied the store Tuesday morning voluntarily left through a side entrance just before 1 p.m.
They say they are now asking their union mandate to engage with the joint liquidators of KPMG and the government to start talks on a resolution of their demands.
They request payment of two weeks ‘pay per year of service, in addition to their statutory termination rights of two weeks’ pay per year.
They say they will consider further action if no resolution is found.
Former workers have been protesting in front of Debenhams stores across the country for the past 154 days.
Debenhams ‘liquidator, KPMG, has said that pickets by former employees in search of better firing conditions are reducing creditors’ assets by hundreds of thousands of euros a month.
One of the protesters leaving the store, Valerie Conlon, denied: “She has been saying that from the beginning.
“The blame is on his side, because he knew exactly what was going on and did nothing to address what we were looking for.”
Joint liquidator Andrew O’Leary has also refused to rule out legal action in an attempt to recall stocks, which have been blocked in stores by pickets since April.
O’Leary acknowledged the plight of the 1,000 workers who lost their jobs when Debenhams Ireland went into liquidation.
However, he said that after more than 150 days of protests, the costs incurred by liquidators by holding inventory in stores and not making progress in realizing assets amounted to hundreds of thousands of euros a month.
He described this as a very difficult situation “because the profitability to the taxpayer, which was already less than 100%, is running out every week.”
Solidarity TD Mick Barry has said that threats of injunctions against former Debenhams employees should be dropped immediately.
The Cork North Central TD said: “KPMG knows very well that the pickets will not be lifted in the absence of a fair agreement.
“KPMG also knows that court injunctions will not drive away the pickets. What the liquidator is really doing here is threatening these workers with the possibility of jail time.”
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