A former Debenhams Tralee shop steward says the latest Labour Court ruling on payouts is disappointing but is still a win.
The Labour Court has ruled that former workers in Debenhams stores will receive four weeks’ pay, for the manner in which they were made redundant.
Debenhams announced the end of its Irish operations in April 2020, with the loss of around 1,200 jobs nationwide, 80 of which were in its store at the Manor West shopping centre in Tralee.
Workers picketed outside stores for 406 days, initially demanding redundancy of two weeks’ pay per year of service, plus statutory redundancy entitlements of two weeks per year of service, as agreed between the retailer and trade union in 2016.
Shop steward Geraldine O’Regan, who worked in Debenhams for 13 years, gives her reaction to the latest Labour Court ruling.
Debenhams workers voted to accept the offer of a three million euro training fund, following 406 days of picketing.
Geraldine O’Regan says workers still want to see the government introduce its long-awaited Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies Bill, which the government gave priority last Autumn.
