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WORKERS AT GUINEYS & Co on Dublin’s Talbot Street have been told it is unlikely that they will receive their pensions after the shop closed unexpectedly during the week.
The employees at the shop – who have worked for the company for 30 years on average – will instead be left solely with statutory redundancy payments.
A representative for the employees said that the company “had turned its back on the workers” and described what had happened as “deplorable”.
Some of the workers are believed to be approaching retirement age; one worker had been with the company for 39 years and several had followed their families into jobs at Guineys & Co and its sister store Clerys on O’Connell Street.
The employees found about the store closure by telephone.
“They went home from work on Monday evening and they got a phone call telling them not to come in on Tuesday,” said Michael Meegan of MANDATE trade union which represents some of the former employees.
Meegan said the new owners “have made it clear” that they’re not accepting liability for pensions for the 29 employees.
Guineys & Co was shuttered on Monday night after its sister store Clerys was placed in receivership. A private equity firm bought Clerys just hours later but Guineys & Co was not included in the deal and is now being placed into liquidation.
As well as the 10 people who worked in Guineys a further 19 people who worked at Clerys outlets in Naas, Blanchardstown and Leopardstown are also in the same position.
Michael Meegan said that the workers felt hard done by after events of recent years:
The frustrating part is that when Clerys owned it and it went through tough times financially, these employees cooperated. They took cuts in their hours, they took pay cuts, just in order to help Clerys and Guineys get back onto a reasonable footing.
But now even with all their efforts, the company has turned its back.
Meegan said the employees are owed wages and some are also owed holiday money. It is likely to be after Christmas before they receive any statutory redundancy payments due to a backlog in processing payments.
A spokesperson for the company liquidators said it was up to the trustees of the pension fund to advise the staff.
The former employees are planning a protest outside Clerys at the start of October over the pensions issue.
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Show up at your local protest against the Household Tax. Most protests at 12 noon. Show this government that we are not willing to be bled anymore to pay Troika Taxes. Save your blood for the Irish Blood Transfusion Board.
There are over 40 protest actions organised around the country on Saturday. We call on people to connect with their nearest one, which are advertised on nohouseholdtax.org or through our 1890-98 98 00 helpine.”
CAHWT protests Sat Feb 25th:
DUBLIN:
City Centre – meet GPO at 12 noon. Mass leafleting of shopping areas.
Cabra/Stoneybatter – Meet at 12 at Phibsborough Church for protest at clinic of Joe Costello/ Paschal O’Donoghue TDs.
Coolock – Northside shopping centre 12.30
Finglas – protest & leafleting at shopping centre 12 noon
Blanchardstown – 1pm at Council offices, Blanch Town Centre. Bin your govt booklet.
Swords – Fingal Council offices, Swords Main St 12 noon – Bin the Booklet back to Phil.
Balbriggan – Town Hall 12 noon – Bin the Booklet back to Phil.
Ringsend – meet at Library 11.30am
South west inner city – 12 noon at constituency office Catherine Murray TD, Tyrconnell Rd.
Ballyfermot – White line picket (and bin the leaflet. Assemble shops, Ballyfermot Road 2pm.
Lucan – mass leafleting. Meet at Superquinn 12 noon.
Tallaght – mass leafleting at The Square 1pm. Picket Pat Rabbitte Clinic Tallaght village 2pm.
Dun Laoghaire – meet 2pm at the Church Wall
Dundrum town centre – 12 noon.
MUNSTER:
Cork:
City centre – rally at Daunt Square 2pm “bin the booklet”.
Mallow – march assembling 2.30pm at Killarney Rd to march to Town Hall.
Limerick:
Assemble 12pm Pery’s Square, marching to City Hall:
Clare:
Ennis – protest march at 2pm from the O’Connell Monument.
Waterford:
Protest rally 3pm in John Roberts Square.
LEINSTER:
Kildare:
Newbridge – assemble St Conleths Church 12 noon-protest to Martin Heydon TD’s office.
Maynooth/Kilcock – protest 12 noon at The Square, Maynooth Village.
Wicklow :
All Wicklow protest Sat 25th @ 12 noon from Bray town hall march to clinic of Anne Ferris TD
Wexford:
Wexford town -1pm White line protest on bridge.
Gorey – 2pm Protest on Main Street. Assemble outside Pettits supermarket.
Enniscorthy – march and rally at office of Government chief Whip, Paul Kehoe TD starting 10 a.m. Fairgreen (opp.Pettits supermarket).
Carlow:
Assemble 12 noon at Croppies Grave, ’98 Street, Graiguecullen and from there march through Carlow town, finishing at the Liberty Tree.
Kilkenny:
2pm at the Courthouse, Parliament St
Westmeath:
Mullingar – meet at The Square 12 noon.
CONNACHT:
Galway:
Assemble at the Browne Doorway, Eyre Square 2pm for mass binning of leaflet and march to TD clinics.
ULSTER:
Donegal:
Donegal town, Dungloe, Ballybofey, Buncrana, Ramelton, Letterkenny – Information stands in all towns.
Gweedore/Gaoth Dobhair – meet 12 noon Páirc Gnó Ghaoth Dobhair (outside Dinny McGinley’s ministerial office) and marching to his TD’s office in Machaire Chlochair.
Fál Carrach – meet 12 midday at the crossroads for speeches and then a protest march through the town.
Monaghan:
Car cavalcade throughout county towns to hand out leaflets.Leaving from Monaghan town @ 10am from Peter’s Lake carpark via Clones; Ballybay; Carrickmacross and on to Castleblaney and then back to Monaghan. Supporters from each town will be giving out leaflets just before cavalcade arrives.
LOUTH
Dundalk & Mid / North Louth
Ardee will be carrying banners down the main street and leafleting as they go. Meeting @ 12 and going until 2
For the rest of the area, everyone is meeting in ‘the square’ Dundalk where there will be stalls from 1-4 from which the leaflet will be distributed.
Drogheda activity: West Street Drogheda stall from 1.30pm onwards. Members of the group will be distributing leaflets across the town on the day and from early morning on the market.
Please check the website http://www.nohouseholdtax.org for late notifications of other protests
THE JOURNAL, KEEP ME AWARE OF ALL THE NEWS, BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!
Can anyone name all of the movies from the Lego clip.
Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark
Ghost
Grease
Dr No
Titanic
The Sound of Music
Singing in The Rain
The Seven Year Itch
ET
Everybody in the country must partake in the protest, as it is important that we let the government know that we are totally against the charges they are imposing on us, and they are punitive, which is what they are. I am very sad that I am not taking part in the protest, and the reason that I am not is as a result of the economic crisis, is that I had an argument with my long term unemployed 44 year old husband, and had to leave home, but I had planned to go to Kilkenny today but life has become too unbearable at home, as I am on the dole too, but I am hoping that there will be another one, and I will make sure that I attend in the near future.
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