Sinn Féin Accuse Fine Gael And Labour Of Hypocrisy Over Clerys Workers

Fine Gael and Labour have been accused of hypocrisy on their position on the situation faced by former Clerys workers.

Sinn Féin said that Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Fine Gael and the Labour Party have expressed sympathy for workers, while voting down legislation which would have alleviated their plight.

Party leader Gerry Adams raised the issue in the Dáil after attending a protest outside Clerys department store in Dublin's city centre.

Mr Adams said that there was "no point in Taoiseach Kenny expressing sympathy with Clerys Workers when theGovernment is partly to blame for their dilemma".

Teachta Adams said: "We have been here before. Workers at Waterford Crystal, Talk Talk, La Senza, Lagan Brick, Vita Cortex, Game and others were frustrated in accessing basic rights and entitlements.

"One of the Clerys workers asked me today why would the Government do this? Why would a Labour Party do this?

"Taoiseach, will you now, belatedly legislate to protect workers like those at Clerys? Will the Government, for instance,extend the period of notice legally required in collective redundancies and impose penalties for non-compliance?

"Will you provide a time limit within which applications for redress for employees like those in Clerys will be heard? Will you go beyond the expressions of sympathy and actually defend the rights of workers where their employers fail to pay money due to them?"

(MH/CD)