Workers keep vigil in bid to prevent stock leaving former Limerick store

A GROUP of former retail workers in Limerick are keeping an around-the-clock vigil outside the old Debenhams store in a bid to prevent stock leaving the premises.

More than 110 staff were made redundant overnight just before Easter when the British retailer placed its Irish operation into liquidation, forcing the closure of the landmark unit in the city centre.

Since then, they have struggled to get any redundancy settlement from Kieran Wallace of KPMG, who was appointed as liquidator shortly after the stores were wound up.

The action is supported by the Mandate trade union. The reason the pickets go on is to prevent stock leaving the store, with workers saying it’s their only bargaining chip remaining.

Aisling O’Gorman, the spokesperson for the workers in Limerick, said: “We are holding pickets all the time. We are here all day, people are through the night too, because people from Debenhams are changing their times in the night trying to remove stock.”

Yesterday, management at the firm accessed the store to do a stock take, but no clothing or other goods were removed from the Sarsfield Street/O’Connell Street store.

“We don’t want any stock leaving the store. People are going to pass the picket individually, but we are not allowing trucks or vans to allow anything be removed. It’s our only bargaining point now to get a decent redundancy. We have to put pressure on them. The buildings aren’t owned, they are only leased. The British company is contesting the ownership of the stock, which is why we want to keep it here,” Aisling said.

She also paid tribute to taxi drivers, political activists and others who have kept an eye on the store.

Meanwhile, this Saturday, a public rally will take place outside the former store to allow workers to present their case to the general public.

It gets under way at 2pm, and all are welcome.