Bookbinding firm does u-turn on plant closure

THE owners of a bookbinding firm where staff have staged a sit-in protest for the past fortnight have reversed their decision to relocate to Eastern Europe.

In a dramatic u-turn in the dispute, Reilly Bookbinders said it now hoped to retain its Wicklow town plant and to continue operating as it did before its shock announcement two weeks ago that it was moving to the Czech Republic.

However, the 14 workers who have been occupying the plant round the clock since the closure announcement said last night they would continue their sit-in until they had independent verification that the firm was in a position to honour its new offer to stay.