Workers end plant sit-in as redundancy offer accepted

WORKERS at Reilly Bookbinders have ended their four-week occupation of the plant after accepting an improved redundancy offer from the company.

Fourteen employees began a round-the-clock sit-in at the Wicklow town premises on July 18 following the shock announcement that the firm, which operated in the town for 30 years, was broke, was relocating to eastern Europe and didn’t plan to pay them even statutory redundancy.

The four men and 10 women yesterday agreed unanimously an improved redundancy package brokered by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). Under the deal they will each get between four and eight weeks’ pay in lieu of notice, all holiday pay due to them and payment of wages for their time in occupation.

They are also due statutory redundancy payments of two weeks’ pay per year of service which will have to be paid from the insolvency fund operated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. All but one have more than 15 years’ service with Reilly’s.

However, as the workers packed up their sleeping bags and vacated the building for the last time yesterday, they left behind uncertainty about the future of the operation.

Despite being verified as insolvent by an independent LRC appointed assessor, the company rejected a union request to liquidate to allow for the possibility of being bought over.

It is also understood that the company has work to complete and contracts to fulfil, and it has now abandoned plans to move to eastern Europe. The company has had many public service contracts, including libraries, universities and State agencies, which is why the workers initially challenged its claim to be broke and its need to relocate to a cheaper economy.

Shake McKean of the Irish Print Group within SIPTU said there were hopes that some external investor would step in and start up a fresh operation.

“The skills base is there and the work is there. It would be great if someone would make use of them.”

Mr McKean said the workers would be assisted by the Wicklow Enterprise Board to help find alternative employment.

Efforts to contact a company representative for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.