State urged to protect Wedgwood pensions

WATERFORD Crystal workers have appealed directly to the Tánaiste to safeguard their pensions amid fears they will be left penniless if their jobs go.

Employee representatives and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, had an hour-long meeting with Mary Coughlan yesterday to detail their concerns and ask the Government to step in to protect their interests.

Efforts are ongoing to find a buyer for the factory after its parent company Waterford Wedgwood went into receivership last week but it is expected that many of the 800 jobs here will be lost.