Staff stage sit-in as waste firm closes

Up to 25 staff of a well-known Cork waste firm began a sit-in at its premises last night after being told the company was closing and they were losing their jobs.

The Healy’s Blue Bin workers said they were called into to a meeting by the company’s owner Aidan Healy and managing director Nora Healy when they arrived for work at 8am yesterday.

They were told the company was closing, to go home and to report back for their owed wages at 5pm.

The workers said when they arrived back in the evening, they were handed two envelopes containing their week’s earnings, their P45, and a short reference.

They said they also found out that a liquidator would be arriving at 3.30pm today.

The owners left the premises on the Skehard Rd in Cork City while the staff were still there.

The workers, who have up to 40 years’ service, then decided they were going to stage a sit-in, saying they wanted all the monies they were owed.

They said they also intend to seek a meeting with the liquidator today.

Bertie Hayes, 56, has worked for Healy’s Blue Bins for the last 36 years.

“I am disgusted. I thought after all these years I would have been treated better than this. Thirty-six years is a long time. I never let them down, I always reported for work, was never late.”

Keith Cremin, 38, who has worked at the company for nine years and has a young family, said they were given no prior notice their jobs were at immediate risk.

“We knew things were bad, but we were not given any indication the place was going to close. I will stay here as long as I can until we get sorted.”

They said there were numerous bins and skips outside homes that still needed to be collected.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Chris O’Leary said: “This is no way to treat a workforce. The main thing now is to meet the liquidator to see quite clearly what that person is going to do to address the issues of people’s shortfall in holiday money, notice, and all of that. We will be working out with each of the lads what they are owed and that will be put to the liquidator.”

A family member said Mr Healy did not want to comment on the situation last night. According to its website, Denis Healy & Co Ltd trading as Healy’s Blue Bin was incorporated in 1974. Aidan Healy took over the running of the business in the early 1980s following the death of his father, Denis.