100 Waterford Crystal workers still waiting for pensions

One hundred former Waterford Crystal workers have yet to receive money under the multimillion-euro pension settlement, which took years to finalise.

The ex-employees appealed a decision of the Government not to make payments for work on a contract basis, rather than a full-time, staff basis. They have yet to be paid under the terms of the pension settlement negotiated between the Government and Unite trade union, by which the first payments were made to 1,200 former Crystal staff last year.

“We had 28 days to appeal, if we weren’t happy,” said one of the workers, Brendan Drummey. “There’s a group of about 80 or 100 who took up the option to appeal. Some people took what was on offer. The appeal started in September and people who didn’t appeal got their money last year. The remainder of us have been kind of thrown on the scrap heap.”

A mediator from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has made recommendations to the Government, and the workers believe the terms are “positive” for them, but are waiting for implementation.

Unite told its members that outgoing Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, “secured a commitment” that a proposal from Kieran Mulvey, of the WRC, regarding settlement of the appeal, would be brought to cabinet.

The union says Ms Burton “delivered totally on her commitment”, but the proposals have been delayed by the Department of Finance.

The department said, in response to a query, that the issue is a matter for the Department of Social Protection, who, in turn, said this week that “discussions are ongoing with the Department of Finance, in relation to the mediator’s recommendations, in respect of those who opted to appeal offers made through the dispute resolution procedure”.