Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Debenhams has treated the workers very poorly and in a very shabby way and it is wrong to do so. The Deputy is correct that the company has availed of the legal framework within the Companies Act in regard to insolvencies, winding-up and so on, to leave the workers extremely short. The State will have to do its bit to provide, within the legal framework, what it can in terms of statutory redundancy, but it is unacceptable. In my view, the legislation will have to be re-examined in terms of the devices that companies may use, separating out assets from trading income in particular, to deprive workers of their just entitlements in terms of redundancy. This will not be simple because reform of any legislation can have unintended consequences. This issue is referenced in the programme for Government. It is an area on which work will commence in terms of examining the overall company law situation with a view to reducing the capacity of companies to deny workers their entitlements in terms of redundancy and workers' rights generally when a company is winding up.

It is an area in which work will commence in terms of examining the overall company law situation with a view to reducing the capacity of companies to deny workers their redundancy entitlements and their rights generally when a company is being wound up. That it happened in the context of Covid-19 was particularly regrettable. The sense is that Covid-19 was used as a basis for closing the company and leaving 1,500 people out of work.

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