Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my constituency colleague, Deputy Barry, who tabled the motion. There are 480 Debenhams workers and concession workers in Patrick Street, Cork who have lost their jobs and another 250-plus workers in Mahon Point who were told by email that there jobs were gone. The behaviour of Debenhams Ireland and its parent company in the UK is nothing short of scandalous. If we do not draw a line in the sand for these and for other workers, we will be failing them.

Yesterday, the workers asked me to put their voice forward here today and let other Deputies know what they are feeling. They stated that in these unprecedented times and in the context of companies going into liquidation, there should be a longer period during which people can make proposals, look into the situation and challenge the liquidation.

I refer to the issue of the Government getting revenue back from the company.

The workers should be the first in the line of creditors, not the last. In my maiden speech in the Dáil, I spoke about the Debenhams workers and their rights. In this country, when workers go looking for rights they get the law and the law is bad for workers but good for big business. We have a chance to change that and to let big businesses know that greed is not the god they think it is. If people have worked hard and helped a company to make a profit, they should be respected and given a fair redundancy. Two weeks of service on top of statutory redundancy is a very reasonable amount for any worker to look for. I want the workers' voices to be heard here today and for them to know we are talking about them and listening to them.

On the attitude of the liquidator, KPMG, the workers believe it has not listened to them. The liquidators have put them last and their head office is not fighting for them or their rights. It is time for solutions. I ask the Government and all Members to stand with the workers because they deserve fairness. This is not just for Debenhams workers; it is for all workers.

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