Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ag 6.30 a.m., i mo chathair féin, cathair na Gaillimhe, sheas iaroibrithe Debenhams taobh amuigh den fhoirgneamh ina mbíodh siad ag obair agus iad ag éileamh a gcuid cearta bunúsacha. Tá siad tar éis seasamh taobh amuigh de na siopaí seo ar feadh os cionn 160 lá anois agus tá sé thar am dúinn seasamh leo.

At 6.30 a.m., workers of Debenhams in my home city of Galway started their picket outside their former employer. They have waited, protested, engaged for 161 days for a just exit package. They continue to stand outside the Debenhams stores as we debate this, to demand basic respect from an employer they gave so many years to. They feel abandoned and they have absolutely been abandoned. They have been abandoned by an employer they gave years of service to and they have been abandoned by this Government.

Before the Government says how was it to know, I say that we all knew. We saw what happened to the Clerys workers, and we have the recommendations from the Duffy Cahill report, which was released four years ago. This report needs to be implemented now. The time for hemming and hawing is long over. These workers are in a crisis right at this moment and we need to do this to protect them as well as many other workers who may face this same situation. It has happened before, it is happening now and we sure as hell cannot let it happen again.

We need legislation to protect workers and we need it urgently. This is not an Opposition idea. This idea is coming directly from the workers. They are not picketing for the sake of picketing. They have been forced to stand out on the picket line to fight for justice, a justice that we must ensure is delivered. This is only one of the many failings we continue to have in this State in relation to workers' rights. It is high time that we had protections in place for workers.

One hundred and forty jobs were lost in Galway. Some of these people had given more than 30 years' service. Collectively, the Galway workers have given more than 300 years of service to the company. Tá dualgas orainn seasamh leis na hoibrithe seo, tacú leo agus cinntiú nach féidir leis seo tarlú arís.

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