Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I ask that at the meeting, the Minister of State would encourage the employer in this instance to go in the direction of the WRC. The Minister of State is right, in that the WRC and the Labour Court have a very clear role here. However, they have no role if the employer does not turn up. One can take a section 20 and it will be binding on the person who takes it, but not on the person who does not turn up. That will be of very little value. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and these people are already on a low income. Not getting wages, if one has a few bob in the bank, might be inconvenient. Not getting wages, if one does not have any money in the bank, means one is going to a food bank. We do not wish to see that. These workers are hardworking. They have given good and loyal service to the company. They do not deserve to be treated like this. I hope that when the Minister of State meets with Iceland, he apprises the new owners of their obligations under the law and encourage them to engage with the WRC because, one way or another, money is owed to these workers. Regardless of whether they continue in employment, they are owed money.

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