Former Debenhams workers have voted to accept a revised â¬3 million training fund, bringing to an end a bitter 406-day dispute.
Acceptance of the offer from Government, by 319 votes to 102, comes more than 400 days after Debenhams UK announced none of its 11 Irish outlets would reopen after the coronavirus pandemic, making its approximately 1,000 mostly-female workforce redundant.
The fashion retailer also said it would not honour a 2016 agreement to pay two weeksâ ex-gratia pay per year of service, plus the statutory two weeks of entitlements.
On May 27th, 2020, the workers balloted for official strike, giving legal protection to pickets on stores, which have remained in place since.
Former Debenhams staff to leave picket lines
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Former Debenhams workers in the city say they have very little to celebrate this International Women s Day Today marks 333 days since the stores on Patrick Street and Mahon Point Shopping Centre were shut.
The 330 former staff have been offered a €3 million upskilling package, however the staff say many of them have over 30 services and don t need to retrain.
Speaking to RedFM News, shop steward Valerie Conlon says the dispute has been going on for too long: The 3 million is still on the table for upskilling and that s as far as they re going, they re quite adamant that they re not going to be adding anything onto our redundancy. At the moment we are waiting to meet with SOLAS, just to see if anything can be done with that 3 million, and it s just a waiting game really now at present moment. It s coming very close to a year and it s frightening that they re willing for women to stand out in all weathers just because they re being stubborn.