Debenhams: Former workers in Waterford still standing at picket one year on

Former Debenhams workers in the Republic of Ireland today (Friday, 9^th April) mark one year since they were made redundant by their company, leading to a 365-day dispute.
Almost 1,000 workers in 11 stores balloted for industrial action in an attempt to win their agreed redundancy package of four weeks pay per year of service. Since then, the liquidator of Debenhams, KPMG, and the Government have both refused to honour that agreement.

Tomorrow, Friday, the Debenham’s workers - one year on. A full year. Unreal. But so real. Some former employees still protesting for their rights, their rights they say. Don’t know what really to say. It’s just not right what they have had to go through. @wlrfm #Deisetoday pic.twitter.com/XdC7GDJSfH

— Damien Tiernan (@damienwlr) April 8, 2021

Brian Forbes, Mandate National Coordinator said the union was extremely disappointed the ex-Debenhams workers have been forced to strike for so long:
“These workers should not have had to go on strike for a single day. They had an agreement, their employer was allowed walk away from that agreement, which was wrong, but the liquidator and the government had an obligation to step in, and they didn’t.”
“I want to applaud the workers for their tenacity and for their commitment to the principle of justice. Since they began this strike they’ve been clear that not only are they doing this for themselves, they are doing it so that no other worker has to go through the same trauma they had to endure.”
He added: “This dispute will leave a historical legacy. It shows that you have to struggle to achieve any meaningful change in this country.”
Mr Forbes said that the trade union movement is calling on the government to immediately implement the recommendations of the Duffy/Cahill report which was published in March 2016.
The locations of the striking stores include: