SIPTU members formerly employed at the Rehab Enterprises logistics centre in Raheen, county Limerick, and their supporters, will protest outside the RehabCare office, Parnell Street, Limerick City on Tuesday (21st March) at 1.00 p.m. SIPTU Organiser, Robbie Purfield, said: “After the Raheen facility was closed in 2021 the redundancy payments workers received fell significantly short of those provided for in an existing collective agreement between the organisation and SIPTU. Rehab claimed that it could not meet the additional €900,000 required to pay the amounts that were due to staff, some of whom had more than 25 years’ service. “When the dispute, which involved 38 of the former workers, came before the Labour Court, a financial expert said Rehab had ‘options’ it could explore to raise the money and so its claim of inability to pay could not be successfully demonstrated. The court ultimately recommended that the existing collective agreement should be respected and the workers be paid their outstanding redundancy entitlements.” He added: “Our members have not accepted their unfair treatment after years of loyal service. They expect Rehab Group to honour its obligations as a matter of urgency and pay them their outstanding redundancy entitlements.” SIPTU Manufacturing Division Organiser, Greg Ennis, said: “We are extremely disappointed that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, has failed to respond to two letters requesting a meeting with him to discuss the unacceptable situation in which our members formerly employed by Rehab Enterprises have been placed.” He added: “The Rehab Group is in receipt of tens of millions of euros of State support each year. It should not be allowed to continue to ignore our members’ redundancy pay agreement and the recommendation of the Labour Court.” The planned protest will be the second in a SIPTU campaign seeking justice for the former Rehab workers, following a demonstration outside the organisation’s headquarters in Dublin on 13th February.
SIPTU members formerly employed by Rehab to protest in Limerick on Tuesday
