SIPTU representatives held a general meeting of workers formerly employed at the Nuremore Hotel and Country Club in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, yesterday (Thursday, 11th May) to brief them on the appointment of a liquidator to the business’s operating company. SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Regan, said: “The workers expressed their mixed feelings with the end of an era and the positive outcome of the appointment of a liquidator to Nuremore Hotel Management Ltd. Primarily, they were relieved that following 111 days of protest their voices had finally been heard and that the long running dispute concerning the future of the hotel is coming to an end. “However, the workers also expressed great disappointment that jobs have been lost. They recalled great memories about their former workplace, particularly the visits by Jack Charlton and the Ireland international football team, who spent days training at the hotel during in the 1990s. Another memory highlighted by the workers were visits to the hotel restaurant by singer Chris de Burgh. “This dispute is only on the way to being concluded with the appointment of a liquidator, Declan de Lacy of PKF O' Connor, Leddy & Holmes Limited, due to the steadfast resolve of our members not to be walked over by an employer who has treated them in a most despicable manner. The workers are now a creditor in the liquidation process which should result in monies being made available to meet their claim for payment in relation to wages owed, redundancy, minimum notice, holiday pay and other legal entitlements. “The workers of the hotel’s golf course need a particular mention. They have continued working throughout this dispute, although they have not received a wage for the last eight weeks and have been unable to sign on for social welfare benefits in the normal way because the employer did not provide them with letters of layoff.” He added: “The Government needs to learn from this situation and instigate meaningful legislative change so that workers are not forced to legally battle for their minimum entitlements rights in situations where the employer has walked away from a business.”
SIPTU says Nuremore Hotel liquidation shows more protections needed for workers
