Carrick Labour councillor Denis Landy, speaking during a visit to the workers on the sit-in at Waterford Crystal, called on the Government to directly intervene to protect jobs, the Water Crystal brand name and the pensions of existing and retired workers.
He said that the methods used to close the factory last Friday by attempting to shut out the workers were “nothing short of despicable.”
There are a large number of workers from throughout South Tipperary, particularly in the Carrick-on-Suir area, employed in Waterford Crystal and the wages of these employees are vital to the local economy.
Demanding that Taoiseach Brian Cowen “directly intervene in this dispute” and ensure that Waterford Crystal “is saved and can prosper in the future”, Cllr Landy maintained that the glass-making division “in its own right is a successful company and should be allowed to trade out of the difficulties brought on it by its subsidiaries.
“To lock workers out of their jobs is a new low in Ireland and should not be allowed to happen again, this matter needs to be resolved,” he said.
