Seán Maher with Mossie Walker and Billy McGrath at the meeting.
Hundreds of former Waterford Crystal workers are awaiting details of a Labour Relations Commission (LRC) proposal that will bring their long fight for pension justice to an overdue conclusion.
Trade Union Unite has called a meeting of its members at the Woodlands Hotel for this coming Saturday to present full details of a package sanctioned by the LRC’s Kieran Mulvey, the end product of several months of intensive talks.
The meeting had originally been planned for last weekend but was postponed, pending Cabinet approval of deal, which has been negotiated with officials from Revenue and also the departments of Social Protection and Public Expenditure.
Last year, Unite won a landmark ruling in the European Court of Justice in favour of some 1,700 Waterford Crystal employees, who were told in 2009 that they were only entitled to between 18 and 28 percent of their pension entitlements after the company became insolvent.
It’s likely that Cabinet will consider the LRC proposal this week, possibly signing off on it this Thursday.
As first revealed in The Munster Express several weeks ago, the deal includes a lump sum payment of €1,000 per year of service, with annual pension payments based on tiered arrangements.
Social Welfare entitlements will not be affected by the package. The families of the affected workers who passed away before a conclusion was reached will also be taken care of, under the terms of the proposal.
Workers will have to vote on whether or not to accept the deal, but Unite is expected to recommend that it is accepted, thus bringing a six-year saga to a welcome conclusion for Waterford Crystal pensioners.
