A SIPTU petition calling on the new owners of Clerys to meet with the former staff of the department store has received over 14,000 signatures since it was launched six days ago. SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said: “There is a lot of public anger at the way these workers have been treated. People are shocked and sickened that Natrium, the new owners of Clerys, felt it was going to be accepted that they could just take the company over, liquidate it and throw loyal workers on the street with nothing.”She added: “The petition makes a simple demand, that the new owners of Clerys meet the workers. At this meeting the workers will discuss face to face with them what they could do to go someway in making up for the hurt they have caused when putting into action this heartless scheme.”Clerys workers are collecting signatures for the written petition at lunchtime each day outside the department store on O’Connell Street, Dublin. The written petition now has over 8,000 signatures. The online petition was launched on Friday (19th June) and by Monday (22nd June) evening had over 6,100 signatures.In Liberty Hall, Dublin, today (Monday, 22nd June), a general meeting of SIPTU members formerly employed at Clerys voted unanimously to continue their campaign until they met the new owners face-to-face.Workers in the USA and UK are also supporting their campaign. On Friday (19th June) members of the Greater Boston Labor Council delivered a letter calling for justice for Clerys Workers campaign to the head quarters of the store’s former owner Gordon Brothers in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Petition in support of Clerys workers receives over 14,000 signatures
