Waterford Crystal Workers Occupy Deloitte head Office in Dublin

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report

Wednesday February 04, 2009 19:20

by Paula Geraghty

mspgeraghty at yahoo dot ie

0876101340

Video of occupation

‘The people of Waterford have decided that they’re not serfs.’

Tuesday, 3rd February, 14 workers came up from Waterford Crystal to get a meeting with Deloitte Management, who now are in control of the company. They sacked 600 workers by letter last Friday. Tony Hogan, one of the reps, announced that ‘We won’t be leaving this office for some time.’

One Garda, while trying to negotiate the workers out of the foyer, rather politically said of their tactics ‘it didn’t work for Shell and it won’t work for you’. The same Garda bizarrely accused the reps of 600 sacked workers of not taking part of ‘ giving and taking’. He also said that they couldn’t come in to a workplace without making an appointment. However another Waterford worker pointed out that Deloitte management ‘came into my workplace and sacked me and ruined my life’.

This is the first time that senior management met Waterford Workers that they had sacked by letter.

The video is 6 mins long.

The video is a fantastic account of workers action and democracy, and the art of negotiation.

Images and Film are copyright

They wouldn't even offer us a cup of tea!