Workers seize plant as Waterford Crystal ordered shut

Hundreds of workers were occupying Ireland’s world-famous Waterford Crystal factory tonight after being told by text message they were losing their jobs.

Scuffles broke out as private security teams brought in by receivers tried to keep back employees from storming the plant at Kilbarry, outside Waterford city.

The glass-fronted entrance into the plant’s lobby was smashed in the melee.

Union officials, tipped off by former managers that the troubled operation was to about to shut, had sent text messages to staff who were at home, their wives and partners to scramble crowds towards the factory.

Joe Kelly, an industrial engineer for 35 years at the Waterford Wedgwood group-owned factory, which went into receivership earlier this month, is one of those staging the sit-in.

“Most of us have put between 20 and 40 years’ service into this company and we are not being thrown on to the scrap heap by a receiver appointed by Deloitte.”

Hours after the occupation began this afternoon, Deloitte receiver David Carson said in a statement that manufacturing will cease immediately with the loss of 480 of the 800 jobs.

The visitors’ centre in Waterford, one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions, will also close, he said.

“The decision to cease manufacturing does not necessarily preclude a resumption of operations in Waterford in the future,” the statement said.

“The receiver is continuing negotiations with interested parties with a view to a sale of the company’s assets and those discussions are focused on agreeing the terms upon which a transaction could be completed.”

Trade union Unite’s regional secretary Jimmy Kelly, a former Waterford Crystal worker among those occupying the plant, said workers were furious after assurances they would be kept informed of any developments.

“There’s a lot of anger, people feel they’ve been betrayed,” he said.

“We were in a process and we were given a commitment that we would be kept briefed on any development, but the receiver went ahead today and decided on the closure.

“What we are trying to do now is get the decision to close the place reversed, or postponed for a few days to allow us to engage in that process. This is not the way to treat people in the middle of something.”

He said there was no mood among the workers to leave the factory until the shut down was overturned.

“People are not prepared to just pack up and forget about this. There’s a determination here, people are not going to just lie down,” he said.

Gardai confirmed they were called to the scene but there have been no arrests.

Worker Joe Kelly, who is also a Sinn Fein councillor in Waterford, was one of those who rushed to summon workers to the plant.

“Because we are on short time, most of the workforce were at home, so we initiated a campaign of text messaging to all the people we had in our phones, and to our partners and our wives to contact people in the area and get them back down to the factory to start the occupation,” he said.

“A security firm was put on the doors and they tried to prevent people from entering the premises.

“Tensions were running very high, and when they opened the door to allow one person in a surge of people charged the door and scuffles broke out between the security people and the workers.

“Bodies ended up on the ground but there were no injuries.”

Mr Kelly insisted that the occupation will last until they are assured of an opportunity to try and save jobs.

“We have had offers from local businesses of food, drink and water free of charge,” he said.

He called on the Dublin government to intervene and stop the receiver from closing the company while there are interested investors.

“This occupation is going to last as long as it has to last, until we get a reasonable solution and there is a reasonable solution - there are two major buyers interested. That makes this whole thing a farce.

Urgent Appeal