Sad day for Waterford?

Sully

Baby4 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

A bank is entirely different then a large tourism business. It has a much greater effect on the economy and peoples lives then this does. Sad, but true.

run_Forrest_run

akaredtop wrote: »

Waterford Glass is a failed business. Nobody wants the product so why make it.I'm afraid the workers will have to face reality.

I agree. As sad as it is for the workers, some who have given their entire career to the company they now need to face the harsh reality and accept market forces.
I was taken aback from the attitude of some of the callers to Joe Duffy today, some of the employees came across very arrogant, as if they deserved their job! Try tell that to the poor Dell employees in Limerick.

A shrewd businessman like Tony O'Reilly couldn't get Waterford Crystal going with his €400million investment so really, there is very little hope for the plant as it stands in Waterford I'd say.

ziedth

I agree With Sully to compare Ec to the bank situation is but simply borderline crazy.

Wateford Crystal IMO simply didn't move with the times If you look at a company say Penrose Crystal they changed their pricing/products to suit the market.

PrivateEye

Just to say the Waterford Crystal workers are an inspiration to many around the country, me included. I'm a third level student whos marching with my college this Wednesday against the reintroduction of fees, and the NUIM branch of F.E.E (Free Education for Everyone) are marching under a banner that proclaims solidarity with the workers in Waterford. Many students are truly precarious workers who can lose our jobs at any minute, and many who already have are feeling the economic pinch. The sight of a workers occupation (under a Starry Plough and all!) on RTE news does wonders fot morale nationwide.

My dad is a Dublin firefighter and two of the lads went down yesterday to check out the occupation. The workers they met were lovely people. They are a ray of hope to all workers who face an uncertain future at the minute.

If you know any of the workers, please tell them the Free Education for Everyone campaign is right behind them, and across Irish society people are watching the situation unfold with great interest. Please keep the faith and don't give in.

Victory is yours for the taking.

next

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

I agree. As sad as it is for the workers, some who have given their entire career to the company they now need to face the harsh reality and accept market forces.
I was taken aback from the attitude of some of the callers to Joe Duffy today, some of the employees came across very arrogant, as if they deserved their job! Try tell that to the poor Dell employees in Limerick.

A shrewd businessman like Tony O'Reilly couldn't get Waterford Crystal going with his €400million investment so really, there is very little hope for the plant as it stands in Waterford I'd say.

I've done business with Dell over the last 12 years thinking I could build up a repore with one person is a nightmare at least 3 people are replaced a position a year, this is not the case is Waterford Crystal they are long time workers

run_Forrest_run

next wrote: »

I've done business with Dell over the last 12 years thinking I could build up a repore with one person is a nightmare at least 3 people are replaced a position a year, this is not the case is Waterford Crystal they are long time workers

are these people let go altogether or have they just moved within the company?
But yes, I agree with you, the majority of the employees in WC are long term but sadly it doesn't make a difference, if the company has no money!

Multivan

hope none of them had loans or money in the credit union!!!!

mike65

This doesnt help anyone

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0203/breaking38.htm

Gardaí have been called to remove 12 Waterford Wedgwood workers from the offices of Deloitte & Touche in Dublin.

The workers entered the reception area of Deloitte & Touche’s headquarters on Earlsfort Terrace during a planned protest at the actions of receiver David Carson who closed the Waterford plant on Friday.

More than 700 workers were employed at the plant until Friday, 480 of them in manufacturing.

Workers staging a sit-in at the plant have been operating a rota system with up to 100 people remaining in the plant at any given time.

Today’s protest was designed “bring to the attention of those 1,100 people who work for Deloittes in Ireland the poor manner in which David Carson and their company have handled the situation in Waterford Crystal since last Friday,” said Unite Regional Organiser Walter Cullen.

In a statement before the protest, Mr Cullen said “It will be a peaceful demonstration. We will not be employing private security forces to ‘protect’ us as the receiver shamefully did in Waterford.”

“The sit in at Waterford was a direct result of David Carson’s action in closing the plant with no discussion, no contact or no respect for the working people who generated sales of €180 million for the company in the United States alone last year.

“Maintaining the plant as a going concern is essential to keep hope alive in the bids that have been made. If Deloittes are not willing to do that then we will,” he said.

ziedth

Seemingly 12 Waterford Crystal Workers have taken over the Deloitte office in dublin.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0203/wedgwood.html


EDIT:
Just reading my first sentance there wouldn't that be a deadly storyline for the next Die Hard

deise-lady

Multivan wrote: »

hope none of them had loans or money in the credit union!!!!

Why???

Sully

Multivan wrote: »

hope none of them had loans or money in the credit union!!!!

Enough with that speculation please.

andrewdeerpark

It is a terrible time for those workers but the other side of the coin is that during the eighties crystal jobs were the best paying in the country.

Plus this workforce and management have an awful history of militancy and rigid union work practices (like old British Leyland) that contributed to the destruction of this company. No one worked as a team and the bitterness between management and workers was legendary in the factory.

They may have changed but too late to save the day.

Between management and the workers they ruined this company.

RIP

Bards

...and don;t forget it was Deloitte who wasted millions of Euro on the failed PPARS system for the HSE

http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/analysis/2146267/deloitte-40m-bill-shocks

Nolanger

gobo99

Bards wrote: »

...and don;t forget it was Deloitte who wasted millions of Euro on the failed PPARS system for the HSE

http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/analysis/2146267/deloitte-40m-bill-shocks

RR1982

Does anyone have any idea what the story is with the current pensioners of waterford glass is? The people who are already receiving their pension, will they continue to receive it? Recenty corespondence sent out didn't really clarify anything.

Declan30

Anyone Got any new update on the Situation. Vey quiet on the media front the last few weeks

ITDept

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0227/breaking52.htm

Waterford Wedgwood Irish and UK units have been bought by private US equity firm KPS Capital, the receiver and administrators said today statement.

Can't remember if these were the ones who only wanted the name.

murfie

Are the workers still staging a sit in at the waterford plant? Heard this on the radio. Good news if the investors want to keep the jobs in waterford but we dont know yet what they will do with the company.

marlin vs

KPS Capital have it and they will do what they want to do with it, and united will have NO say in whatever KPS Capital want to do with it, god help the men and women that are still down there.

Raskolnikov

KPS are having absolutely nothing to do with the production facility at Kilbarry.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/waterford-crystal-plant-left-out-of-us-buyout-deal-1657016.html

The only option open for workers now is to try and get the money together to put a bid in for the production facility, otherwise it will be permanently closed down.

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'm sorry but you in particular are talking out your hole! I don't mean to attack the poster, so I'll attack the post.

The Clarion bid which would involve John Foley taking over the Waterford Crystal part of the company would not present this situation. His plan is to retain some production in Kilbarry (like his plan was while he was still CEO, before they ran out of money) for the next ten years. They promise that there would be cash flow within a few weeks which would get the operation back up and running and then they'd have to try to re-negotiate the redundancies and deal with the pension etc after that.

I hate to say it, but I told you so.

Waterford Crystal as we know it is dead.

AdMMM

I would assume that this will also mean that all rights to the Waterford Crystal name have been bought? Really looks like the workers won't be getting anything out of it now!

nkay1985

Raskolnikov wrote: »

KPS are having absolutely nothing to do with the production facility at Kilbarry.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/waterford-crystal-plant-left-out-of-us-buyout-deal-1657016.html

The only option open for workers now is to try and get the money together to put a bid in for the production facility, otherwise it will be permanently closed down.I hate to say it, but I told you so.

Waterford Crystal as we know it is dead.

I was referring to the bid being made by Clarion capital. It was always clear that KPS would not want to continue production in Waterford. That was why the workers preferred the Clarion bid. But that bid was never cemented.

It kind of doesn't change anything form the workers' point of view - they already had no jobs. So no they're just in a position where they're dealing with KPS and the government instead of the receiver and the government. It'll be interesting to see how this develops over the next couple of weeks.