HUNGER STRIKE ENDS AS ISSUE GOES TO ARBITRATION
After eight days and nights in sub-zero temperatures former 4Home Stores worker, John Lane, called off his hunger strike late on Christmas Eve. Mr Lane, who was one of 40 former employees of 4Homes Store who lost their jobs when the stores closed in Mitchelstown and Fermoy, rejected a package of €84,000 nett from the company and brought his protest to the square in Mitchelstown.
He then remained in his car for over a week, without food before Christmas in an effort to force a better redundancy package from his former employers.
“I have worked for the company for over 35 years and I will not accept the deal on offer from 4Home Store. I want what the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) recommended and I will remain here on hunger strike until then,” John Lane told The Avondhu when he began his hunger strike.
An agreement was reached between John Lane and 4Home Stores at 5.30pm on Christmas Eve. Mr Lane and his former employers have agreed to allow binding arbitration to decide the outcome and a meeting is scheduled to take place on January 8. A third-party independent body will work out the agreement.
“With binding arbitration both myself and the company will have to live with the outcome”, Mr. Lane said.
John Lane who, is a father of nine, feels that he is entitled to a redundancy package of €150,000, “I want five weeks of pay per year of service, plus statutory redundancy which with my 38 years service is equivalent to €150,000,” he said.
Confirming that an agreement for arbitration has been reached with Mr. Lane, a spokesperson for 4Home Stores said in a statement to The Avondhu that, ‘It would be inappropriate for the company to comment at this time’.
Published:
Friday 8th January 10:24am
