Staff affected by the sudden closure of a Cork city hotel earlier this year must get their redundancy payments before the building is sold for redevelopment as a nursing home.
The call came following reports that the sale of the Blarney Golf Resort on the outskirts of Cork City, which closed without warning in January, is at an advanced stage.
It’s believed that a planning application seeking permission for a change of use from hotel to a nursing home has been prepared, and may even be submitted to Cork City Council within days. The details were contained in email correspondence which was sent to members of the resort’s golf club within the last 48-hours.
While the hotel and leisure centre closed, operations at the golf club continued unaffected. The correspondence says that the golf club, the clubhouse and the houses which were developed on the grounds of the complex, behind the hotel building, will remain in the hands of the current owner.
Solidarity TD, Mick Barry, who has been liaising with the affected staff since they lost their jobs in Jan, said it is his understanding that about 30 workers who applied for their entitlements after the closure of the hotel and leisure centre have received statutory redundancy payments but not their holiday pay.
He said he also understands that a further 40 workers who waited for the resort to make them redundant have yet to receive redundancy pay, notice pay, or their holiday pay.
He said their redundancy pay, holiday pay and notice pay must be paid immediately before the hotel sale is completed: “These workers have been treated appallingly by their employer all along the line.
"The workers must be paid their full entitlements immediately before any change of use can be made or before any sale can be concluded.”
Meanwhile, the former Debenhams workers who are still campaigning for a fair redundancy package are due to stage another protest outside the British chain’s closed Irish stores tomorrow.