Poor form by Debenhams Liquidators - a deal can be found

• Sherlock condemns heavy handed treatment of workers

Reacting to the news that the Debenhams's liquidators have now withdrawn their deal with Mandate, Labour Spokesperson on Employment Affairs, Senator Marie Sherlock has urged the liquidators to go back to the table to find an improved deal with the workers' representatives.

Senator Sherlock said:

"This sudden withdrawal of the indicative settlement smarts of a fit of pique by the liquidators. The liquidators need to resolve the situation in order to peacefully access the stock in the Debenhams stores"

“I condemn the heavy-handed way the workers were dealt with and there are serious questions about the role of the Gardaí in the conduct of the arrests this morning. I am appealing to the liquidators to stand down their current actions and to get back to the negotiating table.

“The fact that the worker's representatives managed to bring the negotiations as far as they did last week is a credit to the perseverance and determination of the workers who have effectively put their lives on hold since that awful news came through on March 30th.

“Many of these workers have given decades of service to Debenhams and are understandably outraged at the prospect of being reliant on the State's insolvency fund for their redundancy payments.

“The draft deal leaked last week is a basis from which to negotiate from and it is incumbent on the liquidators to go back to the table to conclude this sorry situation and ensure that workers can leave their former workplace with dignity in terms of their redundancy payments.