Laura Ashley strikers write to Athlone manager

A letter from former Laura Ashley workers was presented to the company's regional manager at the Athlone store in Arcadia Retail Park, on their behalf last Thursday morning. The 22 employees have spent 16 weeks on strike on Dublin's Grafton Street in an attempt to resolve the issue of redundancy payments, after they lost their jobs following the company's decision to sublet this store to another company before Christmas. In their letter, addressed to manager Kenny Walsh, they requested that management of the UK-based retailer “immediately and meaningfully†engage with Mandate Trade Union and the Labour Relations Commission to resolve this lengthy and unnecessary industrial dispute. The strikers said that the company “unjustifiably and unreasonably refused†to engage in any discussions with the Mandate Trade Union. “All we want is to fairly resolve the issue of redundancy payments for the 22 employees who lost their jobs through no fault of their own following the company's decision to sublet the Grafton Street store.†They said that Laura Ashley announced pre-tax profits of £10.5 million for the first six months of 2010, with total turnover growing by 5.7%. “Yet management refuses to offer us the loyal workers of the Grafton Street store anything more than the statutory redundancy payments.†The company has also declined the offer of the Labour Relations Commission to attend conciliation talks in an effort to resolve the matter. The strikers are calling on the company to attend the LRC to settle the dispute.