4 September 2013
Video: Staff locked out of jobs at Chief State Solicitor's Office
'We've no option than to protest for our rights. We can't even sign on to Social Welfare as we have no P45s'
EIGHT security officers at the Chief State Solicitor's Office at Dublin Castle have been left in a state of limbo after they were locked out of their jobs without redundancy.
TOP Security – which recently won the contract to provide security for the offices from another company – refused to honour its commitments under the transfer of undertakings guidelines (TUPE) and instead deployed its own staff to the site, leaving the current workers unemployed and without redundancy.
Thomas Sadlier, who has worked at the offices for seven years, told An Phoblacht:
"Manguard Plus say we are being transferred under TUPE legislation but TOP Security say we aren't. We've no other option than to protest for our rights. We can't even sign on to Social Welfare as we have no P45s."
Peadar Nolan of SIPTU says it is time the Chief State Solicitor's Office "accepted its responsibility to intervene and insist that TOP Security honour its transfer of service obligations and reinstate these workers".
Sinn Féin representative Daithí Doolan told An Phoblacht it is imperative that all political parties exert pressure to have this lockout resolved as quickly as possible and the workers re-employed on the correct terms and conditions.
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