Injunction is sought against former employees
THE joint provisional liquidators of the Irish arm of fashion retailer Debenhams are seeking High Court injunctions restraining allegedly unlawful actions by former employees and others at any of its 11 stores across the country.
Injunctions are also sought to restrain interference with the liquidators’ efforts to take possession of the company’s stock and other assets and realising the value of those.
Kieran Wallace, who, with Andrew O’Leary of KPMG, was appointed joint provisional liquidator to Debenhams Retail Ireland last April, said in an affidavit, while the liquidators had “little doubt” some of those involved in the actions were motivated by frustration and anger over their treatment by the Debenhams group,
there was “unfortunately nothing” the liquidators could do to meet their demand of an additional redundancy package of some €13m, on top of statutory redundancy entitlements.
Mandate, the trade union representing 85pc of the workforce, had said picketing should be done in a peaceful manner and did not support unlawful industrial action, he added.
Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds granted an ex-parte (one side only represented) application yesterday for the injunctions application to be served at short notice and returned the matter to next Tuesday.
She said the defendants should be provided with ‘cease and desist’ letters in advance of that hearing and, if there was consent to the orders sought, the court should be informed.
When the judge asked to be told if the liquidators become aware of any plans for protests at the Four Courts next week arising from the application, Lyndon MacCann SC, for the liquidators, said they were likely to be “the last to know” of any such plans but would tell the court if they became aware.