Widespread anger as 29 jobs lost in Crossmaglen Supervalu closure | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Widespread anger as 29 jobs lost in Crossmaglen Supervalu closure

Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy and Terry Hearty were angered by the way the employees were treated

The local economy in Crossmaglen was dealt a severe blow this weekend with the news that Supervalu supermarket was closing with immediate effect with the loss of 29 jobs.

Councillor Terry Hearty, who has been working on the Supervalu case for a number of months, was contacted early by staff who presented for work only to find the building locked.

“These staff members, mainly young women, came to their place of work as normal this morning to find that they could not gain access to the premises,” councillor Hearty said.

“They then received the news from Supervalu’s receivership company, Keenan Corporation and Finance Ltd, that their jobs were no longer viable.

“I went down to Supervalu to find the staff, some of them visibly upset, locked out of the building. We managed to gain access a short time later and the staff asked me to negotiate with the security men on site and the receivers on their behalf.”

He continued,”I immediately entered into talks with the receivers and managed to ensure that the staff would receive their holiday pay entitlements and any redundancy or outstanding wages.”

“I am appalled at the manner in which these people were communicated with. It is shocking enough to be told that your job is in jeopardy but to receive no notification whatsoever is absolutely shameful.”

“What’s worse is that a buyer for the shop was identified who was acceptable to receivers but at the very last minute the proposal was turned down by the bank therefore leading to these job losses. This individual has the documentation to prove this,” Hearty said.

“This is a devastating blow not only for the staff concerned but also for the entire town of Crossmaglen. This will have a negative knock on effect on the many other businesses in the Supervalu complex and also for the wider economy. The building itself is now nothing but an eyesore and blight on the town as hoarding has been erected around all the windows and security guards are present.”

He added, “I believe that both the receivers and the bank have acted shamefully in this case and their decisions have led to 29 people being out of work – a situation which could have been avoided.”

MP for the area Conor Murphy also voiced his concerns saying, “Every worker, regardless of their job status, deserves the dignity of being told in private that their job is at risk and they are entitled to information on their next steps.”

He added, “The manner in which these individuals were treated this morning is totally unacceptable.”

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Posted by on Jun 23 2012. Filed under Business, Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

1 Comment for “Widespread anger as 29 jobs lost in Crossmaglen Supervalu closure”

  1. Kevin Toner

    The bank deserve a massive loss on this one. They give umbrellas out when the sun shines. Another unfortunate victim of the property madness a few years back

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