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WORKERS AT A Target Express depot in Cork who are holding a sit-in protest at the facility over the shock announcement yesterday that the company was ceasing trading are calling for ‘clarity’ on their situation.
Spokesperson for the 16 protesting workers Thomas Cullen told TheJournal.ie this evening that the first they had heard about their jobs being lost was on the news yesterday.
“We turned up for work yesterday and we clocked in as usual, we delivered the freight, and then we found out on the news that the company is not trading any more,” he said. “The jobs are gone, that’s it.”
“The reason we took this action is to highlight the rights of the 390 works throughout Ireland and the UK. We’re basically being shown nil respect by the company.”
Cullen said that workers were not contacted by the company ahead of the announcement it would cease trading and that they were sent an email from management this morning saying that a receiver would be coming in who would serve them their P45s:
We feel abandoned because there’s no dialogue directly with ourselves – there’s nobody saying here’s your wages or this is what you’re entitled to.
He added that the workers feel the government should have learned lessons from the Vita Cortex sit-in and that it now needs to step in quickly to resolve the issues and uncertainty surrounding the Target Express workers.
The workers’ families and the local community have been showing strong support throughout the first day of their sit-in, with the local Centra proprietor “providing a basket of shopping to see us through the night”, Cullen said.
Cullen also told TheJournal.ie that the 16 workers at his depot have heard from colleagues in Galway, Limerick, Carlow and Dublin who are planning on holding protests over the job losses.
Tax issues
Earlier today, Target Express owner Seamus McBrien criticised the Revenue Commissioners over the way it handled the company’s case. He said that the company owed the Revenue over €300,000 and paid €214,000 last Monday. He said that the Revenue wanted a further €80,000 by Wednesday but he said he would pay it on Friday.
When the payment was not made on Wednesday, an attachment order was put on the company accounts. Yesterday, it was reported that the company was ceasing trading, with the loss of 390 jobs across its Irish and UK operations.
Today, the Revenue Commissioners refused to comment on the case specifically, but said:
In general, cases are referred by Revenue for enforcement where a taxpayer or business has failed to comply with the obligation to pay tax that is due and where there are no satisfactory proposals towards addressing the debt.In every case, prior to enforcement action by Revenue, the taxpayer or business will have been informed that continuing non-compliance is likely to result in enforcement action.
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400 more dole payments instigated by revenue….. Well done
Surely having 390 people out of work, and signing on, will cost Revenue a lot more than €300,000 in the medium to long term? Seems like a severe lack of foresight on their behalf
I’m thinking it sounds so ridiculous that there has to be more too it. they can’t be that short sighted. Maybe I’ve too much faith in peoples intelligence but I’m sure it will come out in the wash either way…
Same thing that’s rife in political and civil service life….no joined up thinking.
Ermm…there’s more to this story lads if you sit back and read between the lines in an intelligent way, why did management let the media spill the beans to the workers…not very well managed from wat it looks to me…wat else was not managed properly in the company if they didn’t even do this right…just saying!
Ah now Michael stop making sense now!! The government will get the common sense police after ye.
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) warned another six firms employing thousands of people will be gone by Christmas unless Government stems the tide of ever increasing fuel prices and use of laundered diesel in the sector.
“The industry is in dire straits,” said Eoin Gavin, President of the IRHA.
“The price of diesel is rapidly increasing and the Government are very slow to react and prevent further closures of transport companies and the loss of associated jobs.”
Independent.ie
The consequences of a government attempting a fiscal correction through increased taxation in the midst of a recession/depression is more unemployment and ultimately less tax revenues for the exchequer. This is exactly what happened following FG/Labours previous fumbling attempt at a fiscal correction in 1982: Increased unemployment and falling revenues. FG/Labour have failed to learn the mistakes of their own past and the public should be in no doubt that they utterly lack the competence to manage this economy.
The cost of fuel is passed onto the consumer, point?
In a country that brings the world Laser and Internet shopping, a courier company can’t survive? Nothing to do with Revenue at all.
Point:
The spin induced myth that this government is effectively tackling this crisis is unravelling. The zombiezation of the economy is spreading from the dysfunctional banking sector and property/construction sector to an increasingly insolvent transport sector. Irish exports are transported by trucks fuelled by laundered diesel rather than Laser or Internet (funnily enough).
“IRHA president Eoin Gavin called for the introduction of a rebate on fuel duty for hauliers, similar to those available in Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Gavin said the measure would be tax neutral because the cost would be offset by the increased number of trucks that would fill up in Ireland rather than overseas.
He said this would allow hauliers to compete with rivals who are using low-cost laundered fuel.
Mr Gavin said customers “at the moment are relying on illegal fuel to transport Irish exports, and that is a disgrace for this economy”.
He said the price of fuel, which traditionally represented 30% of hauliers’ cost base, now represents 50%.”
RTE News 28/08/12
“Comparing Ireland’s tax structure with other countries, the country already has among the highest marginal rates of direct (income) and indirect (VAT) tax in the world.”
Ronan Lyons 27/08/12
FG/Labour economic incompetence was exposed in the early eighties and handed continued political dominance to Fianna Fail for another generation. For their own reasons, now that they have been returned to power FG/Labour have decided to continue destroying the nations economy in earnest. So acute is their incompetence that, normally conservative, voters are seriously weighing up SF & ULA as parties that may inflict less damage on the economy.
For the most part tony u are right…joined thinking is severely lacking in there but there is more to this story than meets the eye…things like this just don’t happen off the cuff…
Two sides to story etc. I’m sure Revenue think they have just case.
However, in the absence of a banking system, the government needs to step in/set up intermediary body in cases as such.
400 people on the dole next week * €200 (using easy approxs) = €80,000 the government will have to pay out.
Add this to lost taxes from these 400 employees (and the employers PRSI contribution) could easily come in at at another €200 per week. Another €80,000 per week lost.
That’s a net loss to this country of approx €640,000 in a month.
If a government body for businesses that are struggling with working capital was set up it would allow special cases like this survive, and ultimately, help the country survive.
That’s not even factoring other forms of lost revenue the Gov like:
400 people on the dole having to spend a lot less in economy. Lost VAT, excise duty etc on products these people would have been able to afford if were still employed.
If a company is viable, or even slightly loss making over a short term period, it would still be in the interest for the government to step in.
Joined up thinking my a**e
Im sure some other company was out stealing the big contracts first thing this morning. Not sure revenue like people being successfull out side of Dublin :(
Well done revenue hope you never feel like those families tonight sleep tight arseholes
Desmond that’s a foolish and unintelligent comment to make when you have limited facts. Indeed you should be intelligent enough to know that a Company collapsing without the employees being told is quite clearly being managed by somebody that doesn’t care and you just blindly accuse Revenue. Take a deep breath a long think and apologise to the staff in that area of the Public Service who protect my contributions from being used to prop up cowboy operations.
Mick also apologies to the public service staff in charge if the 50 million sham they called e voting machines , I sure they lost their jobs in order to protect you contributions . They could have called in an examiner to help target revenue have too much power , who’s watching them
Sounds to me like the Revenue were a bit too trigger happy but you can never be sure what the full story is.
Very sad for the staff. They’re the victims in this dispute between the Rev Com and the company.
They should go home and start applying for new jobs instead of sitting in achieving nothing
You can still apply for jobs in a sit-in.
Idiotic puerile comment.
Meant for B Feery’s comment
Yeah because the Vita Cortex workers got nowhere….you idiot.
Apply for what jobs?
On you mean the ones the jobs the other 440, 000 odd people unemployed are applying for aswell?
Now what these people are trying to achieve amongst numerous things, is getting the money they are owed.
Is there something wrong with that? They didn’t do anything wrong, so why should they be punished?
If nothing to hide and this is the whole story, why not use the services of examiner? Could trade under their protection.
Afaik they could still appeal to go under examinership. They should have preempted the Rev action.
I don’t think anyone is under the impression that its purely the Revenues fault. I’m sure they gave plenty of chances, may have had many promises broken by the company in past etc. Bad management is the main cause of this situation.
However, without a smart solution by the Gov, we are all losing out big time due to cases like this.
Something tells me there’s more than this than meets the eye….
Theres a lot of hype about the revenue commissioners going in like a swat team. I had business that got into trouble & I dealt with the revenue. They gave me a deal to pay. It wasnt a great deal but it was a deal. Things did not get better I knew I couldnt get out of trouble so I closed down after a year of trying to keep going. I will be shocked if these jobs were lost because revenue over reacted. The main problems with the haulage industry in this country is we cant compete thats it. I see the irha looking for rebates. It will help keep companies going a bit longer but its short term. Transport companies in Europe are paying as much for fuel & in most cases, more for fuel than in Ireland. Its a far bigger problem than that. Until we address all the issues this trend will continue until the demand out strips supply. The haulage industry is one of the worst industries to be in no matter what country you are in. We are at the very bottom of the food chain. I see some people saying hauliers cutting prices is the problem. Thats niave. Its one of the service industries where the industry itself does not dictate the rates. The rates are set by larger companies normally in logistics. Most of the large transport companies in Ireland do not own there own trucks. The reason for this is,its too expensive.
Is this not Sean Quinns sisters company?
Maybe this would explain both the witch hunt and the Mickey Harte sympathy speech for the Quinns at the weekend seeing as how Target sponsor Tyrone Gaa n all??
Heard the Quinn name mentioned on RTE last night but nothing since.
If it was them then maybe its true they have no money left – to pay the PR machine.
The owners told the taxman that he pay in 48 hours and the taxman said no u pay now or we going in so they went in. It’s the tax man fault for the lost of jobs. He only had to wait 48 hours for heaven sake.
And you know this how? From someone who failed to tell his staff and had to hear it on the news? Take the blinkers off.
Tomorrow will tell a lot who is right or wrong but for what we think of the whole establishment at the moment there is a whole lot more too this story and these things dont just happen.
@Barry not a very funny comment. People thumb his down to size
wrong story much.
Gets better & better….,what d hell is going on with dis country #direland
Here’s an idea, get one of the Target Directors to stand in the local elections as an Indepenent, once they have a Dail seat let them renegotiate with the Revenue, apologise to the public (inc some fake tears) and walk away from the whole mess! Dail seat – amount owed to revenue = saving 400 jobs.
shocking stuff this,it beggars belief ,bad to worse this bloody government
If there not hitting there (target) they have to go. Simple as that
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