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50 young trade unionists from across Europe met with Clerys workers in a display of solidarity after the famous Dublin department store was closed with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

The young workers, who are attending the UNI Europa Youth Conference in the Irish capital, were given just 30 minutes to leave the building. Each country took photos to support the campaign.

More than 14,000 people have signed a petition by UNI affiliate SIPTU calling for the new Clerys owners to meet with redundant staff. The employees lost their jobs when the company was sold and liquidators brought in. The loyal workforce was locked out and made redundant.

Speaking in an Irish Times article, Alke Boessiger, UNI’s Head of Commerce, labelled the closure “despicable” and has called on all members to sign the petition.

“UNI’s 20 million members stand in solidarity with SIPTU and the Clerys workers. This is a prime example of the race to the bottom and we must fight tooth and nail to seek justice for these victims of corporate greed,” Boessiger said.

“We just had a delegation from UNI Global Union and they’ll be sharing our fight with various different unions and countries around the world,” SIPTU’s Sector Organisa Theresa Hannick said.

Workers at Cerys, many of which had decades of service, are now out of work and have not been paid. Many are nearing retirement age.

On Friday, 12th June, the curtain came down on over 160 years of retail history in Dublin and a nightmare began for 430 workers. That day a consortium of property speculators purchased Clerys department store, the oldest business of its kind in Ireland, and immediately moved to close it down.

At 6.00 p.m. that evening, workers, who had not already gone home, were told by court appointed liquidators their jobs were gone and they had 30 minutes to leave the building. As they left security guards drafted in by the new owners placed padlocks on the doors. Since then the consortium, Natrium, which now owns the store but has liquidated the company that ran it, has refused to meet the workers or make any comment.