FORMER WATERFORD Crystal and associated workers can avail of more than €2.5 million from Europe for retraining following a vote in the European Parliament.
The parliament yesterday approved the funds under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), and the money is available to 598 of the most disadvantaged workers of a total of 653 employees who were made redundant at Waterford Crystal and three of its suppliers.
The total amount which Europe has pledged is €2.57 million. When added to the funds available through the Irish Government, the total pool of money available to the workers is €3.95 million.
This means each worker can potentially receive just over €6,000 which can be used for education, retraining or for setting up their own businesses.
Labour MEP Alan Kelly has said the Government needed to work quickly. He said it would be “completely unforgivable” if any of this money had to be returned to Europe, noting just €2 million of the €22.8 million which was available for Dell workers had been utilised so far, which he called a “dreadful state of affairs”.
The fund is available for two years after it is applied for, leaving 13 months for the Waterford Crystal workers to avail of it, “yet there is nowhere for any worker to go and find out how they can apply for this money”, Mr Kelly said.
The money will be available for the Waterford Crystal workers and for ex-employees of Thomas Fennell Engineering, RPS Engineering and Abbey Electric, which supplied Waterford Crystal.
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan welcomed the decision and announced the setting up of a Waterford Crystal EGF Steering Committee, with Waterford City Manager Michael Walsh chairing.