People Before Profit join cleaners' jobs campaign

SIX CLEANERS who claim they were unfairly dismissed from contract jobs at an EU-funded organisation have vowed to step up their…

SIX CLEANERS who claim they were unfairly dismissed from contract jobs at an EU-funded organisation have vowed to step up their campaign for reinstatement.

Their case has been supported by People Before Profit Alliance which joined them in a protest at the Eurofound premises in Loughlinstown, Dublin yesterday.

Richard Boyd Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance said the cleaners and their supporters would hold daily protests outside the offices of Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, until they were reinstated.

"A petition to the European Foundation, condemning the women's sacking and calling for their reinstatement has also been launched," he said. A rally would also be held next Saturday in Ballybrack, he added.

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The six local women had been working at the Loughlinstown building for between nine and 18 years. They claim they were sacked for complaining about working with chemicals and not receiving wages on time. The women were not employed by Eurofound itself, but by Blanchardstown company AFM Ireland.

Yesterday, AFM's Paul Higgins said the company was baffled by the cleaners' actions and the campaign for reinstatement as they had voluntarily handed in their resignations. "As far as we are concerned, that's the end of it."

Alison Healy

Alison Healy

Alison Healy is a contributor to The Irish Times