THE EUROPEAN Commission has asked the Government to provide information on measures it is taking to safeguard pensions of workers made redundant by Waterford Crystal.
Waterford Crystal closed last week with the loss of 480 jobs. However, workers are continuing a sit-in at the plant. They remain hopeful that the factory can be sold and can continue in business.
Labour Party MEP Proinsias De Rossa has been told by the commission that it has sought information on the measures adopted to protect redundant workers in relation to defined-benefit pension schemes in particular.
Waterford Crystal’s pension deficit was running at €68.6 million at the end of April 2008.
In reply to a question tabled by Mr De Rossa at this week’s European Parliament plenary session, the commission said that if the Government’s response indicated the measures to protect such pensions did not comply with EU law, it would “not hesitate” to initiate infringement proceedings.
Mr De Rossa had asked previous questions on Ireland’s steps to implement the insolvency directive. He asked the commission to outline what correspondence it has had with the Irish authorities regarding possible breaches.
The commission responded: “In the wake of the difficulties of the Waterford Wedgwood company . . . and the risk for the pensions of its workers, the commission has requested further information from Ireland on the measures adopted to protect them . . . Should an analysis of the reply show that these measures do not fulfil the requirements of Article 8 of Directive 2008/94/EC, as interpreted by the European Court of Justice, the commission will not hesitate to initiate infringement procedures.”
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