A report into the background of the liquidation of Clerys being carried out by Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash is not expected to be completed for a number of weeks.
Informed sources said it would not be ready for the Cabinet meeting next week.
On Thursday, Mr Nash wrote to the owners of Natrium Ltd, the company that last Friday bought the retailer, over their future plans.
Clerys was sold by Boston-based Gordon Brothers to Natrium Ltd, which comprises Irish investment group D2 Private, and Cheyne Capital Management in the UK, with financing from Quadrant Real Estate Advisers.
Immediate closure
OCS Operations Ltd, which ran the department store, was then placed into liquidation in dramatic fashion, resulting in the immediate closure of the department store.
Natrium is expected to redevelop the property, which is held in a separate company.
In the letter, Mr Nash said he wanted to discuss, at the earliest opportunity, “the situation regarding the unexpected liquidation of OCS Operations, the subsequent redundancy of Clerys’ workers and your plans for the future of the iconic Clerys site”.
Shock announcement
He said he was deeply concerned at how workers in the department store - both those direct employees of OCS Operations and concession holders and their staff - had been treated since the shock announcement of the closure of Clerys and its liquidation last Friday.
“My concerns are shared by my colleagues across Government and I have been asked by the Taoiseach to prepare a report on the matter for Cabinet.
“I believe a meeting would afford you the opportunity to engage with me as I prepare that report,” he said, in the letter sent to Deirdre Foley and John Skelly.
Mr Nash said he was anxious to hear about Natrium Ltd’s plans for the Clerys site.
1916 celebrations
“As the country prepares to celebrate the centenary of the 1916 Rising, O’Connell Street will be at the centre of those celebrations,” he added.
He said he wanted to learn about “employment prospects” in relation to the company’s plans for the site and to explore the potential for re-employment for former Clerys staff.
“This may be some consolation to the staff who have been treated so coldly over the past few days.”
Mr Nash urged Natrium Ltd to meet former workers and their trade union representatives.
“They have many questions, and I believe it is the right thing to do.”
