Uncertainty hangs over the payment of redundancies to 180 workers at the GMX household appliances factory in Thurles, Co Tipperary, after the French parent company, Moulinex-Brandt, declared itself bankrupt last week.
While the rest of the county celebrated the winning of the all-Ireland hurling final, workers have been left with the worry of not only being unemployed but losing out on thousands of pounds owed for years of service. "Anger", "devastation" and "shock" are some of the words they have used to describe their feelings.
"It is practically our future," said Mr Christy Moore, a father of two, whose wife also works at the plant. "It is not looking good for any of us."
About £2.5 million has been frozen in a Moulinex-Brandt bank account along with the rest of the French multinational's assets. Production has stopped in Thurles four months ahead of the expected date of the plant's closure, and workers are turning up for a daily meeting in the hope there will be some positive news from corporate headquarters outside Paris.
The parent company has interests in five other European countries and in Brazil, China Egypt and Mexico. The decision to close the 12-year Thurles factory with the loss of 220 jobs, announced last April as part of a global restructuring, was greeted with dismay in a town that has failed to attract any significant new industry during the economic boom.
GMX was attracted to the town by State agencies as part compensation for the loss of the local sugar factory. At its height, the company employed more than 270 in electric motor production, plastic moulding, and the assembly of coffee grinders, food blenders and kettles.
About 40 workers have already received redundancy after giving their notice. The remainder stayed on, thinking they could rely on the pay cheques of the final few months, together with average redundancy payments of £14,000.
Ms Angela McNeill, a shop steward, said GMX itself was solvent and she was hopeful of a successful outcome. "It is only the parent company that is in receivership. That has a knock-on effect. But in the past they have always honoured us."
Under the scheme negotiated by SIPTU, workers were to get five weeks' pay per year of service plus a lump sum for training purposes. But having been mistakenly told the redundancy payments were secured, the workers are angry at the union. One worker, Ms Kathleen Hayes, said people felt bitter and believed the union had misled them. "Why did they tell us that our money was in the AIB?"
Mr Michael Long, SIPTU branch secretary, said feelings were running high but the union was waiting on news from the examiner. The redundancies were agreed on June 6th, and SIPTU looked for a bond to be put in place to protect them.
"On August 23rd, a letter came to the SIPTU office indicating that they were prepared to put that in place. The matter was put in our solicitors' hands in Dublin. Unfortunately at the end, even though we were quite close to having that secured, time beat us on September 7th," Mr Long said.
The plant manager for 10 years, Mr Emile Morvan, said: "It is urgent for everyone that a solution is found quickly."
He said if financing could be found for the parent company, GMX would be able to go back to "a normal situation"; there was no dispute between management and workers at GMX. "I am worried about their future because they are expecting redundancies and, unfortunately for some, they have no jobs yet. This situation is difficult, for them more than me."
Shannon Development is also in negotiations with Moulinex-Brandt about the repayment of State subsidies. GMX received over £3 million in grants since the plant was opened by the then environment minister, Mr Michael Smith, in 1993.
The north Tipperary TD, who is now Minister for Defence, raised the redundancy issue at Cabinet level last week.