THURSDAY 22 JUNE 1995

U2 WORLD EXCLUSIVE
Back issues of The XPress on Sunday featuring Liam Mackey's exclusive interview with U2 are still available from: Room 103, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1.

DAIL DEBATES JOURNALISTS' WELFARE
PRESS STAFF CHALLENGE LIQUIDATION BACK IN HIGH COURT
PRESS UNITE FOR RIGHT TO WORK
3 MINUTES FOR THE IRISH PRESS

Published by The Irish Press NUJ, Liberty Hall. Origination by Malcolm Kindness, Telephone 4962551.

DAIL DEBATES JOURNALISTS' WELFARE

by XPress reporter
Fianna Fail called on the Minister for Social Welfare, Proinsias de Rossa, in the Dail last night to ensure that Irish Press journalists get their "just social welfare entitlements".
During an adjournment debate in the Dail, Fianna Fail frontbencher, Deputy Joe Walsh, said the journalists had found themselves in a "Social Welfare limbo".
"They are unable to claim unemployment benefit. They are being turned down for assistance by community welfare officers in some instances. Any back payments owed them by the company are frozen" he said.
"Even their entitlement to the very basic statutory redundancy is dependent on whether the company is able to pay. If not, they will have to wait for State payments to come through," he added.
Referring to the actual status of the journalists within the welfare code Deputy Walsh pointed out that the trade dispute exclusion from unemployment benefit had become extraneous in the case of Irish Press journalists as the company was in no position to trade or offer work to the locked out journalists.
In its meeting with the group of unions at the Irish Press, the company directors admitted that the dispute with the journalists only brought forward the liquidation of the company by two days.
"They are not in a position to re-open the newspapers without an injection of capital," Deputy Walsh added.
"In the meantime, people are facing the threat of losing their homes, many families are in severe financial straits and the very basic income a State guarantees is being denied them," he continued.
Earlier, Mr De Rossa had said the question of the welfare entitlements for Irish Press journalists was not urgent. However, subsequently the matter was allowed to be brought up on the adjournment.

PRESS STAFF CHALLENGE LIQUIDATION

Workers ask High Court to appoint examiner

by Ken Whelan
A High Court challenge to the liquidation of Irish Press Newspaper is due to get under way today.
In an unprecedented move, the 600 newspaper employees are seeking the appointment of an examiner to run the company, which is due to be liquidated by its owners next Wednesday.
In a legal landmark application, the employees are seeking the examinership under instruments within the Companies Act which allows the workforce, as creditors, to move to protect their employment.
The application is being taken in relation to Irish Press Newspapers.
There have been eight examinerships granted since the Companies Act was amended in 1990 in the wake of the Goodman Group's difficulties. This will be the first examinership sought by employees as creditors.
Irish Press workers, laid off or locked out for almost four weeks now, are owed almost £20 million in forgone pay increases and other benefits, according to some industry estimates.
The ex-parte court application will look for the appointment of Mr Hugh Cooney of Cooney, Carey Chartered Accountants, Dublin, as Examiner.
The employeesÕ legal team will be lead by Mr Michael Collins, a leading senior counsel in corporate and commercial law, and barrister Mr John O'Donnell, author of a recent book on company law and examinership in Ireland.
They will be advised by Terry Leggett of Eugene H. Collins, solicitors, Fitzwilliam Square.
Mr Cooney is regarded as the country's leading examiner. He has successfully overseen the financial rescue of large companies like TEAM Aer Lingus and Tipperary-based construction giant Kentz, formerly MF Kent, which had been facing liquidation.
If Mr Cooney is appointed, the planned liquidation of the company cannot go ahead and creditors' claims will be frozen.
Initially, he will be appointed for seven days by the High Court and he will be answerable only to the court. If his appointment is renewed after the initial seven days, he will have a further 21 days to prepare an interim report.
In their petition, the employees state that the appointment of an examiner would greatly facilitate the survival of Irish Press Newspapers - the company under threat of liquidation - and their related companies.
The appointment of an interim examiner would not prejudice any of the three companies involved in the group as they would not be trading during the course of the examinership.
The petition is in the name of the workers' representatives and has the backing of all the unions within the Irish Press group including the NUJ, SIPTU, IPU, the craft unions, GPMU, and the SMAUI.

PRESS UNITE FOR RIGHT TO WORK

by Donogh Diamond
MORE than 1,000 Irish Press workers and their supporters marched through the streets of Dublin yesterday in a united demand for the right to work.
The march, organised by the Dublin Printing Group of Unions, and led by a samba band, set off from Parnell Square for a rally outside the Dail.
Eddie Brown, General President of SIPTU, who was speaking in his capacity as a trustee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said he was proud, but not pleased, to be addressing the rally.
On behalf of Congress, he pledged the trade union movement's unequivocal opposition to the liquidation plan of Irish Press Newspapers Ltd.
And he stressed that the dispute at the Press group was not about sacked Group Business Editor, Colm Rapple, but the financial position of the company. "Colm has had the misfortune to be cast in the role of scapegoat," he said.
The Secretary of the DPGU, Owen Curran, told the rally that a conservative estimate put the cost to the State of a liquidation of the Irish Press at £10 million.
And he pointed out that pensioners in receipt of ex-gratia pensions from the company had now been cut off, and the Group had asked IPN Chairman, Dr Eamon de Valera to reconsider their position "as a matter of urgency".
The rally was told the Press unions had contacted the offices of each of the party leaders, and had been told the Taoiseach was unavailable. They had received no reply from the office of PD leader, Mary Harney.
Speaking on behalf of the Tanaiste, Dick Spring, and the Labour Party, Deputy Joe Costello promised to convey the strong feelings of the rally to his party.
On behalf of Fianna Fail leader, Bertie Ahern, Deputy Mary OÕRourke said the Press workers would continue to have all her support.
Eric Byrne, of Democratic Left, said he had no magic words for the Press workers, and warned against companies like News International flooding the market "with cheap rubbish" as distinct from a "very excellent group of newspapers" in the form of the Irish Press.

3 MINUTES FOR THE IRISH PRESS

Leading writers, actors and singers will gather in the Gate Theatre next Sunday for an evening of entertainment, in support of the Irish Press. Edna O'Brien, pictured above, Ben Kiely, Brendan Kennelly, Niall Tobin, Stephen Rea, Rosaleen Linehan, Deirdre Purcell and David Marcus are among those taking part in the evening, entitled Three Minutes for the Irish Press.
Tickets at £10 are available from Room 103, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1 (Tel: 01 - 8787550, 8787430).

NOTE TO OUR READERS...

The XPress newspapers carry a nominal cover price of 1p, but we appreciate all donations to our newspaper fund. To help co-ordinate our fund raising activities, a bank account has been set up in aid of the NUI members who are currently locked out of the Irish Press offices. Please forward all donations to:

The Press Journalists Fund,
Bank of Ireland,
6 Lower 0'Connell Street.
Account number 60002008
Sorting code: 90-07-97
Contact 878 7430/878 7550

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