This is a freedom of information issue.

The Press closure followed the sacking of Group Finance Editor Colm Rapple on Thursday, May 25, after he had written an article in The Irish Times - an upmarket non-O'Reilly paper, on the future of the Irish newspaper industry.

The day after the article appeared Mr Rapple was summarily sacked by the Irish Press management on the grounds of "disloyalty". Immediately after Mr Rapple's dismissal his journalistic colleagues called an emergency meeting and demanded his reinstatement.

The company's management refused to meet the journalists' union and it was decided to continue the emergency meeting, resulting in the failure of The Irish Press to appear the next day.

At midday on Friday the company decided to lay off all non journalistic staff and the company ordered the journalists to leave the building. The journalists maintained that they were available for work and continued to discuss the situation at an ongoing meeting which continued overnight.

On Saturday at 5.30pm, the entrance to the building was locked and it was decided that the 40 journalists still inside would stay in the building. They continued to meet in the newsroom while their colleagues, who were now locked out, rallied support from journalists from other papers, politians from all parties, the Churches and working people all over Ireland. The journalists inside and outside the building produced a daily paper to keep the titles in circulation - this paper is still in daily production. The management's only communications at this time were to insist that the sacked journalist, group finance editor Colm Rapple, wouid never work for the Irish Press group again.

The journalists who had stayed inside since the previous Saturday finally left the building on Tuesday, May 30, following a rally attended by more than 1,000 journalists and their supporters outside the Irish parliament buildings, Dail Eireann. Politicians from six political parties, from both government and opposition, gave their official backing to the 600 Irish Press staff and said that it was essential that the three newspapers resume publication.

On Wednesday May 31, the Irish Labour Court met representatives from management and unions in a bid to end the dispute. Management refused to discuss the issue of Mr. Rapple's dismissal and the following day announced their decision to liquidate the company.

The journalists have received thousands of messages of support from members of the public, politicians, trade union colleagues, writers and musicians and workers and employees from other companies. They are still producing the XPress daily newspaper, to indicate their loyalty to the newspaper titles which have occupied an essential role in Irish public life for the last 60 years.

If you feel the Press staff should have their jobs back, phone or fax the management politely, asking them to bring their staff back into work. The phone number is: Mr. Eamon de Valera, Dublin, Ireland: 8746861. The fax numbers are: 6773339, 6713519 and 6774148.

If you would like to contribute to the Press Journalists Fund, their account is with the

The sort code is 90-00-797 and the account number is 6000 2008. The journalists themselves can be contacted by phoning Dublin 878 7430, 878 7550 or 878 7583, or by faxing 878 7640.

Published by The Irish Press NUJ, Liberty Hall. Origination by Malcolm Kindness, telephone 496 2551.

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