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Target Express Staff Sit-In Over

The sit-in by 24 workers at the Cork depot of Target Express ended yesterday evening.

The workers left the depot after receiving assurances that everything possible was being done to speed up the payment of their statutory entitlements.

They were also assured that they would be assisted in seeking social welfare payments in the short term.

Grant Thornton was appointed liquidator to Target Express last night after the haulage company ceased trading on Monday with a loss of almost 400 jobs.

Staff met with Grant Thornton earlier in an effort to hammer out a deal and this evening, following assurances from both Grant Thornton and Minister Sean Sherlock the workers decided to call off their sit in.

They have been told they will receive the outstanding two weeks wages which they're owed within the next six weeks but it could take up for six months for them to receive their redundancy.

Liquidator Gearóid Costelloe praised the workers and said they have handled the situation extremely well.

Mr Costelloe said the workers were also told that there were a number of potential purchasers interested in Target and that it was important that all assets of the company were freed up to allow any sale to go ahead.

He said talks with these companies would commence immediately, adding that he was hopeful that a sale would take place. When asked if it would secure many of the jobs, he said he was optimistic.