Fastway receivership impacting workers and businesses in Louth says Watters

Dundalk-Carlingford Sinn Féin representative, Cllr Antóin Watters has said that the news that Fastway Couriers has gone into receivership is having a detrimental effect on workers and small businesses in Louth alike.

Councillor Watters told the Dundalk Democrat that “this has come as a major shock to their 300+ workers who still have their bills to pay despite losing their income. I know of a few lads around Cooley and throughout Louth that usually picked up delivery work in November and December to help with the cost of Christmas and beyond. That safety net has gone now too, without warning.”

He continued: “With the cost of living crisis and the lack of any thought for workers and their families in the last budget, I fear that even more families are going to be pushed further below the poverty line. 

“People have paid for parcels in good faith and are facing uncertainty of delivery, fearing they may be one of around 50,000 parcels lying undelivered in a warehouse. The Receivers said they are working with third party delivery companies to get them delivered but it is uncertain.”

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Cllr Watters, who works for O’Connors Roofing Supplies in Lordship, said “it is a logistical nightmare because we, like many other small businesses throughout Louth, have sent goods and we are getting calls from customers who have not received them.

“Thankfully, we don’t have a large online sales side but look at the businesses that do. How do they recoup their lost stock? They are going to have to send the stock again with an alternative courier and that in itself is a problem.

“Other courier companies are too busy to take on fresh contracts and are struggling coming up to Christmas anyway. They can’t possibly take on any more work. Fastway has left a gaping hole in the market at the worst possible time of the year.”

The Sinn Féin councillor also cautioned, “the government needs to take this receivership as a warning that their policy of piling taxes upon taxes on an already beleaguered industry is not working and we are in danger of seeing other haulage

“Companies follow suit leading to even more job losses. Ireland relies heavily on road haulage delivery services for supply chains and we can see the chaos caused by Fastway going into receivership, imagine this happening on an even bigger scale.”

Cllr Watters said that “several things need to happen here, firstly the government need to ensure the workers have all necessary supports open to them and must liaise with the Department of Social Protection and Intreo to help workers secure alternative employment as quickly as possible.

“Arrangements need to be made for customers to receive their parcels that have been paid for as quickly as possible. Thirdly, and most importantly, sub-contractors and road haulage companies may not be able to recoup their losses and the government need to prevent this from spiralling, they need to reassess how haulage companies are treated.

“They face increasing fuel costs while getting little to no support on their transition to HVO fuels, increasingly restrictive regulations which is crippling the industry and the last budget offered no compensation or comfort to the haulage companies or their workers.”

Cllr Watters concluded “It’s a worrying time for a lot of people and the government need to really step up here to prevent further devastation and chaos. For anyone that is experiencing difficulty, please reach out.”