Nortel Ex-Workers Protest Absence of Severance Pay

Nortel Networks Corp. workers in Northern Ireland are not feeling the luck o’ the Irish today.

Over the past few months, bankrupt Nortel has laid off about 100 employees and, as it’s done to staff in the U.K., stiffed them for severance pay (or redundancy, as it’s known in Europe). Those former workers have grown increasingly angry as they’ve watched Nortel CEO Mike Z. (the most despised man on the planet??) approve $45 million in bonuses for management, yet thousands of U.S., Canadian and European workers are getting no compensation from the company.

The people in Ireland have had enough. They started protests today, much as their counterparts in France did earlier this week.

“People with decades of loyal service were just shown the door,” the striking workers told the Belfast Telegraph in a prepared statement. “Employees on maternity leave and sick leave were among those who were selected for redundancy. A number of public protests have been held and there will be more to come.”