In 2005, the Labour Court recommended severance of 1.5 weeks’ pay per year of service, plus statutory entitlements, for staff affected by Donegal Parian China Limited’s planned closure in Ballyshannon. The recommendation was signed on 4 April 2005. The workers sought four weeks’ pay per year of service. The company had offered statutory redundancy and a bonus week, and said sales had fallen sharply and it could not afford the additional payment sought. The Court said 1.5 weeks per year, plus statutory entitlements, was appropriate given the company’s financial position, and recommended applying the package to all affected staff, including those who had already left.