The 620 workers who are losing their jobs at the Irish Fertilizer Industries (IFI) plants are to take their case for a better severance deal to London.
This was decided by union representatives after a meeting with a senior official in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment yesterday.
The meeting followed a march by about 300 of the company's employees to the Department's headquarters in Kildare Street, Dublin. The company, which is jointly owned by the State and the British chemical company ICI, has plants in Cork, Arklow and Belfast. A liquidator is expected to be appointed next week.
The national industrial secretary of SIPTU, Mr Noel Dowling, described as "wholly inadequate" the offer of €24.4 million in severance terms. "The Department insisted that the fund created by the shareholders is the maximum and \ non-negotiable. That means our members, in terms of expectations and past severance settlements, will be getting very much less than they expected."
He said the decision to take the protest to London was because ICI "has escaped the wrath of the unions and has not met with them at any stage".
The company's employees would lobby ICI to contribute more money to the severance fund. Mr Dowling estimated that the current offer amounted to between 2 and 2½ weeks' pay per year of service. Previous settlements had been up to 5½ weeks' pay.
A spokesman for the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said last night that the senior official in the Department had reaffirmed the commitment to provide a fair and reasonable severance package. He estimated that this would mean a payment of about €50,000 per employee, depending on length of service. In addition, he said, an offer of interim payments had been made this week to workers who were losing their jobs.
On the reported shortfall in the pension fund, the spokesman said that all "legal obligations" would be fulfilled in this area.
Yesterday's demonstration outside the Department was addressed by a number of speakers, including the Labour Party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte.
