The former owner of Irish Ispat in Cork has just bought a house in London for €106 million. Ispat union leaders say the Indian billionaire has left workers high and dry.
Mr Lakshmi Mittal broke the world record for a house price when he bought the mansion at Kensington Palace Gardens from the Formula 1 tycoon Mr Bernie Eccelstone.
The steel magnate closed Irish Ispat with the loss of 450 jobs in June 2001. Workers were left with statutory redundancy payments. It has also been estimated that it could cost €30 million to clean up the site at Haulbowline.
Mr Mittal also made headlines after he made a donation of £125,000 to the British Labour Party just weeks before Mr Tony Blair wrote a letter to his Romanian counterpart supporting the Asian's bid to buy that country's state-owned steel plant.
Mr Joe O'Flynn, the SIPTU general secretary, has urged the Government to pursue Ispat for the cost of cleaning the harbour.
"The manner in which he closed the plant and left the workers high and dry was absolutely disgraceful. It was the worst neglect by any employer I have dealt with," Mr O'Flynn said.
"He never had any long-term plan for the plant except to bleed it dry and then close it."
Given the cost of cleaning up the site, the State should explore every avenue to ensure the money was recouped from Mr Mittal, said Mr O'Flynn.