Dail protest by Irish Fertilizer Industries staff

Hundreds of workers who have lost their jobs at Irish Fertilizer Industries are to protest at Leinster House today during a meeting…

Hundreds of workers who have lost their jobs at Irish Fertilizer Industries are to protest at Leinster House today during a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.

Industrial action is also being planned by unions at the company to prevent it moving stock from its three plants, in Cork, Arklow and Belfast.

The workers, joined by family members, will march from Nassau Street to the gates of the parliament building at 11 a.m.

They are demanding an improved severance package from the company's two shareholders, the State and the British chemical giant ICI.

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Concerns about pension provisions, particularly for staff at IFI's Belfast plant where a serious shortfall in the pension fund has been identified, will also be raised.

At least two Cork-based TDs, Mr Ned O'Keeffe and Mr Noel O'Flynn, have said they will participate in the march.

Mr Stephen O'Riordan, a worker-director of IFI based in Cork, said they were targeting a Fianna Fáil meeting because the party was the major partner in Government and had 12 of the 20 seats in Cork.

At least two busloads of workers and supporters from each of the three IFI plants are to take part in the protest.

Mr O'Riordan said two-thirds of the 620 workers at the company had been out of work since October 31st, but had still not received any severance pay.

The Government said last week that interim payments of €5,000 to workers, part of a €24.5 million severance package being provided by the State and ICI, would begin immediately.

The chairman of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, Mr Séamus Kirk, is to meet representatives of the workers at 11.30 a.m., prior to the party meeting.

Chris Dooley

Chris Dooley

Chris Dooley is Foreign Editor of The Irish Times