Over 200 workers at troubled aviation firm SR Technics blocked the main entrance to Dublin airport this morning as part of a protest against the planned closure of the company.
The protest took place between 11am and 12pm at the airport roundabout where the exit from the M1 meets the Swords Road.
Two other entrances to the airport remained opened during the protest and gardaí were at the scene to direct traffic.
There were delays due to heavy traffic on approach roads to the airport however no flights were cancelled as a result of the action.
SR Technics announced in February it was to close its plant at the airport with the loss of more than 1,100 jobs.
Unions said it would hold another mass meeting at 9am tomorrow at the plant at which members would be balloted on the Labour Court recommendations which were issued yesterday with a recommendation for acceptance.
The court yesterday recommended the firm should cover any deficit in its pension funds, which could cost up to €26 million. The court's recommendation also said the firm should effectively double funds offered in ex-gratia redundancy payments to staff being let go. This could have cost about €15 million.
In a statement last night, the firm said it was unable to provide additional funds for redundancies, or to finance any pension fund deficit. It would endeavour to implement other non-financial recommendations specified by the Labour Court.
Staff have argued the redundancy package on offer was "paltry and inadequate", barely above statutory minimum levels. They expressed concern about the deficit in the pension fund, which has been estimated at €26 million. The first tranche of staff to be let go are expected to leave this week.
David Glennon, a spokesman for the workers said today that employees didn't expect the company to reconsider its decision not to follow the Labour Court's recommendations.
"We don't believe SR Technics will reverse the decision from the Labour Court. I think so far they've been very reluctant to engage with us in any meaningful way at all and I think there's basically nothing coming from SR Technics except them saying no, there's no more money, which is a total misnomer. The company has plenty of cash," he said.
Speaking at today's protest, Mr Glennon said employees were very angry at the way they had been treated by the firm and claimed that staff has not been made aware of key decisions surrounding their futures.
"About 600 workers are due to leave on Friday and we still don't know who those 600 workers are despite the fact that it is now Wednesday, they haven't told us. Workers are faced with the prospect of not knowing if they will be thrown out on Friday or Monday, or whenever. We've been totally left in the dark," said Mr Glennon.
In its recommendation yesterday, the Labour Court said the ex-gratia element of the redundancy package offered to staff should be increased to €30 million, in full and final settlement.
It said benefits of both the SR Technics defined benefit pension scheme and the Irish Airlines' Superannuation Scheme should be fully funded by the firm in respect of employees who are members of the schemes.
It said the court accepted that as there would be no further work available for staff from specific dates over the coming months, personnel concerned should be given payment in lieu of notice rather than working the notice periods.
Last night SR Technics said it had told the Labour Court that while it respected its recommendation, "its redundancy budget was limited by the commercial and financial constraints which it faces and that it is not in a position to increase the funds which have been made available".
Workers at today's voiced anger over what they saw as a lack of action from the Government to resolve the problem.
"The Minister (for Transport) knew this was coming long before it was officially announced and has done nothing. No Minister, no TD has come out to the airport to speak to the workers," said one protestor who refused to be named.
"I keep hearing about rumours of a bid for the company but that's more than likely a smokescreen to get the Government off the hook. You're dealing with a mafia in Dáil Éireann, you're not dealing with a proper Government," he added.
Elsewhere, Stephen Talbot a project planner at SR Technics, said that employees were extremely upset about the decision of the company to ignore the Labour Court's recommendations.
"We went through all the due processes and we finished all the contracts that we're obliged to finish for them. We've held up our end of the bargain, but they haven't held up theirs. The Labour Court found in favour of the workers for once and they (SR Technics) turned around and gave them the finger and said 'we're not paying that'. That's not fair and we feel very hard done by," he said.
"People are ill due to the stress of all this. It's not easy to come down and protest like this but it's our livelihood at stake. We feel let down by the company and by the Government."
"We would like to believe that there are bids out there but we have to be realistic at the same time. There are some companies who would like to come in here and break this firm up in the same way that SR Technics did, that is asset-strip it. We keep hearing about proposals from different parties but we'd like to see something concrete rather than just hearsay, something that would let us know that we have a future here," added Mr Talbot.
