Politicians to visit SR Technics plant

The troubled SR Technics plant at Dublin Airport where 1,135 jobs are to be axed will be visited by a cross-party group of politicians, it was confirmed tonight.

The Dáil Transport Committee has agreed to send a delegation to the leading aircraft maintenance firm next week as concerns over the firm’s €48m redundancy package escalate.

Management at SR Technics, which is headquartered in Switzerland, blamed the pending closure of its Irish operation on rising costs, the global downturn, and loss of four key contracts.

But workers and unions claim the redundancy package being offered by the Zurich-based firm is unacceptable and called for the Government to intervene.

It has since emerged the company has told unions it is not be in a position to fund any pension costs arising from an increase in staff taking early retirement and, that despite 30 expressions of interest in the company, none had involved taking on existing staff.

Labour’s Tommy Broughan said staff and local management are concerned any interests in the operation are being directed through senior management in Zurich and not independently assessed by the Employment Minister Mary Coughlan or agencies such as IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland.

“Given the determination of SR’s Zurich management team to end the Dublin based operation it makes no sense to then direct prospective offers through this very same senior management team,” said Mr Broughan.

Last week hundreds of workers who lost their jobs demonstrated outside the Swiss embassy in Dublin to protest at the company’s proposed redundancy payments.

The deal is understood to include €33m funded by SR Technics, with the Exchequer making up the remaining €15m through the statutory redundancy scheme.

Siptu and Unite trade unions said the proposal gave staff of many years' standing less than one week per year of service over the statutory minimum redundancy payment.

Unite has requested board members meet with union representatives to seek a more equitable resolution in Dublin next week.

Mr Broughan, Labour’s spokesman on transport, said the committee was also asked to invite current and recent SR customers such as SAS, Gulf Air and LAN Chile to appear before the Transport Committee to provide critical information on the retention of this aircraft maintenance and engineering operation in the Dublin area.

“It is now desperately urgent that the minister and her two jobs agencies take a vigorous proactive role to keep the Dublin SR facility up and running and secure beyond the end of this month,” he added.