Union leaders to demand answers from Harney

UNION leaders will demand answers from Tánaiste Mary Harney today on why the Government rejected a rescue plan for Irish Fertiliser Industries.

SIPTU, the country’s biggest union, said it was not happy with the Government decision which cost 620 jobs and insisted a survival plan could have kept the firm afloat. It emerged yesterday that a decision by Bord Gáis to cease giving credit to IFI was a key factor in the decision to shut the plants.

Fianna Fáil backbencher Ned O’Keeffe said the situation could have been averted and underlined the need to separate the gas transmission network from the gas suppliers.