Fáilte Ireland staff to continue picketing

STAFF at Fáilte Ireland are set to continue with a picket outside offices of the tourism development authority in Dublin today after claiming they were locked out of their workplace yesterday.

Around 25 employees who are members of SIPTU maintain they have been forced to take industrial action in a row over the planned relocation of administrative staff to Fáilte Ireland’s new headquarters in Amiens Street.

SIPTU spokesman Owen Reidy said staff based at Fáilte Ireland’s marketing department discovered they were locked out of their offices at Pembroke Row when they arrived for work yesterday morning.

However, Fáilte Ireland maintains that the workers were fully aware that they were to report for duty to Amiens Street.

In a statement, the authority said it regretted the decision of a minority of its employees to begin strike action in response to the move to another location.

It pointed out that Fáilte Ireland had consulted with all its staff since the decision to move to Amiens Street was first taken in 2004.

Fáilte Ireland claim the move was also sanctioned by a binding recommendation issued by the Labour Court in February 2006.

A spokesperson said staff at its Pembroke Row offices were informed before Christmas about the planned transfer of staff there to Amiens Street this week. However, SIPTU insists that staff only learnt of the actual closure of the offices by email last Wednesday.

Mr Reidy said the tourism authority’s actions were provocative but avoidable if Fáilte Ireland had been prepared to consult with staff about the move.

He stressed that protesting staff were not seeking any financial payment for transferring to Amiens Street but agreement on more flexible working arrangements.

However, Fáilte Ireland branded the industrial action by its staff as “disproportionate and unnecessary”.