Airport workers sit-in over redundancy pay

As its directors held further talks yesterday to try to save Galway Airport, a group of workers started a sit-in in the terminal out of fear they will not receive their redundancy entitlements.

However, they disrupted their industrial action last night to help a flight of surgeons involved in an emergency organ transplant.

The airport workers facilitated the plane carrying a British team of surgeons involved in an emergency organ transplant, before resuming their sit-in.

Last week it emerged Bank of Ireland had seized €1.1m from the airport’s deposit account to offset loans, even though repayments were fully up to date.

At the time management warned that if the move was not reversed it would no longer be able to trade as a going concern.

The board had been in the process of identifying potential buyers/investors who could save the facility. That future had been uncertain after Aer Arann flights were suspended for the winter and Government funding withdrawn.

In light of the BoI seizure — which was the subject of a heated debate in the Seanad yesterday and which prompted local senator Fidelma Healy Eames to call for the bank to be brought before the Public Accounts Committee — the board removed a further €450,000 from the account to cover redundancy payments.

Yesterday senior airport officials met with the Department of Transport and Bank of Ireland.

Afterwards they said they could not comment as the process was ongoing.

As they met, a group of workers were staging a sit-in near the bar in the terminal building. One of those workers, Seán Adair, said they were fearful they would not receive their redundancy entitlements when they were let go on Feb 19.

He said the redundancy programme started last November, with 47 of 55 staff due to be laid off. While 40 who left before Christmas received their statutory entitlements, the seven others were not being given a guarantee they would receive their money in light of the bank seizure.

Mr Adair said they had sought a meeting with management on Monday. They were told that under legal advice, and even though they were willing to work to the end of their notice period, management could not issue the redundancy cheques from the €450,000 set aside.

Late last night, Senator Healy Eames said she had received assurances from government that the staff would receive their statutory redundancy.