Govt slams workers over nationwide protest

The Government has criticised workers and trade unions for embarking on a day of protest today over the low level of statutory redundancy payments in Ireland.

In a statement released this morning, the Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats coalition said the protest is unnecessary and comes at a time when many businesses are facing challenges.

It also said the nationwide demonstration could inconvenience the public.

The Government said the issue of redundancy will be discussed during upcoming negotiations between the social partners on a successor to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.

SIPTU, however, said it wants the matter to be dealt with in a meaningful way on its own merits and not as part of an overall deal.

The union said that if the Government’s preferred course was followed, then employers could stand firm on redundancy and force unions to withdraw from the social partnership talks, which also cover issues unrelated to redundancy.

SIPTU vice-president Jack O’Connor said: “It will be very quickly lost sight of if the employers are not prepared to engage meaningfully. They’ll veto progress on it and we’ll be put in a position then that we have to break down the talks on all these other issues affecting people in order to secure some progress on this issue.”

Today’s protest was arranged by four trade unions after two companies, Peerless Rugs in Co Kildare and Ardagh, the owners of the Irish Glass Bottle plant in Dublin, refused to pay redundancy terms recommended by the Labour Court.

The demonstrators are calling on the Government to increase the legal minimum for statutory redundancy payments to three weeks’ pay for every year of service.

At present, laid-off workers are only entitled to half-a-week’s pay for every year of service under the age of 41 and one week’s pay for every year above that age.