SR Technics Staff To Hold Protest

Workers from the troubled SR Technics aircraft maintenance plant at Dublin Airport are to hold a protest march in the city centre on Friday.

The march is to raise awareness over ongoing issues regarding the closure of the Dublin facility and the loss of over 1,100 jobs, which union chiefs say has "raised serious questions".

Siptu Branch Organiser Pat Ward said there were serious questions arising from the strategy adopted by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland in seeking new investors to take over the SR Technics plant in North Dublin.

"The IDA and Enterprise Ireland are referring all potential investors to SR Technics and to its Senior Vice President for Corporate Development, Stephanie Kennett. We find it hard to follow the logic of this approach," he said.

MR Ward added: "The fact is that SR Technics is only interested in pulling out of Ireland. The real stakeholders here are the local management and workforce. We have a viable plan to save the facility and SR Technics does not."

The marchers are due to meet at the Garden of Remembrance around midday and march to the European Commission offices at the junction of Dawson Street and Molesworth Street.

Worker representatives say that misinformation dispensed by SR Technics head office in Zurich will be presented to the commission for investigation.

It was revealed yesterday that the Department of Foreign Affairs has intervened in the row, with Minister Micheál Martin requesting the Irish Ambassador in Saudi Arabia to bring the concern of employees to the attention of the company's main shareholder in Abu Dhabi.

Workers are also concerned about a potential pension shortfall and what they see as inadequate redundancy payments.

Hundreds of staff held a protest at the Swiss Embassy last Friday.

(DW/BMcC)