The Labour Court recommended additional closure payments of up to €7,000 for workers affected by Irish Sugar’s Carlow factory closure. Its recommendation was dated 8 March 2005 and covered about 140 permanent staff and 110 seasonal workers.
The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union, Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union and AMICUS sought a €10 million closure fund. Irish Sugar offered €250,000 on top of existing redundancy terms, which included six weeks’ pay per year of service plus statutory redundancy.
The Court recommended ex-gratia top-up payments for cooperation with the closedown: €3,500 each for workers with up to 20 years’ service, €5,250 for those with 20 to 30 years, and €7,000 for those with more than 30 years. Seasonal workers were to receive pro-rata payments. The Court cited workers’ service and the unique nature of the industry in making its recommendation.