Labour Court rejects union claim for improved Dublin Port severance terms

The Labour Court did not recommend that Dublin Port Company concede the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union's claim for improved severance terms for five former workers. The recommendation was dated 31 January 2006. The union said the workers accepted an earlier package after assurances that no further voluntary packages would be offered. It argued a later, more generous package left four workers with claimed losses ranging from €210,000 to €330,000. The company said the workers had freely agreed to the original terms and that the later package formed part of a cost reduction process. The Court found the workers had accepted the severance package without conditions, creating binding agreements that ended their employment. It said later events could not change those agreements.