Labour Court recommends 5.5 weeks’ pay per year for SAICA Glasnevin redundancies

The Labour Court recommended that Saica Packaging Ireland Ltd offer, and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union accept, redundancy terms of 5.5 weeks’ pay per year of service, including statutory entitlements. The recommendation was dated 16 April 2009 and concerned the planned closure of the company’s Glasnevin plant. The union sought at least 6.5 weeks’ pay per year, citing compulsory redundancies and the transfer of operations to Ashbourne. The company said its 4.5-week offer exceeded the industry norm and reflected previous arrangements. The Court said both sides had cogent arguments: the company’s offer exceeded the paper industry norm, while the Ashbourne package had created an expectation of similar terms, particularly because the Dublin closure would help consolidate operations there. The Court said the recommendation created no precedent.