Labour Court recommends payments for 32 SIPTU members affected by Dublin Airport Authority move

The Labour Court recommended transitional payments for 32 members of the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU) affected by Dublin Airport Authority’s planned move of its Shared Services Centre from Shannon Airport to Plassey Business Park in Limerick. The recommendation was signed on 6 September 2017. SIPTU said the move was decided without consultation, would remove airport-related benefits and would make commuting difficult. Dublin Airport Authority said the relocation was needed to expand the centre and proposed payments for employees facing extra travel, a temporary bus service, flexible hours and transitional homeworking. The Court noted areas where the parties could engage on flexibility, transport and individual difficulties. It did not consider a severance package appropriate while the authority was expanding and recruiting. It recommended payments contingent on full cooperation with the move: €4,000 on transfer, €500 vouchers in December 2017 and January 2018, €2,000 six months after transfer, and a €500 voucher in January 2019.