Public servants at DAA and Nama get payouts
THIRTY-TWO Shannon Airport-based DAA workers are in line to share a €240,000 pay pot for moving to a new workplace 20 miles away.
This follows the Labour Court recommending that the workers each be paid €7,500 in a number of phases to compensate for the disturbance caused by the move to a new DAA Shared Services Centre (SSC) in Plassey Business Park, Castletroy, on the outskirts of Limerick.
The DAA is planning that the move take place in November.
The Labour Court has recommended that the workers receive €4,000 on the date of transfer, with a €500 voucher to be paid over in December, another €500 voucher to be paid in January and €2,000 to be paid over six months after the transfer.
The final €500 voucher is to be paid in January 2019.
At the Labour Court, Siptu argued that its SSC members would be disadvantaged by no longer having access to airport facilities such as staff travel, the airport credit union, benefit schemes and duty free.
Siptu argued that the relocation changed the base location of employment in many members’ contract of employment.
The union said the commute to Plassey Business Park would be particularly difficult for most staff, as there was no direct public transport available and commuting by car would either entail enduring heavy traffic driving through Limerick both mornings and evenings, or additional mileage and tolls if using the motorway.
Siptu wanted a lump sum for every worker concerned, but the DAA argued that it was fairer to make payment only to those who had to travel an additional distance to get to work.
In response to the Siptu submissions, the DAA said the proposed new base was within a reasonable distance, and that the company had made a generous proposal for a transitionary payment for those adversely affected. The DAA told the Labour Court that it was committed to providing flexibility in working arrangements to facilitate transition to the new premises, and that the relocation was based on plans for continued development and expansion of SSC.
Meanwhile, Nama has paid out €3.9m, or an average of €95,000 each, to 41 staff who exited the agency this year.
In a written Dáil reply to Fianna Fáil TD Michael McGrath, the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe confirmed the €3.9m payout in the Redundancy and Retention Scheme, and this followed a payout of €3.6m to 50 workers who left the agency in 2016.