The State's largest union, Siptu, said today its "favoured option" for the landmark Liberty Hall building in Dublin was to demolish it and redevelop it.
But a spokeswoman said that no final decision had been taken and that it would be a number of months before that happened. "It may be the favoured option, but there are a lot of hoops to go through first."
The union began an extensive consultation with members in the summer on what to do with the 15-storey building, which is in need of refurbishment. Even minimal refurbishment, the union says, would cost several million euro and would involve the premises being empty for up to two years.
View of Liberty Hall and Custom House on the north bank of the River Liffey
The 40-year-old building in Dublin's city centre is one of the tallest in the Republic and is on a site that has had associations with the labour movement since 1912.
The spokeswoman said that if the building was demolished, it would redevelop offices on the site and reoccupy them. Siptu owns the premises and has had its headquarters there since the early 1990s, when it was formed through the merger of the ITGWU and the FWUI unions.
She said General Secretary Joe O'Flynn was meeting Dublin City Council planners today to discuss plans for the site.
"We hope to make a decision soon, but it will be several months," she added.
Councillor Kevin Humphreys of the Labour Party said it was important that Siptu "remain the main occupier of the Liberty Hall premises; it would be a betrayal of Connolly's and Larkin's legacy if Siptu relinquished its premises in the heart of the city.
"I look forward to working closely with Siptu to ensure that union members have modern viable development for continued union activity," he added.
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