WORKERS at the Airmotive and Packard plants in south west Dublin are to hold mass meetings today.
Over 80 craftworkers at Airmotive are to meet this afternoon in the Roadstone social club, off the Naas dual carriageway, to hear Labour Court proposals to settle their six week strike at the plant.
Last week the company laid off 27 workers because of the strike. It is threatening mass lay offs among the remaining 330 employees this week if the strike continues.
Industry sources say there is a serious danger of the plant closing permanently if the strike is prolonged. Airmotive has already lost $15 million (about £9 million) worth of business during the dispute.
Some 800 Packard workers are to meet at the Tallaght Basketball Arena at 11 a.m. to hear reports from shop stewards and union officials on progress in talks with the company and by the task force on creating alternative employment.
The unions are expected to call for a commitment that redundant Packard workers be offered first choice of any jobs if new projects are attracted to the 120,000 sq ft plant.
A precedent exists with General Motors, the parent company. When it closed the Reg Armstrong Ltd and McCairn's Motors plants in the 1970s, redundant workers were given first refusal of jobs in Packard.
The convenor of the Packard shop stewards, Mr Liam Bernie, told yesterday's May Day rally in Dublin that General Motors had systematically moved work out of the plant". Packard workers, he said, "demand a future and look to the support of the Irish trade union movement to help us secure that future.
Later, Government sources said the key to a successful jobs initiative at the Packard plant lay in its speedy handover.