Cliffs of Moher pickets lifted after move to resolve dispute

INDUSTRIAL ACTION by workers at one of the Republic’s most popular tourist attractions, the Cliffs of Moher, was suspended yesterday.

This follows the acceptance by Siptu of an invitation from the Labour Relations Commission to attend talks in an effort to resolve the long-running dispute.

The commission’s move to invite Siptu and Cliffs of Moher Centre Ltd, a Clare County Council subsidiary, came yesterday as the dispute threatened to escalate after the union served notice it would carry out secondary picketing of council offices.

The move threatened to paralyse operations of the local authority, which provides a range of essential services in Clare.

At the core of the dispute is Cliffs of Moher Centre Ltd’s refusal to implement a 2010 Labour Court recommendation giving centre employees the same terms and conditions as their council counterparts.

Pickets of the cliffs by Siptu members were lifted yesterday after nine days. Throughout the industrial action, tourists continued to visit the cliffs.

Last night, Cliffs of Moher Centre Ltd welcomed Siptu’s decision to re-enter negotiations.

Company director Ger Dollard said during the dispute the company could not meet the union’s claim, which he said would cost €400,000 a year, and added that the Labour Court does not write a cheque when making its recommendations.

With visitor numbers up 19 per cent in the first six months of this year and the company charging an average of 50 per cent more for admission than this time last year, Siptu claims the company now has the means to implement the recommendation.

Siptu organiser Tony Kenny said it was incumbent on everyone involved to resolve the outstanding issues in a fair and equitable manner.