Fáilte Ireland staff picket office over relocation

Fáilte Ireland staff picketed outside their offices on Baggot Street and Pembroke Row in Dublin yesterday in an escalating dispute over relocation.

The tourism development body closed its Pembroke Row office at the weekend and marketing staff were to begin work at the Fáilte Ireland office in Amiens Street this morning.

Siptu had raised concerns about the move and when these issues were not resolved, members were told to report for work as usual at Pembroke Row yesterday morning. However, the office was locked and a "To Let" sign was on display.

A number of staff in the nearby Baggot Street office were also due to relocate to Amiens Street yesterday and Siptu members in this office supported the picket, bringing the numbers to about 60.

Siptu branch organiser Owen Reidy said staff did not object to moving to Amiens Street but management had failed to address a number of concerns. Fáilte Ireland has rejected this and said several meetings had been held to discuss the move.

Mr Reidy said Siptu had raised concerns about work space and health and safety issues in the new office. It had also requested a greater use of the flexi-time system to make it easier for staff who commute and for measures to address staff childcare issues.

"This row could have been about five other things, but when they actually locked out our members they felt they had to take a stand," he said.

Staff member Ellen Redmond was on the picket line with colleagues yesterday morning. "It's very distressing after 30 years in the organisation," she said. "We had quite sophisticated union-management machinery in place before, but this senior management team has never negotiated with us at any meaningful level."

A small number of members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) also worked in the Pembroke Row office. They moved to Amiens Street but the union said this was "under protest".

Séamus Dooley of the NUJ said the union was "deeply disappointed" at the dismissive attitude of management to workers' concerns.

He called for the appointment of a facilitator to resolve the dispute.

Fáilte Ireland said it regretted the decision of some employees to take strike action and described it as "disproportionate, unnecessary and not in accordance with the Labour Court".