Today's other stories in brief
Ballot by staff at air engine factory
Staff at Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (LTAI) are to be balloted today on new proposals that unions and management hope can resolve a dispute that threatens 465 jobs at the company's Dublin plant.
The proposals, agreed during 11 hours of talks under the auspices of the National Implementation Body on Saturday, are to be put to the workforce following a meeting of unions and staff at the Rathcoole facility.
Council offers extra day’s leave
Meath County Council staff who sought a €15,000 lump sum for moving from offices in Navan to Ashbourne have been told they should take an offer of an extra day off.
The union Impact took the claim to the Labour Court on behalf of the community, enterprise, recreation, cultural and heritage section of the council.
It said the relocation involved excessive extra travel time, and many of the workers would incur additional expenses.
In compensation it sought “excess mileage at civil service rates for five years or a once-off lump sum payment of €15,000, time off in lieu for the excess travel to and from work, quantified at 1.5 hours per day or 10 additional days annual leave for a period of five years”.
The council rejected the claim as “excessive”. It offered an extra leave day.
The court found the offer of an extra day off was “fair and reasonable” .
Best’s sister criticises drama
The late George Best’s sister has criticised last night’s broadcast of a BBC drama based on her mother’s alcoholism, writes Dan Keenan.
Best – His Mother’s Son was denounced by Barbara McNarry as superficial and a “lost opportunity”.
“I’m personally deeply hurt by the one-dimensional, inaccurate portrayal of my mother, who was a truly gentle, lady-like person before alcohol took over her life.”
Ann Best (55), a former teetotaller, died in 1978 from an alcohol-related disease.
There was no comment from the BBC last night.
Leisure centre to stay open
A leisure centre in Cobh, Co Cork, which was due to close yesterday, looks set to remain open for the immediate future.
Several hundred protesters turned up yesterday outside Cobh Leisure Centre in Carrignafoy and later outside the town hall while the council was in emergency session. The council meeting heard members of the board of Carrignafoy Leisure and a delegation from the Save Cobh Leisure Centre committee.
Aura Leisure is due to pull out of the site this week.
It claims to have suffered loses of more than €100,000 at the site since August of last year.
However, the site will remain open while the leisure centre’s board of management examines applications from new companies to take over its day-to-day running.
Two charged over Youghal break-ins
Two men have been remanded in custody after they were charged in connection with two separate break-ins in which one man was tied up and a second man was assaulted in Co Cork over the weekend.
Kevin Bulman (19), from Blackwater Heights, Youghal, was charged with burglary at Maggie May’s public house on South Main Street and with aggravated burglary at a house on Armour Terrace, Friar Street, on April 25th.
David Stephens (22), from Sarsfield Terrace, Youghal, was charged with aggravated burglary at both premises and with a third charge of assault causing harm to Terry Hughes at Maggie May’s on April 25th.
Last night at a special sitting of Youghal District Court Judge Terence Finn refused bail to both men.
They will appear again at the court on May 1st.