Eurolink News

EU Commissioner pledges to look at pensions crisis in SR Technics (29/4/09)

April 29, 2009 at 8:29 pm 1 comment

EU officials have made a commitment to negotiate with the Irish government concerning the pensions crisis at SR Technics in Dublin. A SIPTU delegation representing workers met with Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla in Brussels yesterday to discuss the aviation firm’s failure to cover the €26 million euro deficit in the pension fund.
The fund was suspended earlier this year when the Swiss firm announced plans to close its Dublin operation with the loss of over 1,000 jobs.
Dublin MEP Proinsias de Rossa, who facilitated the meetings between the Irish workers and the EU representatives, said Commissioner Spidla had vowed to see what could be done to remedy the situation. ‘I don’t want to raise false hopes among SRT workers, because the power of the EU to intervene in the area of pensions is limited; but at least we got a clear understanding that the Commission will talk to the Irish government and see how the EU can help,’ said the Labour MEP.
SIPTU wants the EU to put pressure on the government to bring in legislation that would oblige solvent companies to maintain contributions to pension funds. 60 year old Dubliner Dennis Dennehy explained that he had worked 40 years for SR Technics, only to be told that he was three months short of qualifying for a pension.
The delegation were also told that SRT workers who have been laid off would qualify for financial aid under the EU’s retraining scheme, but that it was up to the government to apply for that funding.

Entry filed under: EU Commission, EU funding, Recession and the EU, Workers' rights and the EU. Tags: .