This article is from page 13 of the 2007-04-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
FIVE hundred and fifty workers at Shannon airport have until next Monday to decide whether they wish to accept a voluntary redundancy deal at the airport.
Letters sent out to workers by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) stated that the workers had until April 23 to sign “an irrevocable agreement of exit” if they wish to take the redundancy deal.
In order for the €36 million sur-
vival plan to work, the SAA requires 200 workers or more to leave.
Information sessions on pensions and the tax implications for indi- viduals will continue at the airport WDA (e1o).@
Those with 24 or more years of ex- perience who opt to leave the SAA will receive over €100,000 while the 350 workers who remain will receive a payment of €16,000.
The deal is expected to save the SAA €10 million per annum.
In the new revamped Shannon air- port, international retail organisa-
tion HMS Host has secured the con- tract to operate five retail outlets at Shannon.
The company already serves 70 airports around the world, including Cork airport.
The arrival of HMS Host into Shan- non also increases the chances of Shannon having the first Starbucks coffee shop 1n county Clare.
A Starbucks operating under li- cense from HMS Host opened in Cork airport last year. Most of the Irish outlets of the popular Ameri- can coffee chain are in Dublin.
HMS Host has already advertised for senior managerial positions in- cluding Business Controller, Finan- cial Administrator, Food and Bev- erage Manager and is hoping to be trading in Shannon airport this com- ing summer.
The deal for a restructured Shan- non earlier this month secured the overwhelming endorsement of the unions at the airport where 84% of SIPTU voted in favour of the plan.
Talks on the deal commenced al- most two years ago and the slow progress has prevented the Shannon
Airport Authority (SAA) from lodg- ing a business plan with Government in order to become an independent entity.
In January, workers at Shannon overwhelmingly voted down a pre- vious survival plan valued at €34 million.
However, marathon negotiations under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) last month at the airport resulted in the SAA agreeing to provide an addi- tional €2 million to a revised sur- ane Nm) E- bee