A redundancy package offered to workers at Richardson's fertilisers, which is to close, has been greeted with dismay by workers following a protest in Dublin.

On Thursday, the Irish Government, which has a 51% stake in the company, and the British Multinational ICI which owns 49%, announced that they had put up a �15.43m severance package for workers in its plants in Belfast, Arklow and Cork.

It followed a protest by about 300 workers from all three plants outside the offices of Enterprise Minister Mary Harney in Dublin on Thursday afternoon.

Richardson's announced two weeks ago that it was going into liquidation because it could no longer stay solvent in the current market.

Richardson's employs 206 people at its plant in Belfast's docklands area

The workers found out last week that they would not be given the statutory 90-day redundancy notice, and that the company could only afford to pay them until Thursday.

And they were informed that they would not be given the severance package they expected.

Reacting to the latest offer from the Irish Government and ICI, the union SIPTU said Ms Harney was failing to follow through with assurances she gave when the company's closure was confirmed.

The union said the offer would amount to two to two-and-a-half weeks pay for each year of service and was "wholly inadequate".

'Government's responsibility'

Maurice Cunningham of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union said what was being offered was "only about one third of the liability that the Irish Government has towards the workers".

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster he added: "We have an agreement with our employer, the Irish Government and ICI, which states exactly what our people should be paid.

Mary Harney: Protesters picketed Mary Harney's office

"The Irish Government is hoping to hide behind the liquidator, but we expect them to meet their legal responsibility."

Mr Cunningham said he believed there would also be about a 40% shortfall in the pension fund, which would mean workers would only get 40% of what they were entitled to in pension payments.

But he urged the workers to continue coming to work even through their pay was being stopped, until the dispute was resolved.

Richardson's, owned by Irish fertiliser Industries, employs 206 people at its plant in Belfast's docklands area.

A further 420 jobs are to go at the company's plants in Cork and Arklow in the Republic of Ireland.

Richardson's said the closure has been forced by difficult market conditions over a two-year period, when demand slumped by 10%.

The company was hit badly by the foot-and-mouth outbreak last year, and by the rising cost of gas on the world market.

The president of the Ulster Farmers' Union said the news had come as a shock.

John Gilliland said the Richardson's brand had been "synonymous with Northern Ireland agriculture" and would be a great loss.