More than 100 workers from the Richardson's fertiliser plant in Belfast have been protesting in Dublin over their severance terms.

Thursday is the last day of paid employment for more than 200 workers at the factory.

The Irish Government is a major shareholder in the company which is to close soon.

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

Maurice Cunningham of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union said they were unhappy at their severance packages.

"The concern now has to move to what their entitlements are - that is the main purpose of today," he said.

"We have agreements and we know what a redundancy pay should be.

"At this stage the company doesn't seem to be prepared to honour it and doesn't seem to want to sit down and talk openly and honestly with trade unions."

The plant is owned by Irish Fertiliser Industries and its other major shareholder is the British multinational ICI.

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

The company said it had been operating in a difficult market condition recently.

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

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 added that the Richardson's brand had been synonymous with Northern Ireland agriculture and would be a great loss.