The move came after an agreement between their union representatives and the company's liquidators on Monday

Union leaders said a deal has been agreed which will lead to significantly improved redundancy terms.

However the shortfall in the company's pension fund had not been addressed, the union leaders said.

Workers said the union had won them 90% of what they were asking for

Union officials said they may pursue the issue of the workers' pension entitlements through the courts.

The announcement that Richardson's was to go into liquidation with the closure of its plants in Belfast, Cork and Arklow, was made last month.

Workers were dismayed to discover that the Irish Government, the 51% shareholder, and British multinational ICI, the 49% shareholder, had decided not to pay redundancy in accordance with standing agreements.

They also discovered that they would not receive their full pension entitlements from the company pension scheme under the liquidation plans.

Protests

The Irish Government and ICI instead announced that they would pay a total 26.56m euro severance package to the workers in their plants in Belfast, Arklow and Cork.

The workers refused to accept the offer and held protests outside the offices of Irish Enterprise Minister Mary Harney.

Workers at the Belfast factory held a sit-in on the premises for several weeks.

Union leaders said after met Ms Harney and ICI managers on Friday that no progress had been made.

But they said they had agreed a deal with the liquidator on Monday.

'Agreements'

Eamonn McDade from the union SIPTU, which represents many of the workers, said: "The liquidator is acknowledging the agreements we have here in Belfast, which have been in place for 20 years.

"They are also acknowledging the workers' right to 90-day protective notice.

"We are hoping that the workers will get about 90% of the money up-front, with them becoming a creditor for the other 10%.

"We are hopeful that that will be resolved further down the line. At least the men can get back to their families now and back to their lives."

SIPTU and the union TCWU said nothing more could be achieved by occupying the factory because the liquidator had no power to influence what happened on the issue of pensions, which was still under the control of the Irish Government and ICI.

With the closure of the Belfast Richardson's factory, 206 people have lost their jobs.