Staff at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre have protested against new car parking charges at the west Dublin retail hub.
From Monday customers will have to pay for parking at the centre for the first time, costing them €2.50 for three hours and €2.50 again for every hour after.
However this move will also affect more than 2,000 staff who work in Liffey Valley, who will be charged a discounted rate of €2.50 for the day.
Staff protesting outside the centre on Sunday said full-time workers could end paying up to €600 a year to park their car.
✊🏻🚩🇮🇪 I was glad to support the Liffey Valley workers today in their protest against the introduction of car parking fees for staff.
(1/4) pic.twitter.com/oK3TyvzdqH— David Gardiner - WP Palmerstown-Fonthill (@DavidGardinerWP) October 16, 2022
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The centre's management team said the decision to charge for parking was based on a shift towards more sustainable modes of transport.
In a statement, Liffey Valley said it appreciated that a "change to a practice that has existed for 24 years is difficult for all our stakeholders and especially for staff".
It added: "There has been and continues to be extensive communication regarding these changes with all our stakeholders including with our retailers who employ the staff.
"It is largely understood and accepted that the delivery of enhanced customer experience will ultimately benefit these businesses and their staff.
"We are confident that the changes when implemented from Monday 17 October will result in a much-improved parking experience as we expect that due to the new management system, parkers who are not either visiting or working for retailers in the Centre will no longer avail of our parking facilities."
Retail workers today will stage a protest this afternoon at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in regards to the introduction of staff car parking charges. Workers will face up to €600 per year in car parking charges. I fully support the workers in protesting against these charges.
— Gino Kenny TD (@Ginosocialist) October 16, 2022
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People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny said the introduction of parking charge was an "attack on workers".
He told Newstalk radio: "For most people who work in the centre, it is absolutely unacceptable to have to pay hundreds of euros just to go to work. Especially in the light of the ongoing crisis in living costs.
"This is a serious attack on workers, low-paid workers in most cases."
Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward said he was "standing in solidarity with Liffey Valley Workers who are protesting about unjust car parking charges that are being imposed on them".
