STAFF AT LIFFEY Valley have held a protest outside the shopping centre against new parking measures that will cost them €2.50 a day.

The new car parking charges will be implemented from tomorrow.

Liffey Valley says the changes are “in keeping with our sustainability agenda” and a “shift to more sustainable modes of transport”.

The shopping centre also notes that it has spent “over €30 million to enhance parking and public transport facilities” and is introducing a new paid parking management system tomorrow.

Parking for customers will cost €2.50 for the first three hours, while it will cost staff €2.50 per trip.

In a statement, Liffey Valley says it appreciates 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.”

However, People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny has says staff are being hit with “excess charges” that could equal up to €600 a year for some workers.

He also claimed that these “charges are tantamount to a pay cut and are completely unacceptable especially in the ongoing cost of living crisis”.

Kenny added: “Retail workers are generally not the best paid workers so asking workers to pay to come to work is nonsensical.

“Liffey Valley management need to renegotiate with retail staff, unions and tenants because this proposal in charging staff €2.50 per day for parking is unworkable.”

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward said he is “standing in solidarity with Liffey Valley workers who are protesting about unjust car parking charges that are being imposed on them”.