Element Six up redundancy offer

UNIONS and staff at Shannon-based industrial diamond manufacturer Element Six are considering the acceptance by management of Labour Court proposals recommending an improved redundancy deal for 210 employees being laid off by the company.
Element Six’s total closure announcement gave way to a survival plan saving 160 of 370 jobs but with redundancy terms.
Workers rejected the plan until improved redundancy terms were offered to the 210 employees who would still be losing their jobs.
The original offer was 2.5 weeks’ pay per year of service, capped at 52 weeks. It is thought the new offer has gone up to four weeks’ pay per year of service, capped at 78 weeks.

Ulster Bank called to account

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions has condemned the ‘pressure tactics’ employed by Ulster Bank and their attempt to unilaterally impose new contracts and terms on employees.
Congress General Secretary David Begg and Assistant General Secretary Peter Bunting criticised Ulster Bank for walking away from an agreed mediation process and for failing to pursue an agreement with unions that represent staff, the Irish Bank Officials Association and SIPTU.
General Secretary David Begg said:
“Ulster Bank’s behaviour is reprehensible and has no place in the modern industrial relations arena. “Attempting to browbeat young and relatively low-paid workers into signing away their hard-won conditions is particularly unsavoury.
“Ulster Bank should return immediately to the mediation process chaired by Mr Kieran Mulvey and negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement with their staff representatives.”

70 jobs in Mayo car group collapse

UP to 70 jobs could go in Mayo after Castlebar car dealers Casey Group Ireland went into liquidation.
Martina Weir, assistant organiser of the SIPTU No. 2 branch in Mayo, said workers she met at the family-owned enterprise were “visibly shocked”.

Taoiseach ‘pathetic’ and ‘craven’ on Dell jobs to Poland

THE Irish Government’s timid acceptance of the European Commission’s approval of a €54.5 million grant from the Polish Government to Dell to facilitate the removal to Poland of 1,900 jobs from the multinational’s Limerick plant has been lambasted by Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD as “pathetic” and “craven”.
“The Taoiseach cravenly thanked Dell for their sojourn here, saying the maintenance of their manufacturing facility ‘for such a length of time’ was a major achievement.
“There was not a hint of criticism from the Taoiseach of Dell’s decision. There was no recognition that the European Commission has encouraged this dumping of workers.
“The Taoiseach completely failed to address my core question which was the folly of EU policy which facilitates such practices by multinationals, playing one disadvantaged region off against another and driving wages down within the EU overall.”
And the Sinn Féin Dáil leader hit out at the Taoiseach’s grovelling to Dell for its investment here.
“Dell did very well for itself when in Ireland. This company was able to pay its chief executive and its chair €3 million annually on the profits it made in Ireland and worldwide.
“The motivation behind displacing 1,900 Irish workers was to maximise profits by transferring the work to lower-paid workers within the EU. It is an absolute travesty that the Taoiseach should try to discharge the European Union from any responsibility in this.”