50 cinema jobs go as UCI Tallaght closes

THE curtain is to come down on the UCI cinema in Tallaght for the last time next Monday after 20 years at The Square with the loss of over 50 jobs.
Landlords Alburn have said the lease is up and will not be renewed.
A new cinema at nearby Belgard Square East has received planning permission but this is little comfort for current UCI workers.
Staff member James Dunne said: “We didn’t see this coming, even the managers had no idea. Fifty job losses is massive and many of the staff have kids and mortgages  – it’s going to be extremely hard for them.”

Belfast call centre jobs on line

EIGHTY-FOUR of 154 staff at a Belfast call centre serving the BBC and the Civil Service are facing the dole, according to trade union Unite, even though employers Capita made an operating profit of £357.7m in 2009, an increase of 11%.
The company says it has “entered a period of consultation” with the union for 30 days, ending on 30 March.
Unite’s Daryl Williams said:
“A once vibrant finance life and pensions service centre will have gone from 450 staff to now less than 75.”
He said there is no reason why Capita should not invest in Belfast, they have readily available the experienced and skilled staff, space and infrastructure at the site and called on Capita to show their commitment to the region by reversing the planned redundancies and deliver on their promise to grow their Belfast operation.

BoSI staff vote to fight closure

A BALLOT for industrial and possible strike action has received the overwhelming backing of Bank of Scotland (Ireland) (BoSI) workers who are members of the Unite trade union.
Last month the bank announced that it was to close its 44 Halifax branches in Ireland with the loss of 750 jobs.
After the massive vote this week, with 85% of 1,000 workers backing action, the union asked the company to engage in “realistic negotiations to save jobs and improve redundancy terms”.
Unite regional officer Brian Gallagher said workers from all sectors of the bank supported the action. “Our members feel betrayed and are willing to strike back.”