Staff warned plant may move production if plan opposed

KINGSPAN has threatened to move its 144-job manufacturing facility from Cavan to a plant in Britain if SIPTU workers continue to oppose a survival plan.

Yesterday, the union served strike notice on the Kingspan Building Products in Kingscourt, Cavan, amid allegations that the company was “unilaterally implementing” a Labour Court recommendation that had been rejected by workers.

Since 2007, the workforce at the Co Cavan plant has been reduced by 200. Shift changes, which the company said were vital for its survival, are being opposed by SIPTU which said its members “have suffered already as a result of mass redundancies,” and have been on short-time working over the last 24 months.

SIPTU Cavan branch organiser, Declan Ferry said the company was “drastically reducing their terms and conditions of employment”.

Kingspan has been seeking to implement its 10-point survival plan at the plant for some time. The matter went before the Labour Court last August when the courtinstructed both sides to reactivate talks. When no agreement was reached, the case returned to the Labour Court.

In December, the court said it was “fully satisfied that significant cost reduction measures are necessary so as to restore competitiveness and to maintain employment”. Last night, a spokesman for Kingspan said: “Should the need arise, and in order to minimise disruption to the business, contingency plans will be put in place to absorb production elsewhere within the group.”