SIPTU members at Bausch and Lomb plant in Waterford to strike over pay

SIPTU represents over 1,000 workers at the manufacturing plant which produces contact lenses and other pharmaceutical products

SIPTU members employed at Bausch and Lomb's manufacturing plant in Waterford City are to hold a two-hour strike tomorrow (11 June) beginning at noon as part of a pay dispute with the multinational.

The union said that tomorrow's strike will be the beginning of a campaign of industrial action involving a series of two-hour strikes. 

Pickets will be placed at entrances to the plant.

SIPTU Organiser, Allen Dillon, said: “This dispute is the result of management intransigence in relation to providing an adequate pay rise for workers in this highly profitable company. These workers need to achieve a pay increase that protects their standard of living and purchasing power. 

“These workers are seeking to reach a reasonable pay agreement that recognises the sacrifices they have made over recent years to ensure the continued success of this plant," he added.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Neil McGowan, said: “There have been intensive negotiations involving SIPTU representatives and management at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in recent days. However, these did not result in the WRC being in a position to issue a proposal to resolve this dispute.

“Commitments were made by senior management in 2014 that workers would share in the profitability which resulted from improved efficiencies at the plant which they agreed to implement. We have yet to see an offer from the company that lives up to this commitment," he added.

SIPTU represents over 1,000 workers at the manufacturing plant which produces contact lenses and other pharmaceutical products, alongside delivering research and development and surgical support facilities.

In April, employees at Bausch and Lomb’s Waterford plant voted overwhelmingly for strike action.

The vote was supported by 87% in a secret ballot of SIPTU members at the plant. 

• Additional reporting from the Irish Examiner