Galtee Meats’ future in doubt
SIPTU members at the plant, where slaughtering and boning were closed last year with the loss of 140 jobs, had earlier rejected by an overwhelming margin, a proposed pay package that included a €9 per hour standard pay rate and the elimination of all overtime.
Dairygold Co-op, which has shed over 1,200 jobs in a major rationalisation programme over the past 18 months, had warned it would proceed to sell Galtee Meats in the event that agreement was not reached with SIPTU members.
However, the union’s regional secretary, Gene Mealy, said the workers had comprehensively rejected the proposals.
Mr Mealy said the vote reflected this view. The clear message from the meeting was that the proposals were totally unsatisfactory. The union members want and expect to retain their existing terms and conditions of employment.
Donal McCarthy, general manager, Galtee Meats, said the proposal put to staff yesterday provided them with the opportunity to take the business to a cost base in line with its peer group to give it a real future, He said the proposed new work practices included eliminating job demarcation, bringing over 16 grades of pay into one, reducing excessive overtime, changing work rosters to improve customer supply and introducing a performance-based incentive scheme.
