Cleaning company sacks 140 staff over pay row
Contract cleaners working at Waterford Regional Hospital received letters from a courier service yesterday, informing them their jobs were gone because they refused to enter into Labour Relations Commission (LRC) talks aimed at resolving the row.
The unofficial dispute began last week with a two-hour work stoppage and quickly escalated. Staff were initially suspended on pay, pending disciplinary hearings. However, workers yesterday received their dismissal notices.
In a statement, Noonan Cleaning Services said: “Following the staff’s continuing refusal to return to work and their refusal to attend the LRC meeting, the company had no option but to commence terminating staff today.”
The company said labour rates for contract cleaners are set by the Joint Labour Committee and that this rate is being paid to staff in Waterford. Any comparison in rates with those employed directly by the health board are not a direct comparison, the company said.
Union official with the ATGWU, Walter Cullen, said members will have to consider making the dispute official. “The company is today using a courier company to deliver dismissal notices to its employees. It announced on Friday that staff were being suspended without pay if they didn’t report for work today.
“The company wanted shop stewards to deliver letters to its employees last week. The shop stewards said they were not delivery boys and handed back the letters. The company then put a parcel of letters through our union office, expecting us to deliver them. They were returned. We are not couriers.
“The company has gone ahead now and issued dismissal notices through a courier company. They have also brought in 40 staff over the weekend on double time.
“They have also employed a PR company. All the time they are saying they have no money to pay our members more. The way it has been treating its employees is outrageous,” added Mr Cullen.
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