Waterford Crystal staff to protest over job cuts

STAFF at Waterford Crystal’s two plants are to protest in Dublin next week over proposed job cuts which will have a devastating impact on the county.

ATGWU members plan to protest outside the Waterford Wedgwood EGM in Dublin on Monday. The union is still locked in negotiations with the company about the proposed closure of the Dungarvan site.

Negotiations are still ongoing regarding redundancy for up to 485 staff announced on May 4 as well as proposed cuts for those who will retain their jobs at the Kilbarry plant on the outskirts of Waterford city.

Union officials met with staff at the two plants yesterday and the protest at Monday’s EGM was seen as the best way of highlighting anger over the proposed cuts. The closure of the Dungarvan plant and the redundancy package of six weeks per year worked with a ceiling of two years pay, are unacceptable, staff say.

An ATGWU spokesperson said staff are angry about the salaries paid to senior management at the troubled company.

Crystal chairman Redmond O’Donoghue is paid over €1 million per annum while chief executive John Foley got a €180,000 pay rise last year.

“It beggars belief that at a time that people are being asked to sacrifice their careers, livelihoods and futures that management are giving themselves these pay rises,” the spokesperson said.

“An independent review by Waterford Crystal found that it is top heavy with 17 directors. We think they should be leading by example when a community like Dungarvan is losing so many jobs.”

As well as the job cuts, Waterford Crystal wants pension, medical and bonus cuts among remaining staff. The €5.5m plus cost-cutting measures mooted by management will impact on the medical benefits, pension entitlements as well as Christmas bonuses of the remaining staff.

On top of the 485 voluntary redundancies and complete closure of the Dungarvan plant, the company plans a restructuring of the pension fund. It will see the abolition of the 2% index linked pension provision.

Under the plan mooted by management, the employees’ Christmas bonus of €550 and St. Patrick’s Day payment of €65 will stop. The company also hopes to make a saving of €400,000 on its medical and drugs scheme. Up to now, employees paid a levy towards the drugs scheme while they had a free doctor. It will hit elderly employees and staff with children hardest.

The company also wants to shave a further €650,000 by doing away with the subsidy to the Kilbarry plant’s hot food canteen. Furthermore, it has been proposed to defer the payment of the Sustaining Progress 2 national wage increase until July 2006, saving €1.3m.