Staff accept deal to relocate

WORKERS at Waterford Stanley have voted by a 4/1 majority to accept a relocation package which has saved 120 manufacturing jobs at the plant.

The company issued staff at its Waterford plant with protective notice last Thursday after they refused to drop their demand for a €2,300 relocation bonus, before the move from Bilberry to the Cork Road, three miles away.

The staff, who are members of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), yesterday overwhelmingly accepted the revised package which would net them €500 for the move. That revised deal was brokered during six hours of talks at the Labour Relations Commission on Monday.

TEEU spokesman Finbarr Dorgan said the vote was accepted by the majority of staff. “Under no circumstances did the workers in Waterford want to have the threat of closure and the threatened transfer of the jobs to England on their conscience. They acted totally responsibly,” he added.

The relocation plan has been ongoing for 10 months. The company had already agreed to pay workers €450 to relocate. A further €150 was promised on certain productivity grounds. The company says staff also have a chance to earn a further €2,070 in productivity bonuses, on top of their average pay of €30,000.