Lay-off deal agreed as factory shuts down

WORKERS at the Fulflex plant in Limerick, which ceased production last Friday, have agreed a redundancy package worth almost five weeks pay per year of service.

Thu, 11 May, 2006 - 01:00

Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent

Some of the money will come from the sale of the factory premises in the Galvone industrial estate.

The company, which set up in Limerick in 1969, employed more than 100 workers and made elastic lining for nappies.

The company blamed competition and rising labour costs for the Irish manufacturing base closure, along with the rising cost of rubber.

Workers rejected the original offer by management and it then went to the Labour Court.

Ger Kennedy of SIPTU said: “We didn’t get the full terms as recommended by the Labour Court, but close enough. We had a serious battle on our hands from the off but there was clear recognition across the unions that we got as much as we were going to get.”

One worker who was with the company 16 years said: “The final settlement was amicable.”

David Burke of Fulflex said: “We are very happy with the outcome.”