Further strike threat at plant

SIPTU will hold a further 48 hours of strike action at ConocoPhillips oil storage facility in west Cork unless the company agrees to its demand for better terms and conditions.

The union’s 18 members began a two-day strike at the facility in Bantry Bay yesterday morning.

They are seeking pay parity with workers at the National Oil Refinery Authority plant in Whitegate, Co Cork. They also want the restoration of full time off in lieu of unsocial hours including night shifts.

The union claims it has an agreement with management, struck in 2004, that means staff who work four shifts of 12 hours in four days do not need to come in for the fifth day. However, it says new management structures changed that lieu system to the detriment of its members.

The dispute has been at the Labour Court several times. The company claims that while it accepted the court’s main recommendation, the union rejected it.

The company said the action had not affected operations as 10 other staff were working at the plant.