O’Dea rows back on E6 comments after staff challenge

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea yesterday moved to qualify comments he made on the Element Six stand-off after being challenged by workers at the under-threat Shannon plant.

The Limerick-based minister, in a weekend statement, had urged the company and workers to attend talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) without any preconditions.

He said dialogue was the only method by which jobs could be saved at the firm.

More than 200 workers are set to lose their jobs.

Mr O’Dea said: “I urge all parties to engage in dialogue without preconditions at the Labour Relations Commission. It is vitally important for the workers and management, as well as for the local and national economy, that talks get under way without delay.”

However, Mr O’Dea issued another statement after being contacted by a number of Element Six workers.

The minister said he had since been informed of a failure by management at Element Six to implement LRC recommendations in the past and understands the workers’ reluctance to enter talks with the company.

Mr O’Dea said the workers have valid concerns as the redundancy package now on offer was very short of that given in a voluntary redundancy move some months ago.

He added: “A thing that has been pointed out to me – which I frankly did not know yesterday and I apologise for this – is that they took a case to the Labour Court on another matter some time ago and the Labour Court ruled in their favour but the company did not implement that Labour Court recommendation... I think if the company was to show good faith in this matter and should, as a matter of urgency at the very least, implement that Labour Court recommendation.”

Meanwhile, union representatives warned the company yesterday that one week’s notice of industrial action would be issued if any steps are taken to implement a redundancy package without agreement.

General manager Ken Sullivan said the company has requested the LRC to facilitate such discussions by way of a conciliation conference as the most appropriate forum and to do so as a matter of urgency.

“These third-party discussions offer an opportunity for all involved to focus on saving jobs,” he said.

The unions however have made it clear that while they are willing to engage in discussions with the LRC if necessary, they will only do so after the redundancy issue has been resolved.

Workers at the plant have been told that the company will begin laying off staff from next month.