Strike action hits production at two cement plants

Production was hit yesterday at two Irish Cement plants as a results of official union-backed pickets at Castlemungret in Co Limerick and Platin in Co Meath.

About 100 people are employed at both plants but the workforce had been halved over the past two years.

A spokesman for the company said workers had rejected a Labour Court recommendation they take a 6% wage cut.

Workers, however, say the company refused to pay money owed to them.

Secretary of the Irish Cement group of unions, Karan O’Loughlin, said: “Earlier this year, the Labour Court made a recommendation that the company must pay monies which are outstanding to its employees which amount to between €5,500 to €9,500 per worker. The Labour Court has recommended Irish Cement Ltd immediately pay the monies it owes the workers but the company is insisting that a pay cut of between 15% and 18% is implemented first.

“Acceptance of such a pay cut does not form part of the Labour Court recommendation. The workers will maintain their industrial action until the Labour Court recommendation is implemented without any prior conditions. There is a stark comparison between the company’s unwillingness to pay its workers what they are owed and recent media reports of major pay increases for senior CRH executives.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Irish Cement said it ha repeatedly attempted to engage with unions on the urgent need for reductions in pay rates reflecting peak output levels.

“Pay rates have remained unchanged since 2008 and currently are 60% higher than the average industrial wage for unionised staff, despite the unprecedented deterioration in the Irish construction sector which now operates at 20% of the 2007 peak output.

“The company is deeply disappointed that protracted attempts at meaningful dialogue on this issue with the group of unions have failed, including an intervention by the Labour Court in the past week. The Labour Court suggested a pay cut of 6% which was subsequently rejected by union ballot.”

The company, meanwhile, also condemned as “irresponsible” a series of disruptive work-to-rule actions by unionised workers in recent weeks that have systematically rendered both plants inoperable.

The spokesman insisted pay rates are unsustainable and are impacting negatively on competitiveness.