Threat of industrial action at Bord na Móna plant

Bord na Móna has been accused of locking out workers, amid claims it has tried to impose unilateral changes to work practices at a base in the Midlands.

The Bord na Móna craft group of unions has called on the company’s chief executive, Gabriel D’Arcy, to intervene in a dispute which has arisen at its works at Blackwater in west Offaly.

The group warned it may be forced to ballot for industrial action if the problem escalates. The group’s spokesperson, Tom Fitzgerald of Unite, claimed the dispute had been triggered by the company’s decision to lock out workers after they signalled their unwillingness to accept unilateral changes to their contracts of employment.