Picket Hits Dublin Port Terminal

Workers at a Dublin Port terminal have undertaken industrial action over the company's plans to introduce compulsory redundancies and cuts in terms and conditions.

Last week the Labour Court issued an opinion in favour of the union under the Protection of Employment Act, 2007, over an attempt by the company to make most of the workforce redundant at the Marine Terminals company, one of nine competing terminals operating at Dublin Port.

Members of workers union SIPTU at the Marine Terminals have placed pickets at the company's premises in Dublin port this morning since 6.00am.

SIPTU Group Organiser Oliver McDonagh said this morning that the Union remains available for talks but that since Peel Ports took over the Marine Terminal operations it has shown "a consistent unwillingness to treat with the Union or accept agreed procedures for dealing with problems".

Marine Terminals employed over 70 workers, most of them members of SIPTU. The union claims when the company decided to make 19 SIPTU members redundant earlier this year, it used its own selection criteria, including testing employees on machinery that some of them had received no training in operating.

A spokesman for the union said five workers were made redundant initially and on May 15, 13 more were told by management they would have to go as well.

On the same day all other SIPTU employees were written to telling them they must sign new contracts agreeing to pay cuts of between 14 and 18% or be sacked.

"This company has behaved appallingly," Mr McDonagh said, 'and has avoided all our attempts to negotiate with it.

"I can tell them now that they will get the redundancies they are looking for provided they negotiate normally and are willing to offer a decent package. But they will not achieve their objectives by bullyboy tactics."

(DW/BMcC)