Republican News · Thursday 6 May 1999

[An Phoblacht]

Finglas Workers Dumped

Seven workers at Unidare Heating and Plastics (renamed Uniplas from 1 May) in Finglas, Dublin are being dumped with only statutory redundancy. Their jobs, along with the distribution operation, are being moved to Portadown, Co Armagh.

The Dublin operation is profitable and orders have never been so abundant. The company supplies building products to a construction industry that is undergoing the mother of all booms.

Uniplas was, until 1996, a member of the Unidare group. It was then the subject of a management buyout, with heavy involvement by the British bank, Hambros. The company claims that in the present situation the Bank of Ireland is closely controlling the company's purse strings.

The company has breached the Redundancy Act and the Procedural Agreement with the Union (SIPTU) by issuing redundancy notices without notification to, or consultation with, the Union. Since the redundancies were announced the company has maintained its hardline stance of no alternative to compulsory redundancy and of no severance payment above statutory redundancy. Four of the seven workers have over 20 years service, including one with 45 years.

At the Labour Relations Commission on 26 April, the company didn't budge an inch even though it was a joint referral. The LRC officers were amazed, and even IBEC were embarrassed, at the company's intransigence Throughout the company have played hardball. On Good Friday, the day after redundancy notices were distributed, there was a team from Portadown clearing out shelving. In two occasions since Portadown teams have arrived to take out plant Apart from this, local managers are packing stock for loading on lorries for Portadown.

SIPTU is now serving strike notice. Dessie Ellis of Finglas Sinn Féin is asking for full support for the workers' fight against being casually dumped by a ruthless employer. Uniplas products are distributed to builders providers, hardware shops, group water schemes and construction sites throughout the country. They include Uniplas watermain, sewer, soil, waste and ducting (including TV ducting and twinwall), plastic pipes, `Terrain' gutters, pipes and fittings, Unidare storage heaters and showers, `Watermill' pumps and showers and Unidare oil-fired boilers.

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