Management at the Becton Dickinson (DB) plant in Drogheda earmarked for closure have pulled out of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission intended to produce an agreement on redundancy terms for the more than 200 staff affected.
The company says an agreement that industrial action at the plant would be suspended pending the talks has not been honoured and that as a result it can no longer engage with the process. It said it would refer the dispute, which has rumbled on since the closure was announced at the start of July, to the Labour Court.
One of the unions involved, Siptu, has denied any industrial action is ongoing and described the company position as “bizarre”. Sector organiser Andrea Cleere said the union’s members were “completely shocked and disheartened by this approach by the company”.
BD, however, says daily production in November has been down 45 per cent on normal levels and a ban on overtime declared by Siptu remains in effect which, it says, has had a huge impact on equipment repair at the plant.
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The dispute is about the terms on offer the staff who are to lose their jobs as a result closure, scheduled to be complete by 2026 as part of an international supply chain review.
It is understood the company originally offered terms of five and a half weeks per year of service ex gratia, capped at 104 weeks, as well as additional statutory redundancy of two weeks per year of service which is capped at €600, plus one additional week.
However, during a previous conciliation process at the WRC, this offer was improved with the new proposals including additional payments for an orderly wind down and to those workers with long service impacted by the 104 week cap.
The union says the terms on offer do not match those provided during a previous round of voluntary redundancies.
“Since the commencement of this process, BD has made every effort to negotiate in good faith to arrive at the best possible settlement for all those affected,” the company said in a statement. “We are extremely disappointed that these efforts have not been reciprocated by the trade unions who have been unwilling to cease industrial action at the site, which was a condition of entering the conciliation process with the Workforce Relations Commission.
“We now anticipate that the matter will be referred to the Labour Court. Should that occur, we look forward to the adjudication hearing to bring closure and clarity to this matter for all employees at the Drogheda facility.”
Ms Cleere said the union was “surprised” by the move. “Our members can categorically state that they are not currently engaged in any aspect of industrial action.
“We consider that the withdrawal from WRC conciliation talks and the suggested unilateral referral to the Labour Court is a bizarre move which has undermined the good faith under which we entered into this process,” she said.
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