Staff at Bausch+Lomb’s Waterford plant have told the company that they intend to take industrial action as a result of what they said was a failure to restore pay and conditions of employment following cuts made in 2014.
Members of the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) will begin a campaign of limited industrial action on December 21. Staff will take part in a series of one-hour work stoppages during each shift and have banned overtime.
‘In 2014, over 800 SIPTU members reluctantly agreed to deep cuts in their pay and terms and conditions of employment,’ said SIPTU organiser, Allen Dillon.
‘The basic pay of our members was cut by 7.5% and there were additional reductions in bonus payments and sick pay benefits. Also, a new starter rate of pay was implemented for temporary staff and our members agreed to increase productivity by working an additional hour a week.’
Cost cutting measures at the Waterford plant were implemented by B+L in June 2014 in an effort to bring the cost base of running the Irish plant closer to that of its facility in Rochester, New York – where wage rates were said to be 30 per cent lower. The Irish government intervened and a deal was eventually struck.
Dillon said the organisation had been in intensive negotiations with B+L since August 2015 when an agreed period of pay freezing expired, but despite its best efforts, an agreement could not be reached.
SIPTU sector organiser Alan O’Leary added: ‘The union acknowledges that the company is honouring its commitment to invest in the plant in Waterford. However, we are calling on the company to also recognise the sacrifice made by our members and also invest in them.
‘Our members believe that the full restoration of their pay and terms and conditions of employment is what is now required. The planned industrial action by our members is avoidable and we urge the company to act now and initiate a plan that provides for the full restoration of the pay and terms and conditions of employment of our members.’
