Company’s decision to renege on redundancy terms comes as dividends paid by parent company C&C double since 2011
Unite reiterates call for Bulmers to honour 2009 agreement on redundancy terms pending LRC engagement
July 2nd: Unite today announced that its members at the Bulmers brewery in Clonmel will be taking strike action from 8 a.m. on Wednesday July 15th. The announcement follows a unanimous vote for industrial action on foot of the company’s decision to renege on a 2009 collective agreement governing redundancy terms.
Explaining the background to the dispute, Unite Regional Officer Tony Kelly said:
“Despite a clear agreement concluded in 2009 between Bulmers and the unions, the company has informed the workers represented by Unite that they are not covered by that agreement.
“Since last August, Unite has been seeking to engage with the company at the LRC to resolve this issue. Now, one of our members is now being made redundant on terms which amount to around half of what had been agreed. It is on foot of that decision that our members unanimously voted for industrial action.
“Not only is Bulmers in clear breach of an agreement – their miserly treatment of our member is particularly disappointing in view of the fact that the dividends paid to shareholders by parent company C&C have more than doubled since 2011, while this year the CEO’s total remuneration package is just short of €1,000,000.
“I am again calling on the company to honour the 2009 agreement. It is not too late for them to agree to abide by the agreement pending engagement at the LRC. Otherwise, our members will be taking strike action of indefinite duration starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday July 15th”, Tony Kelly concluded.
