First twenty-four strike action by production workers in pursuit of a Living Wage of £8.75 an hour

No excuse for failure of Glen Dimplex management to provide three percent increase in light of group profits of €38 million

October 28th: Production workers who manufacture ‘Quantum’ intelligent storage heaters for Glen Dimplex in Portadown will be taking their first twenty-four hour strike action in pursuit of a living wage. Unite Regional Coordinating Officer Susan Fitzgerald confirmed that pickets will be present at the Portadown factory gates from 7am tomorrow.

“Tomorrow’s strike action has been forced by the failure of management to meet the modest demand of their workforce for a minimum of £8.75 an hour – the bare minimum for workers’ subsistence determined by the independent, UK-based Living Wage Foundation. Unfortunately the majority of the workers at Glen Dimplex at Portadown, who manufacture ‘quantum intelligent’ storage heaters,  are paid an hourly rate significantly less than this threshold. The fact that bosses are refusing to sign up to paying these experienced production workers this rate is completely unacceptable.

“In a recent ballot taken in response to management intransigence, workers voted with a majority of 85.7% for strike action on a turnout of 89%. This was an overwhelming and unprecedented mandate for strike action to put an end to in-work poverty at the plant.

“The workers receive a small weekly bonus for working over and above the 100% rate and they have actually offered to incorporate part of this bonus into the hourly rate of pay in order to self finance the living wage rate. As a result of this commitment from the workers, management would only have to provide an increase of just 3% to avoid this unnecessary dispute. 

“Glen Dimplex is a highly successful group with an increasingly global footprint. Their latest published accounts show profits of €38 million on turnover of just below a billion euro. This is a company that can well afford to meet the workforce demand for a Living Wage. Indeed, while workers in Portadown are being told that the company can’t afford to pay £8.75 an hour, the accounts confirm that they managed to find €13 million to pay a dividend to shareholders last year.

“Tomorrow’s first twenty-four strike will commence at 7am on Monday October 29^th. If we are forced to take a second day of strike action we will be taking this campaign to the wider community in Portadown and further afield. Management must meet the legitimate expectations of the workforce for pay decency to avoid a further escalation in the strike action”, Ms Fitzgerald said.