Unions and local management worked together to secure turnaround

February 1st:  Unite, which represents members in Aughinish Alumina, today (Friday) welcomed the lifting of US sanctions against the Russian-owned plant and said that the priority now was to ensure investment in the facility which employs over 450 workers in the Limerick area and indirectly sustains many more in the region.  The group of unions in Aughinish comprises Unite, SIPTU and Connect trade unions.

Commenting, Unite Regional Officer Ed Thompson said:

“Since last April, workers at Aughinish have been caught up in a geopolitical row not of their making, and the news that sanctions have now been lifted has come as a huge relief to the entire community.  The turnaround was largely due to unions and management working together and lobbying to secure the future of the plant, which supplies around 30 % of Europe’s alumina.

“Now that sanctions and the associated uncertainty have been averted, I am confident that local management and unions will show the determination to secure investment in the facility”, Ed Thompson said.