SIPTU has called for the immediate withdrawal of legal threats made against the union and its members participating in industrial action at Lagan Brick, Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. SIPTU Organiser, John Regan, said: "SIPTU members in Lagan Brick voted to take strike action at the company's premises in Kingscourt in early March. The move followed the company's refusal to attend a Labour Court hearing aimed at resolving the long running dispute at the brick manufacturing plant.

"Since then a number of legal threats have been made against the workers and SIPTU by the Dublin based legal firm Eversheds on behalf of Lagan Brick. These threats are an attempt to intimidate workers who are exercising their legal right to participate in official industrial action. SIPTU calls on Lagan Brick and Eversheds to immediately withdraw their threats of legal action."

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On the 6th February SIPTU stated that it would be seeking the intervention of the Labour Court in the Lagan Brick dispute following the break down of talks at the Labour Relations Commission. On the 29th February the employers representative organisation, IBEC, confirmed that Lagan Brick had refused to attend the Labour Court.

In a ballot conducted on the 1st March, SIPTU members in Lagan Brick voted almost unanimously to take strike action in response to the company's decision to ignore standard industrial dispute resolution procedures.

Workers at the Kingscourt plant were informed that the facility was closing only hours before it ceased operation on 15th December. The company refused to honour established redundancy terms for the 25 SIPTU members made redundant.