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SIPTU members at Lagan Brick, Kingscourt, co. Cavan, have been in dispute with the brick manufacturing company for more than 90 days.
The dispute began on the 15th December when workers at the Kingscourt plant were informed that the facility was closing only hours before it ceased operation. The company refused to honour established redundancy terms for the 25 SIPTU members made redundant.
On Monday a Lagan Brick manager encouraged a delivery lorry to attempt to breach an official picket at the entrance to the Kingscourt plant. Alleging an assault the manager called the Garda.
When gardai arrived workers informed them that the picket was part of an official trade dispute and the incident ended with the truck withdrawing without breaching the picket line.
SIPTU Organiser John Regan said: "The incident is part of a wider attempt by the management of Lagan Brick to intimidate workers who are exercising their legal right to participate in official industrial action.
"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."
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.
(CD/GK)
