Labour Court recommends £30 weekly pay cut in Europlast survival plan

The Labour Court recommended a £30 weekly pay cut as part of a survival package for Europlast Teo., alongside changes to pay rates and shifts. Its recommendation in the dispute with the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union was signed on 13 July 1995. The Court also recommended eliminating red-circled rates and implementing the company's proposed shift patterns. Workers affected by those changes were to receive compensation equal to twice their yearly loss, paid weekly from 31 March 1996. The parties were to arrange lay-offs to protect as many jobs as possible and review the package by 31 March 1996. Europlast said losses, rising costs and the loss of a major customer threatened its viability. The union said workers had already accepted concessions and further cuts could make work financially unviable. The Court acknowledged employees' scepticism after earlier plans had failed, but said measures were needed promptly to give the company and jobs a chance of surviving.