Labour Court recommends staffing review at Glanbia (Inch) plant

The Labour Court recommended that Glanbia (Inch) and the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union jointly establish staffing levels at the company’s plant in Inch, Co Wexford. It said the company should not pursue its claim to reduce the Serac rate and recommended intensive negotiations on its other proposals for no longer than four weeks. The recommendation was dated 25 March 2008. Glanbia proposed about 25 redundancies, ending Saturday shifts and pay reductions for some workers as part of planned cost savings and investment in new machinery. The union opposed reductions in employment conditions and said staffing cuts should wait until the machinery was operating. The Court said savings were necessary amid new competitive pressures and noted the company’s commitment to invest if they were achieved.