Labour Court recommends improved redundancy terms at Ucb Schwarz Pharma

The Labour Court recommended improved redundancy terms and staffing changes at Ucb Schwarz Pharma’s Shannon operation in a recommendation signed on 8 April 2009. Ucb Schwarz Pharma proposed reducing its workforce by 55, saying restructuring would cut costs and help secure the remaining jobs. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union challenged the severance offer and raised concerns about contractor work and lone working. The Court recommended 6.5 weeks’ pay per year of service plus statutory entitlement, capped at 2.5 years’ pay. It also recommended first refusal on uncovered day-to-day work for redundant maintenance workers, hired through an agency used by the company. For 12 remaining day operators, it backed the company’s four-cycle arrangement, with the annual value shared equally among them. The parties should conclude agreement on the company’s proposed maintenance and facilities structure.