Staff members at the Glen Dimplex factory in Portadown are to begin industrial action on Friday over plans by the company to offshore work to Lithuania and make staff redundant.
The workers, who are members of the Unite Union, will commence the first phase of industrial action, including a work-to-rule, from 12.01am on Friday, August 16.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The workers at Glen Dimplex have been left with no alternative but to take industrial action.
“The workforce has generated huge profits for Glen Dimplex but now management want to cast them aside and offshore production to make even greater profits.
“These workers are fighting for their jobs and their livelihoods – they can be confident of the full support of Unite in that fight.”
The work-to-rule will proceed indefinitely and will see workers refuse to undertake overtime, refuse to mentor or train new staff, and they will work to contractual terms and conditions and their job description only.
Regional coordinating officer George Brash added: “The work to rule will thwart management’s plans to boost production in the short-term and force workers to train their own replacements.
“Glen Dimplex must reconsider their plans and instead recognise the invaluable contribution made by this workforce.”
In February, the company announced plans to close the Portadown factory next year.
The multi-million pound company, which employs around 8,000 people worldwide across its group, made the announcement to workers on Thursday morning.
Bosses described the move as a “substantial investment and reorganisation” focusing on the “transition to low carbon electric heating and ventilation solutions for homes and businesses”.
The Group proposes to invest around €25m in its Newry site, however, panel and storage heating manufacturing will transfer from the group’s sites in Newry and Portadown to its existing manufacturing site in Lithuania.
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