Bitterly cold conditions didn't stop workers from Glen Dimplex in Portadown starting a 2 days strike in dispute over pay
Despite wintery conditions many workers at a Co Armagh firm are weathering the picket line in a bid for better pay.
Staff at Glen Dimplex in Portadown are taking two days of strike action beginning today Monday 5th January.
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A spokesperson for Unite the Union said: “The strike represents an escalation of a pay dispute which saw workers strike for one day December."
Approximately 30 workers will strike across a variety of specialist roles including maintenance, engineering, quality, administrative and supervisory functions.
Starting just after midnight on Monday the strike is expected to end at 2am on Wednesday January 7 with picket lines starting at 7am.
It is understood the staff voted ‘unanimously’ for strike action having ‘rejected previous inadequate pay offers’. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Glen Dimplex is treating its workforce with contempt, it needs to start treating its loyal workforce fairly and decently
“The workers at Glen Dimplex have the full support of their union.”
The union claimed Glen Dimplex staff at Portadown are seeking a pay rise to address years of ‘below-inflation settlements’ and restoring fair pay. The staff grades at the site – a base for the manufacture of storage heaters - secured union recognition following previous successful strike action by production workers.
Unite regional officer Neil Moore said: “Our members have returned to the picket line because of the inability of management to negotiate a resolution. The decision-makers at Glen Dimplex need to sit down and engage with Unite to find an end to this dispute and avoid the prospect of further strike escalation.”
There was no comment from Glen Dimplex at the time of going to press.