Bord na Móna unions to meet Minister on plan to close Tipperary plant

Board na Móna union representatives are to meet Minister for Climate Action and the Environment Denis Naughten on Wednesday to discuss the closure of a peat briquette plant in Co Tipperary.

The unions have said they will not engage with management if it does not remove the threat to close the Littleton plant in March 2018. They said they would consider industrial action to prevent the closure.

Last week the company announced it would concentrate all manufacturing at its plant in Derrinlough, Co Offaly, and close the facility at Littleton. It said the decision to close was taken after a review of its briquette production operations.

A total of 69 are employed full time at the plant, and dozens more are employed at a nearby peat-harvesting operation, which will also be affected by the move. The 61 staff at Derrinlough were told their jobs would remain.

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Bord na Móna (BNM) said its review of peat operations was prompted by a “very significant decline in sales over the past few years”, which had been fuelled by increased competition, consumer trends, low oil prices, carbon tax and other factors.

Speaking after a meeting between management and unions in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on Monday, union group secretary and Siptu organiser John Regan said they had expressed their disappointment "at the disgraceful manner" in which the company had announced the closure.

Decision to close

They also highlighted the “unacceptable failure of management to engage” with the unions in advance of the decision to close the plant.

“The BNM group of unions representatives told management that they were not prepared to engage with it on its agenda if it does not remove the threat to close the Littleton plant in March 2018,” he said.

“The meeting concluded with management being informed that it will have to report back to the board of the company and tell it that it must make a decision on this core issue for our members.”

He also said management was informed about the forthcoming meeting with the Minister, which is expected to take place at the Just Transition Climate Change seminar in the Communications Workers Union conference centre in Dublin.

“The BNM group of unions representatives added that their members will consider industrial action in order to prevent the closure taking place,” Mr Regan said.