DRIVERS and night workers at Pat the Baker's Dublin depot have joined SIPTU. Four years ago the plant was the scene of a 10 month battle over union recognition after production workers joined SIPTU.
The 1993 strike ended with the closure of the production line and a redundancy package was negotiated for the strikers. Since then the plant, at Cherry Orchard, has only been used as a distribution centre for Dublin.
The drivers refused to join SIPTU in 1993 and have since been represented on the works committee, which the company put in place to deal with employees' grievances. Clerical and administrative staff at Cherry Orchard are also represented on the committee.
However, drivers and nightworkers have become concerned at recent plans to contract out deliveries for the Dublin market. They also have grievances over the lack of pensions and working hours.
Last week company directors, including the managing director Mr Pat Higgins senior, visited the plant and told workers their grievances would be addressed through the works committee.
Nevertheless, SIPTU members said they were withdrawing from the committee and wanted to be represented in future by the union.
The secretary of SIPTU's food branch, Mr Brian O'Neill, said yesterday that the union has asked the Labour Relations Commission to convene a meeting, at which outstanding issues could be discussed with the company.
This followed the failure of the company, so far, to respond to requests for direct negotiations.
The company employs around 400 people, around 230 of them at its main bakery in Granard.