Union set to picket Coca-Cola centres over outsourcing

PICKETS ARE expected to be placed at Coca-Cola’s main distribution centres around the country from tomorrow in a row over out-sourcing at the company.

The trade union Siptu said yesterday that its members at Coca Cola HBC Ireland Ltd would be taking strike action over the company’s plans to outsource the jobs of 130 distribution and warehousing staff in Dublin, Tuam, Waterford, Tipperary and Cork.

It said that Coca Cola HBC had refused to discuss an alternative to the outsourcing plan.

The union said that last week Coca Cola HBC drivers and warehouse staff had received letters from three private transport companies offering them new employment involving greatly inferior pay and working conditions and containing threats of redundancy.

“The companies, Brian Daly Transport Services Ltd, Ratoath, Co Meath; Liam Carroll Haulage Ltd, Thurles and Kiely’s Distribution Ltd, Tipperary Town in Co Tipperary have informed Coca Cola HBC staff that they will be forced to accept reduced pay, loss of pensions and increased hours of work when they transfer to their employment,” the union said.

Siptu branch organiser John Dunne said the letters were in breach of the transfer of undertaking regulations which required employers to guarantee workers the same terms and conditions when their employment was transferred in such circumstances.

“We will be placing pickets on Coca Cola HBC depots in Tuam, Cork, Dublin, Waterford and Tipperary from 8am tomorrow unless the company agrees to use long-standing dispute resolution procedures . . . ,” he said.

Coca-Cola HBC Ireland said earlier in the summer that the most viable solution identified was to fully outsource logistic services to expert Irish third-party providers.

Gokhan Bilgic, managing director of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland said: “We appreciate that this is a difficult time for those affected, however, this is a necessary step in order to ensure the future viability of the business and safeguard the positions of as many employees as possible.”