THREE WORKERS have been suspended from duties at troubled Co Clare industrial diamond manufacturer Element Six as an investigation continues into alleged theft of sensitive company documents leaked to union representatives.
The employees were suspended on Thursday, hours after the company confirmed its “forensic” probe was nearing completion.
In a letter to workers the firm warned: “Those employees found to be responsible for the theft of company documents will be subjected to the full rigours of the company’s disciplinary process and appropriate legal action.”
Regarding the suspensions, Element Six said it did not “comment on internal matters”. Sources said the three individuals had been suspended on full pay and “without prejudice and with no implication of wrongdoing”.
Management were said to be furious about the security breach, but were outraged when one document’s contents were revealed during discussions aimed at saving jobs at the plant.
The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) have spent the past week trying to get unions and management to reach agreement on a company survival plan.
Workers claim that one of the documents contains the minutes of a conference call between Shannon management and the company’s executive in early June. They say it indicates that plans to wind down operations, with the loss of 370 jobs, were discussed before the company made the announcement on July 22nd.
One long-time employee said: “This was all a well thought-out strategy. They never had any intention of closing the place and now we have the evidence of it.”
General manager Ken Sullivan told workers, however: “It came to the attention of the company that a stolen company document was being relied upon by some to try to convince people that the executive will not close the Shannon plant if the Shannon Sustainability Plan fails. This is a very false premise, and you would be seriously mistaken if you believe it.”
If agreement on the sustainability plan is not reached before Tuesday, the Labour Court has said it will issue a recommendation. If no agreement is secured by the next day – management’s deadline – the firm has warned production at the facility will be wound down with the loss of 370 jobs.