Siptu rejects decision to close food plants with 106 job losses

Siptu has described the decision to close Premier Foods' operations in Dublin and Tipperary as "unacceptable" and said it will oppose plans to make more than 100 workers redundant.

A total of 106 jobs are to be lost on a phased basis between September and next January. The Chivers jam factory in Coolock is to close with 59 jobs. The factory has operated there since 1932.

A further 47 jobs are to be lost at distribution centres in Coolock, Blanchardstown and Thurles. They will be outsourced to a logistics company in Ashbourne, Co Meath.

It is understood Premier Foods says the job losses are due to an extensive review of manufacturing and warehousing operations across the company and it will now hold a consultation exercise with the workforce.

Siptu assistant branch secretary Brendan Carr said workers in Coolock, who were informed that they were losing their jobs on Thursday evening, left work yesterday evening with a "For Sale" sign outside the factory.

"This is not an acceptable way to proceed," he said. "These are profitable operations and there is no need to close them. Workers are being asked to pay a price that is unacceptable to them and the local community. We are now seeking an urgent meeting with Premier Foods at group level to discuss the situation," he said.

He added that management had offered to discuss redundancy terms for workers at the Coolock plant this morning, but Siptu had declined to do so.

Terms of four weeks' pay for each year of service, plus statutory entitlements of two weeks' pay for each year of service, have already been offered to employees at the Ballycoolin plant in Blanchardstown, but the offer was rejected.

Labour TD Tommy Broughan said the closures would have a devastating effect on Coolock, which is likely to lose 450 additional manufacturing jobs with the phased closure of the Cadbury operation.

"Chivers has provided good and stable employment for several generations of Northside workers (especially women) and the loss of these jobs to England and the outsourcing of Chivers' distribution will be a dreadful blow to the workers and the families concerned," he said.

He commended Siptu for strongly opposing the "proposed closure". He hoped its efforts to meet Premier Foods would be successful and the closure could be averted. Premier Foods could not be contacted for a comment.