More than 200 jobs are set to be lost when Bitech Engineering in Dunleer, Co Louth closes its doors.
Bitech’s parent company Glen Dimplex made the decision to close the factory.
SIPTU organiser John King described the decision to close the plant as “devastating” for the workers concerned, and said it would have far-reaching consequences for the Louth area with the loss of revenue generated from employee spending.
Workers’ representatives and management at the plant had been engaged in extensive talks on a cost-reduction programme, which was rejected by the workforce in a secret ballot before Christmas.
According to SIPTU, the programme would have seen a significant number of redundancies, with the remaining workers having to accept a 20pc reduction in their pay and changes to their conditions of employment.
SIPTU said it will be exploring whatever opportunities exist to save as many of the Bitech jobs as possible.
Bitech Engineering opened in 1978 and manufactures a variety of electrical heating and cooking appliances, with electric fires, cookers and towel rails forming its core product range.
Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com
