Element Six staff reject 'blue-flu' action charge

UNIONS AT troubled diamond firm Element Six last night rejected a charge by management that workers are engaging in “blue-flu” style unofficial action.

Siptu and the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) dismissed the claim after earlier confirming that their members overwhelmingly voted in favour of official industrial action in response to the terms of the redundancy deal on offer for 207 workers losing their jobs at the Shannon plant.

With a 94 per cent turnout, 99 per cent of Siptu members voted in favour, while 100 per cent of TEEU members backed the ballot. Siptu branch organiser Mary O’Donnell said: “We hope such a resounding result will encourage management to engage more meaningfully with us on agreeing a reasonable redundancy offer. In doing so, we can clear the way for talks on the survival plan and the protection of future employment in Shannon.”

Regional secretary of the TEEU, Pat Keane said: “The result sends a very, very strong signal to management. The talks on a rescue plan can only resume when the company agrees to increase its redundancy offer.”

In his response to the result, Element Six general manager Ken Sullivan said: “All of us working here in Shannon should show that we can agree on a plan that will sustain jobs here. Clearly anything which disrupts operations can have no positive effect whatsoever.”

The ballot took place after talks failed on Wednesday between the two sides on a survival plan aimed at preserving 163 of the 370 jobs originally earmarked to be cut.

However, in a letter to union representatives yesterday, Element Six human resources manager Tadgh O’Halloran accused workers of engaging in “blue flu” type unofficial action.

Mr O’Halloran stated that in spite of all employees being returned to full working time “normal work is not in fact being carried out”. “There is significant evidence of ‘blue flu’, given the sudden spike in uncertified sick days, added to the fact that we are now seeing production output levels lower than when we had a 50 per cent short-time arrangement in place. The situation is not tenable or sustainable.”

Last night, spokesmen for both Siptu and the TEEU rejected Mr O’Halloran’s claim that workers have engaged in “blue-flu” action.

Mr Keane said: “I totally reject that. Our members have always completely co-operated with the company. But the workers do feel betrayed.”