Jobs under threat after strike action at Omagh Meats
The union’s Gareth Scott told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “The employers said that they could not guarantee work at the plant and would be closing the factory from today [August 30]. But, so far, [by 5.10pm] that has not happened.”
A spokeswoman for Omagh Meat, part of the Foyle Food Group, later told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “We are in full production at the moment and we have no further comment to make.”
70 workers are on strike at the plant after a dispute about management plans to restructure production lines, which would affect about one third of the workforce.
Talks broke down last week and the strike began on August 26, after the 70 workers affected by the restructuring plans voted for industrial action.
It is a stalemate
Scott said: "We want to find a compromise solution to end this dispute. We are calling on the employers to restart negotiations. But, at present, it is stalemate.”
The union had offered to join the employers in discussions with the Northern Ireland Labour Relations Agency (LRA); the equivalent of Conciliation and Arbitration Service, said Scott. But he understood the employers had declined an offer of help from the LRA.
Joe Byrne, SDLP Member of the Legislative Assembly for West Tyrone, has urged both trade unions and the management of Omagh Meats to work together to resolve problems at the plant.
Byrne said the ongoing sustainability of the factory was vital for the local economy.
“The SDLP encourages the union and the management of Omagh Meats to work with each other to resolve the outstanding matters relating to the operation of the factory,” said Byrne.
“It employs 230 workers in the Omagh area and it remains an effective and productive plant.
Good employer
“Omagh Meats has been a good employer to many workers here and provides a good outlet for local farmers who produce beef cattle. It’s crucial for the local economy that it remains commercially sustainable.”
Pat Doherty, Sinn Féin MP for West Tyrone, has asked Arlene Foster, minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Stormont Assembly to intervene to prevent 'devastating' job losses.
“I would call on Arlene Foster to intervene to save the jobs at Omagh Meats," he told Ulster TV. “The company employs a substantial workforce and this threat is followed through on it will have a hugely adverse impact on the 230 families concerned."
Omagh Meats operates an abattoir and is a primary processor of beef and and lamb.
The firm is part of the Foyle Food Group, which also owns Foyle Meats, Donegal Meat Processors, Foyle Proteins and Hilton Meats in Cookstown, County Tyrone.
