Strike to take place at Westport garage tomorrow

SIPTU members at Tim Hastings Garage in Westport will begin strike action tomorrow (Friday) at the garage on the Castlebar Road.
A statement from SIPTU states the strike action relates to a dispute ‘concerning the failure of management to implement a Labour Court recommendation in relation to redundancies imposed by the company’.
However, in a rebuke this afternoon, management at the Volkswagen garage described the strike action as ‘completely unwarranted’, saying it would ‘only serve to jeopardise the livelihoods of staff employed by the company, including SIPTU members’.
SIPTU Organiser Ashling Dunne said: “In August, management implemented the compulsory redundancy of three of our members in the garage. However, the process by which these workers were selected to be made redundant was not transparent or acceptable to our members.”
She added: “After initially refusing, the company agreed to attend the Labour Court following a vote for strike action by our members. The Labour Court issued a recommendation that one of the workers made redundant be given the choice of returning to his employment or accept an ex-gratia redundancy payment. An ex-gratia redundancy payment was also recommended for those workers whose positions were genuinely made redundant.”
SIPTU Sector Organiser Teresa Hannick said: “Management has written to the Labour Court advising it that it does not intend to implement its recommendation. In response, SIPTU members in the company unanimously voted for all out strike action. The company has been notified that this strike action will commence on Friday, February 3.
“SIPTU representatives are and will remain available for discussions should management wish to resolve the issue.”
This afternoon a statement was sent from Tim Hastings Limited and signed ‘the management’.
It states as follows: “Following a review of its business operations by independent motor industry management consultants, Tim Hastings Limited implemented a number of redundancies in 2016 in accordance with the Company’s restructuring plan.
“In considering SIPTU’s objections to redundancies the Labour Court made a recommendation that the Company facilitate an inspection of the external consultant’s report by the Union’s high profile financial expert, Ms Marie Sherlock.
“The company complied fully with this request and Ms Sherlock validated the external management consultant’s report in writing.
“The company were not in a position to implement a second recommendation by the Labour Court to make additional ex-gratia redundancy payments to the statutory redundancy payments made to the former employees in 2016.
“On January 26, 2017 Ms Ashling Dunne, a SIPTU Assistant Industrial Organiser notified the Company its members would engage in strike action on Friday, February 3, 2017 in pursuit of additional ex-gratia payments.
“In response, the Company stated engagement by SIPTU members in strike action at this time was completely unwarranted and would only serve to jeopardise the livelihoods of staff employed by the Company including SIPTU members.”