Irish Cement Strike?

Limerick91

There seems to be a picket outside the Irish Cement Plant on the Dock Road.

Any details?

I'm sure the volume of business going through the plant must be tiny these days

porterboy

They wont pay them their agreed bonus from last year even though the labour court said on two occasions to pay them

seachto7

how times have changed, wasn't too long ago, that Irish Cement was a great employer in the area. Most of my relations worked there, auld lad got out just in time..........:(

I worked there myself for a few summers. Money was great, and the work was plentiful, (10 yrs ago........)

Kess73

Live95fm mentioned it after 11 as "breaking news" with more to follow. Finger on the pulse of Limerick news as always with Live95FM.

If you have read something on Boards aboiut Limerick, you can expect Live95FM to have it as breaking news hours, sometimes even days, later.

padma

was chatting there to one of the lads and he was saying they offered them their bonus, if they'd take a 16% pay cut, and further subsequent pay cuts over the next five years. The 16% works out as their bonus.

Now the thing is that last week CRH, who owns Irish cement posted their top earners on the Irish times who received massive bonuses this year. CRH is a huge Irish company and is posting profits. The sister plant in Platin Drogheda is out on strike as well.

Dutchlad

padma wrote: »

was chatting there to one of the lads and he was saying they offered them their bonus, if they'd take a 16% pay cut, and further subsequent pay cuts over the next five years. The 16% works out as their bonus.

Now the thing is that last week CRH, who owns Irish cement posted their top earners on the Irish times who received massive bonuses this year. CRH is a huge Irish company and is posting profits. The sister plant in Platin Drogheda is out on strike as well.

It's actually 6%, not 16%.

moby2101

No Its between 15 and 18%..

Labour Court recommended that Irish Cement pay its employees the money that the owe them for 2011...

The company is insisting that a pay cut of between 15pc and 18pc is implemented first..

I'm quoting their representative Karan O Loughlin in the following statement...
“Acceptance of such a pay cut does not form part of the
Labour Court recommendation. The workers will maintain
their industrial action until the Labour Court
recommendation is implemented without any prior
conditions.”


Please get your facts right, this is a VERY serious issue..

Dutchlad

moby2101 wrote: »

No Its between 15 and 18%..

Labour Court recommended that Irish Cement pay its employees the money that the owe them for 2011...

The company is insisting that a pay cut of between 15pc and 18pc is implemented first..

I'm quoting their representative Karan O Loughlin in the following statement...
“Acceptance of such a pay cut does not form part of the
Labour Court recommendation. The workers will maintain
their industrial action until the Labour Court
recommendation is implemented without any prior
conditions.”


Please get your facts right, this is a VERY serious issue..

The Unionised staff voted last Wednesday on whether to accept a 6% pay cut and receive their bonuses or go on strike.

You can quote Karan O'Loughlin all you want but this is what actually happened. The ORIGINAL pay cut sought by the company was 15-18%.

I wasn't sure if it was a serious issue or not, I thought it was all a bit of craic so thanks for clarifying that.

moby2101

The Company has never changed its stance on the 15-18% that it seeks in reductions... FACT

The suggestion of “6%“ paycut was suggested to both parties by the LRC in an attempt at mediation between the 2 parties and in return there would be no further paycuts in 2012...

The employees had no guarantee that...

1. The company would honour this agreement even if it had been sanctioned by rhe employees.
2. The company would come knocking on the door again on the first of January 2013 looking to implement further cuts..

The employees had no option but to reject this proposal.

Welcome to Boards.ie by the way ..Interesting FIRST couple of posts

Dutchlad

moby2101 wrote: »

The Company has never changed its stance on the 15-18% that it seeks in reductions... FACT

The suggestion of “6%“ paycut was suggested to both parties by the LRC in an attempt at mediation between the 2 parties and in return there would be no further paycuts in 2012...

The employees had no guarantee that...

1. The company would honour this agreement even if it had been sanctioned by rhe employees.
2. The company would come knocking on the door again on the first of January 2013 looking to implement further cuts..

The employees had no option but to reject this proposal.

Welcome to Boards.ie by the way ..Interesting FIRST couple of posts

I agree with most of this but I believe the company would have honoured the proposal but I suppose you never know.

I don't think the employees are wrong to strike, I just hope it doesn't seriously affect the company in the long run. There are a lot of good people in there. CRH can cope without Irish Cement I'm sure but how do ~200 employees cope without jobs?

I believe the company did move from 18% to 15% to 13% and I think 9% was mentioned as well.

moby2101

Agreed, I hope it works out for all concerned..

...btw to the best of my knowledge...
I clarified it with a friend who knows, the company have not changed their stance and they have made no counter offer in terms of the reduction they are seeking.

Regards

Dutchlad

Fair enough, that was to the best of my knowledge also. Chinese whispers and all that.

seachto7

are there even 200 people working there these days?

Dutchlad

seachto7 wrote: »

are there even 200 people working there these days?

Probably not, wasn't sure exactly. Maybe 150.

porterboy

IRISH CEMENT LTD are a company with no ethics and like to be seen to be above board. Dont get me started. They walk all over people. A pack of bullyboys.

indamicks

i work there and i could end up loseing my house if they get there cuts . we have to make a stand companys are useing this downturn to get money of the workers they are still makeing millions and they want to cut our wages :mad:

Poxyshamrock

indamicks wrote: »

i work there and i could end up loseing my house if they get there cuts . we have to make a stand companys are useing this downturn to get money of the workers they are still makeing millions and they want to cut our wages :mad:

Hope it all works out for ye.

Soulcrew09

indamicks wrote: »

i work there and i could end up loseing my house if they get there cuts . we have to make a stand companys are useing this downturn to get money of the workers they are still makeing millions and they want to cut our wages :mad:

`
Fair play to ye for standing up for whats right, loads of other companys using the downturn to cut wages/benefits and workers taking it because their afraid to do anything to upset the big boys. You can be sure if things pick up you wont get anything back. Good luck.

john_cappa

What is the average wage out there? I heard its pretty high?

Gallee

indamicks wrote: »

i work there and i could end up loseing my house if they get there cuts . we have to make a stand companys are useing this downturn to get money of the workers they are still makeing millions and they want to cut our wages :mad:

Unfortunately you could lose your house if the strike goes on for an indefinite period. Has your pay been stopped? Whilst you may feel aggrieved at the stance of CRH, you are fortunate to have a job that is considered by most to be well paid. I can't say the same for a lot of my family that have lost their jobs (some average industrial pay) and are now in Canada and New Zealand. Talking to a guy last week who was let go from his job, he said he felt his sense of worth as a a person had diminished - very sad.

indamicks

there 57 in limerick and around 70 in platin

indamicks

i think no i belive we as a people have to make a stand i know i have a job but im barly makeing payments as it is.....and i dont have a big house just a normal one in a estate we cant aford a cut wit all the taxs and petrol going up every day....we need to stand up not just for the working pepole but for every one .we r all geting screwed .we r small stand agenst the fat cats in this country but it has to start some where hope ye understand we never went looking 4 a pay raise we just want to do a weeks work for a weeks pay the company are starting all thiss again we lost a lot of men in 2010 and we had to double our work and we did and didnt look for a cent.now they want to kick us again .....we are geting verry bitter over this belive me .......sorry for venting ...plz stand up for the normal worker who is being hit from everyware thank you

indamicks

yes or pay has been stoped we cant even get the dole

porterboy

Behind ye all the way. Most of your wages are probably made up from working when everyone else is off. Working christmas day and night as the kids grow up without you. Having to wash your car every day so that you can see through the windscreen. Watching the dust on the car and knowing therefore its in your lungs.High silicone dust. Its hard to work in a dust factory.

indamicks

yes every day its open paddys day , xmas and new years.it is a verry dirty job i change my suit twice a day lol its not a chocolate factory lol.id just like to take this chance to say thank you for the soport at the gate .all the people saying best of luck and hang in there even people bringing us tea and biscuits thank ye all so so much

seachto7

I worked there as a relief/general worker 10 yrs ago, and the pay was good, and the full timers had good jobs. I know for a fact their conditions changed in the last few years, gone to sh*t basically.
I had the ins and outs of the strike and the reasons etc explained to me the other night.
I would say that Irish Cement is close to death's door, in Mungret anyhow.....

seachto7

I thought it was down to a month on month off job at the moment? Is it down to agreements and promises made during good times that mgmt are backing down on now?

indamicks

seachto7 wrote: »

I thought it was down to a month on month off job at the moment? Is it down to agreements and promises made during good times that mgmt are backing down on now?

in 2009 and 2010 we where on short time then we where told .IF YOU DONT DO TWICE AS MUCH WORK AND LOSE A LOT OF WORKES OR WE WILL CLOSE.so we got scared and gave in.who wouldnt? but now thay want more cuts and in front of our faces are paying out millions to top brass and geting ready for the next upturn .we are sick of this bully boy tacktics .o and ps all agreements maid where all broken by irish cement. and not one NOT ONE by the workers ,thank you for your comments all help

Curly Judge

A little history lesson!
Prior to the recent building boom Cement Limited, were the only suppliers of cement in this country.
During the sixties ,seventies and eighties, whenever a bit of a stir manifested itself in the building trade the boyoes in Plattin went on strike and held the country to ransom.
When desperate builders tried to bring cement in from outside the country their lorries were attacked and bags of cement thrown all over the roads.
These bully boy tactics worked and management eventually caved in and paid up but not before countless builders and building workers were destroyed and had to "take the boat"
During the last boom they didn't go on strike.
Why?
Because Sean Quinn had opened his plant at Derrylin and later on Lagan opened another plant in Kinnegad.
Competition put manners on the troglodytes running the Cement Ltd unions and long may it continue.
While holding no brief for the other "protected species"in this row [ ie management in CRH], I think they would be wise to shut down the kilns, put the plants into mothballs and wait until the recession is over.
Next stop ESB power station workers!:D

the drifter

This thread is being reopened with a few conditions. First off this thread is to discuss the ongoing issue in Irish Cement with a view to local issues in Limerick. It is not to discuss issues of taxation and wages on a national level. Secondly it is not to discuss how much workers at the plant earn. That is their business. Thirdly boards.ie is not to be used as a stage to make your voice's heard. That is not what this website is here for. It is not a propaganda tool. We will reopen this thread on those conditions but it will be watched. Abusive posting will not be tolerated. Breach of the above will results in infractions and bans.

Lastly as this is an ongoing issue with CRH, the workers and the Labour court it is likely to end up in legal proceedings once this happens as mods of boards.ie we are obliged to close the thread while the legal proceedings are ongoing.

As always if you have issues with this please PM myself or another mod. Do not try and discuss it on thread. This is against the forum charter and will result in a ban

indamicks

the drifter wrote: »

This thread is being reopened with a few conditions. First off this thread is to discuss the ongoing issue in Irish Cement with a view to local issues in Limerick. It is not to discuss issues of taxation and wages on a national level. Secondly it is not to discuss how much workers at the plant earn. That is their business. Thirdly boards.ie is not to be used as a stage to make your voice's heard. That is not what this website is here for. It is not a propaganda tool. We will reopen this thread on those conditions but it will be watched. Abusive posting will not be tolerated. Breach of the above will results in infractions and bans.

Lastly as this is an ongoing issue with CRH, the workers and the Labour court it is likely to end up in legal proceedings once this happens as mods of boards.ie we are obliged to close the thread while the legal proceedings are ongoing.

As always if you have issues with this please PM myself or another mod. Do not try and discuss it on thread. This is against the forum charter and will result in a ban

plz read this befor makeing a comment plz the men of irish cement need a voice now we have one again tks il up date any news i get.....but as for now noting has changed :mad:

Clareman

I'm going to reset this thread to just after it was reopened and this will be the last warning to all people wishing to discuss anything on this thread. I will add that back seat modding will not be tolerated.

indamicks

the strike is still on going.c.r.h dont seem to be up for talks

where will it end?

jbkenn

indamicks wrote: »

the strike is still on going.c.r.h dont seem to be up for talks

where will it end?

RSN, real soon now, considering that there is no demand for cement, the plant is practically in mothballs, payroll savings, etc., and the work force certainly badly advised by their union, ye are doing the company a favour, I would'nt be holding my breath for an early resolution.
My 2 cents worth.

jordainius

jbkenn wrote: »

RSN, real soon now, considering that there is no demand for cement, the plant is practically in mothballs, payroll savings, etc., and the work force certainly badly advised by their union, ye are doing the company a favour, I would'nt be holding my breath for an early resolution.
My 2 cents worth.

If there is no demand for cement then how on earth did CRH manage to make profits of over 700 million euro last year??

indamicks

jbkenn wrote: »

RSN, real soon now, considering that there is no demand for cement, the plant is practically in mothballs, payroll savings, etc., and the work force certainly badly advised by their union, ye are doing the company a favour, I would'nt be holding my breath for an early resolution.
My 2 cents worth.

on your first point there r boats every two weeks coming in to limerick .so yes there is a big demand out there.point 2 mothballs? c.r.h have spent millions in the last few years in both plants .point 3 i do hope it ends soon i dont think any one wants strike even c.r.h
that was my two cents tks;)

jbkenn

jordainius wrote: »

If there is no demand for cement then how on earth did CRH manage to make profits of over 700 million euro last year??

I don't know, was that in Ireland or worldwide?, I suspect it was worldwide

jbkenn

indamicks wrote: »

on your first point there r boats every two weeks coming in to limerick .so yes there is a big demand out there.point 2 mothballs? c.r.h have spent millions in the last few years in both plants .point 3 i do hope it ends soon i dont think any one wants strike even c.r.h
that was my two cents tks;)

Before the strike, was the Limerick plant running at 100%, 50%, 20% capacity?, just curious.

Chong

Is this the cement going out to Belgium if so I imagine that will be filled in other ways by plants on the continent, surely some of ye want out of this union lark?

No Money whilst on Strike , with company not willing to break will result in no money whatsoever if CRH feel the money can be made elsewhere like in Finland and Ukraine leaving ye in the lurch completely. The lads running the union need to come back to reality this is not the Irish Cement of 10 years ago nor the country of 10 years ago.

Ye are fighting a losing battle, the company has never let a strike go on so long since the seventies thats indicative of how they dont care.

Blanchguy

Is this still going on?

padma

Blanchguy wrote: »

Is this still going on?

Yes

AnCapaillMor

They were at the roundabout this morning so i guess so.

e30fitz

the company are now suppling a different brand at the same cost price people need cement or other jobs will be lost around the industry think its a brand called lafarge

degill

Yes week 4.

RVN10

CRH are probably laughing away to themselves , not costing them any wages by people out protesting , whoever in the "union" that are telling these people to be out on strike need a slap of reality , because this is only going to end badly for the employees who don't want to be on strike.

martyc5674

RVN10 wrote: »

CRH are probably laughing away to themselves , not costing them any wages by people out protesting , whoever in the "union" that are telling these people to be out on strike need a slap of reality , because this is only going to end badly for the employees who don't want to be on strike.

I doubt CRH are laughing.(local management anyway)
Strikes give bad impression to head quarters...if demand comes for more cement to be made it may not go to Limerick plant.

Chong

RVN10 wrote: »

CRH are probably laughing away to themselves , not costing them any wages by people out protesting , whoever in the "union" that are telling these people to be out on strike need a slap of reality , because this is only going to end badly for the employees who don't want to be on strike.

Ah you see thats the thing though, they will get their wages in form of back pay when the strike has been resolved.

Chong

martyc5674 wrote: »

I doubt CRH are laughing.(local management anyway)
Strikes give bad impression to head quarters...if demand comes for more cement to be made it may not go to Limerick plant.

There is no real form of management in the Limerick plant for quite some time. There is no longer a plant manager.

martyc5674

Chong wrote: »

martyc5674 wrote: »

I doubt CRH are laughing.(local management anyway)
Strikes give bad impression to head quarters...if demand comes for more cement to be made it may not go to Limerick plant.

There is no real form of management in the Limerick plant for quite some time. There is no longer a plant manager.

Interesting setup!!
Must work for the most part.

The faceofcement

After a meeting of the striking workers today at cement works limerick , we are more determined then ever to stay out until the company uphold the labour court recommendation to pay their workers

rainbowdash

The faceofcement wrote: »

After a meeting of the striking workers today at cement works limerick , we are more determined then ever to stay out until the company uphold the labour court recommendation to pay their workers

Sounds great but what if they decide to never make cement in Limerick again?

I don't exactly see any public support for this, if its being unloaded in Limerick port next door I don't see any blocades there?

Pride comes before a fall and all that.