SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King, has called on the Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise, Richard Bruton, to convene an urgent meeting of unions, government and state agencies in response to the threatened job and pay cuts at Bausch and Lomb/Valeant in Waterford. In a letter sent to Mr Bruton today (Friday 30th May), Patricia King said “that the loss of 200 jobs and the imposition of a 20% pay cut will have a devastating impact on the workforce, their families and the people of the south-east region whom have already suffered from multiple job losses and closures in recent years.” The SIPTU Vice-President also expressed concern at the revelation “that officials of the Department, through the Industrial Development Authority, were in discussions with the company in relation to its plans for some considerable time yet at no stage did they find it appropriate to inform this trade union which represents the majority of the workforce of the threatened job and pay cuts.” “It was both unfair, and an unfortunate display of disrespect that the dedicated workers at Bausch and Lomb/Valeant learned of the company’s shocking proposals and the threat to their livelihoods through the media on Thursday 29th May,” she wrote. “It is imperative that the Government, your department and the relevant state agencies will leave no stone unturned to develop an alternative formula which can maintain sustainable employment and minimise the impact of the company’s proposals on the workforce,” Patricia King said. Patricia King has written similarly urgent letters to the chief executive of the IDA, Barry O’Leary, and the chief executive of Forfás, Martin Shanahan. Bausch and Lomb
SIPTU Vice President calls for urgent meeting with Minister over Bausch and Lomb job and pay cut threat
