Workers at the Lagan Brick manufacturing plant in Kingscourt were informed it was closing only hours before it ceased operation on Friday 15 December. Since then, 25 SIPTU members employed at the plant have been in dispute with the management over its failure to pay established redundancy terms.

This dispute has dragged on for more than six months due to the complete intransigence of Lagan Brick. These workers are still on the company payroll but are not getting paid. The workers are simply seeking the same redundancy terms that their colleagues received in 2009 while the company is offering a fraction of this.

At a press conference in Kingscourt on Friday 15 June, the workers announced that a Rights Commissioner had upheld a complaint by the Lagan Brick workers that the company had failed to comply with the Protection of Employment Act, which stipulates that the company must engage in a 30 day consultation period before the enforcement of any compulsory redundancies.

SIPTU has now referred the issues in dispute to the Labour Court. However, the company has refused to attend the Labour Court under normal industrial relations procedures.

The workers threatened that if an equitable solution to this dispute is not found in the coming days they will be left with no option but to embark on a major escalation of their campaign.