Glen Dimplex Portadown: Unite the union calls for emergency rally, saying 300 jobs are at risk of being 'offshored' to Lithuania

Unite the Union is calling for an "emergency rally" in Portadown, saying that 300 jobs at the Glen Dimplex factory are facing an offshoring threat.

The union says the rally is being held in direct response to 300 workers at Glen Dimplex facing a threat to their livelihoods, saying management raised the prospect of shutting the Portadown factory with production shifting overseas to Lithuania.

The rally is due to take place at the top of the main street, at St Mark's Church, at 12:30 this Friday, 28 June.

Glen Dimplex warned in February that it was planning to make several hundreds employees redundant.

The company produces storage heaters and heat pumps.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Glen Dimplex should be ashamed of themselves, plans to off shore work abroad is all about greed and a cynical desire to further boost profits by cutting the wages of the workers producing its goods.

“Unite is not going to accept this latest threat to our members' jobs. The union does what it says on the trade union tin and always fights for the jobs, pay and conditions of its members.”

The union has extended an invitation to all candidates in the general election to attend and address workers and the local community.

Unite is seeking answers from candidates on what they will do to defend the jobs of manufacturing workers.

The Upper Bann area has suffered a loss of hundreds of good jobs in recent years including at Thompson Aerospace and Ulster Carpets in Portadown and Sonoco in Lurgan.

Regional officer Neil Moore said: “The Upper Bann area faces another unacceptable jobs threat with the prospect of Glen Dimplex shuttering its site in Portadown and offshoring production to Lithuania. We simply cannot afford to lose good quality union jobs.

“Workers want to know how it can be so easy for businesses to simply offshore production – destroying livelihoods– all in the interest of making even bigger profits?

“Unite is organising this rally to hear what answers the politicians can offer. Do they back political intervention to save jobs? Will they end the offshoring race-to-the-bottom? What will they do to secure good union jobs in Upper Bann. We need immediate action to secure this area’s long and proud tradition of manufacturing.”

Glen Dimplex has been invited to comment.

In February Glen Dimplex announced plans which appeared to predict the threat to jobs in Portadown.

In Northern Ireland, the Group proposed investing around €25m in its Newry site which will be "repurposed into a centre of excellence" for the manufacture of zero carbon, renewable heating solutions including heat pumps.

But it also revealed plans to close its Portadown site.

"Panel and storage heating manufacturing will transfer from the Group’s sites in Newry and Portadown to its existing manufacturing site in Lithuania,” it said. “Under this proposal, the Portadown site will close, most likely in 2025, with some staff redeploying to Newry whose operations will also evolve significantly."

Fergal Leamy, Glen Dimplex Group CEO commented: “By signalling these proposed changes significantly in advance of proposed implementation we aim to mitigate the impact on staff and minimise redundancies through training and redeployment and affording the opportunity to apply for hundreds of new roles that will be created over the coming years."

Glen Dimplex founder and chairman Martin Naughton, and family, came in second in Northern Ireland in the Sunday Times Rich List this year, with an estimated fortune of £850 million.

In October Mr Naughton was recognised by Newry Chamber for his inspirational leadership with its prestigious President’s award.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of his Glen Electric business in Newry.

The chamber said that from small beginnings, Glen Dimplex now has a worldwide turnover of more than €1.5 billion. It employs 10,000 people and has 28 manufacturing plants worldwide in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, China, and the USA.