Element Six workers in Shannon have reacted with "anger" at the management's latest offer, after slew of redundancies were announced.

The TEEU and SIPTU unions met with staff today to consider their response to an offer by the company to save 160 manufacturing jobs at the plant.

However, union leaders have said staff have reacted angrily after learning a demand that a previously agreed redundancy package was put back on the table was not going to be met.

Element Six, formerly known as De Beers Industrial Diamonds, had earlier announced it was ending manufacturing in Shannon with the loss of 370 jobs.

The company said the plan to save 160 of the 370 jobs would involve comprehensive changes to work practices and increases in productivity.

According to a SIPTU spokesman, the agreed package in the last two rounds of redundancy was six weeks per year of service (company contribution) with a cap of 2.5 years' pay, plus statutory entitlements.

The spokesman added that two weeks ago the company announced all remaining manufacturing related jobs were to go and that the equivalent of 0.7 week's pay per year of service would be paid in addition to statutory entitlements.

Now SIPTU says the company is proposing to keep 160 additional jobs at the plant and that the redundancy offer is for 2.5 weeks per year of service plus Statutory, with a cap of one year’s pay.

Mary O'Donnell of SIPTU said its members are extremely angry that a better redundancy package has not been offered by the company.

“The approach adopted by the company over past weeks, where they propose to renege on previous agreements and have treated the workforce with utter contempt, now places these loyal and honourable employees in a position where there is absolutely no trust that the jobs concerned are for the long term or anything more than a stopgap to take advantage of the Government subsidy scheme funded by the taxpayer," Ms O'Donnell said.

She added: "The sense of anger and betrayal in the workforce, many of whom have served through thick and thin, is palpable.

"The union committee has advised management that in the light of management failing to deliver on our agreed position, they cannot give any assurance of the cooperation of the workforce.

"A general meeting of members next Monday will decide further on the Unions’ position," she added.

On Friday, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Mary Coughlan, welcomed the news from Element Six that it had accepted a restructuring plan to save the additional 160 jobs at its Shannon-based manufacturing facility.

The Tánaiste added that its implementation would not be without challenges for management and workers at the facility, but the reaction from the union members means an impasse over the contentious plant at present remains.

(DW/BMcc)