This Official TEEU strike commenced on the 12th July, 2010 notwithstanding many efforts made by this union to avoid same, even up to the point that this action was postponed for a week in order to meet with the company to negotiate, which we did three times, each time the company dug their heels deeper and therefore left this union with no alternative but to commence Industrial Action.
This dispute is over unfair selection for redundancies and the company’s refusal to adhere to the Labour Court’s Recommendation issued on the 21st May, 2010 detailing how redundancies should be implemented.
Given the fact that OTIS is part of the largest Lift and Escalator company in the world and is in turn a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation (UTC), it is difficult to understand why OTIS is appearing to ignore the substance of the Court’s Recommendation, which proposed that the company seek voluntary redundancies in the first instance and if compulsory redundancies were deemed necessary then the principle of last-in, first-out would apply, as this is the norm throughout the Lift Industry in Ireland which has and is one that is accepted by OTIS’s major competitors.
It should be noted that should OTIS adhere to the Labour Court Recommendation and accept voluntary redundancies in the first instance, only two compulsory redundancies would be necessary. However, the company have chosen to refuse voluntary redundancies and has put its own unique definition on what constitutes last-in first-out.
It should also be noted that it would seem that instead of trying to resolve this dispute OTIS has been trying to recruit UK based engineers to break the strike and intends using managers and office staff to repair lifts and escalators, this could pose a serious Health and Safety hazard not only to the individuals concerned, but to people working in these facilities and to members of the public using the lifts.
SUPPORT THE OTIS STRIKE! SUPPORT THE LABOUR COURT RECOMMENDATION!
