Unions at aircraft engine maintenance company Lufthansa Technik Airmotive have rejected a Labour Court recommendation aimed at solving a dispute which threatens hundreds of jobs.
The unions had sought Labour Court intervention in a row over company cost-cutting proposals. A union source said the workforce was now asking the company for more talks. It is understood the Labour Court recommendation was rejected by a small margin.
Lufthansa Technik Airmotive said the unions' rejection of Labour Court recommendation meant a proposed multi-million dollar investment at the Rathcoole plant would not go ahead.
The aircraft engine maintenance firm says this new investment is essential for the future safety of jobs at the plant. In a statement the company said it was now preparing plans to deal with what it called the 'current and future situation'. More than 470 people work at the Rathcoole facility.
The company had said it needed to introduce new work practices, including the reduction of shift pay and a 'flexi' arrangement that would allow workers to be sent home when sufficient work was not available.
