SIPTU representatives have committed to saving the high-quality employment provided by Glen Dimplex at its manufacturing plant in Newry, County Down, following an announcement by management of a proposed 51 redundancies in the facility during 2026.
SIPTU Organiser, Niall McNally, said: “Our members have expressed deep concern and anger following the confirmation of these threatened job losses. The proposed losses represent almost 50% of the site’s workforce and raise serious questions about the long-term sustainability and future viability of the operation.
“Workers and their families are reeling from this announcement, particularly in light of previous assurances given by the company regarding its commitment to the Newry plant. Glen Dimplex was founded in Newry in 1974 by local entrepreneur Martin Naughton, and remains a family concern. The workforce has been repeatedly assured that the site was central to the future of the company’s manufacturing operations in Ireland.
“Those assurances included a promised £25 million investment and the development of new Research and Development facilities. The current proposal stands in stark contrast to those commitments and has left workers feeling betrayed and misled.
“The company’s position is also short-sighted and risks hollowing out a strategically important manufacturing facility. Rather than investing in skills, innovation and local employment, the company appears to be prioritising short-term profit margins at the expense of long-term industrial sustainability.
“The Naughton family are rightly regarded as a local success story that built this business into a successful multinational operation. It would be deeply regrettable to see the place where that success was first forged now recede into the mist through disinvestment and the loss of skilled local jobs.”
He added: “Glen Dimplex operates two sites in the North of Ireland, located in Newry and Portadown, which are well placed to become centres of excellence in renewable energy manufacturing.
“At a time when the transition to renewables should be creating secure, high-quality employment, the decision to outsource skilled work to Lithuania is being viewed by workers as a move designed simply to pad out already strong profit margins.
“The Union is calling on Glen Dimplex to reconsider its proposals urgently, to engage meaningfully with SIPTU and the workforce, and to fully explore alternatives to compulsory redundancies.”