Call to election candidates to join Portadown rally in support of Glen Dimplex workers amid threat to move jobs overseas

The Glen Dimplex plant at Lurgan Road, Portadown, Co Armagh. Photo courtesy of Google.

A union, which has called an emergency rally in Portadown in response to jobs potentially moving overseas to Lithuania, is asking election candidates what they are doing to defend manufacturing jobs.

Unite is hosting the emergency rally on Friday June 28 at St Mark’s Church, Portadown at 12.30pm after Glen Dimplex raised the prospect of shutting down its factory with potential loss of up to 300 Portadown-based jobs.

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The Glen Dimplex plant, which is on the Lurgan Road, has been employing people in the Portadown area for more than 50 years and was previously known as Unidare.

In February the firm said it plans to invest €25 million 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. However the panel and storage heating manufacturing may be transferring from the group’s sites in Newry and Portadown to a manufacturing site in Lithuania. It is understood the firm plans to close the Portadown plant by December 2025.

A Unite spokesperson said: “The rally is being held in direct response to 300 workers at Glen Dimplex facing a threat to their livelihoods after management raised the prospect of shutting the Portadown factory with production shifting overseas to Lithuania.

The union has invited all candidates in the general election to attend and address workers and the local community at Friday’s rally. A spokesperson said: “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.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Glen Dimplex should be ashamed of themselves. Plans to offshore 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 is encouraging members of the public and workers in all trade unions to come out and join the rally.

Glen Dimplex has been contacted for a response.