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70 Jobs to be Lost at Glen Dimplex Dunleer as Company Confirms Workforce Reduction

70 Jobs to be Lost at Glen Dimplex Dunleer as Company Confirms Workforce Reduction

70 Jobs to be Lost at Glen Dimplex Dunleer as Company Confirms Workforce Reduction
70 Jobs to be Lost at Glen Dimplex Dunleer as Company Confirms Workforce Reduction

Ardee News and Sport 70 Jobs to be Lost at Glen Dimplex Dunleer as Company Confirms Workforce Reduction

Major Job Losses Confirmed as Glen Dimplex Moves to Consolidate Manufacturing Operations

Glen Dimplex has confirmed that 70 jobs will be lost at its Dunleer facility as part of a wider restructuring of its operations on the island of Ireland. The company had previously signaled plans to reduce its workforce by the end of 2024, and this latest announcement marks the confirmation of those plans.

The job losses come as Glen Dimplex moves to consolidate its manufacturing operations north and south of the border, shifting a significant portion of its low-carbon heating and ventilation production to its Newry plant.

Official Statement from Glen Dimplex

In a statement released this morning, the company outlined the rationale behind the decision:

“In February 2024, Glen Dimplex announced a major reorganisation and investment in its operations on the Island of Ireland and Lithuania to reposition itself for growth in the electric heating markets in Europe. A large part of these plans have been completed or are in progress.

As previously announced, Glen Dimplex is committed to a multi-million investment in its facility in Dunleer so that it can be re-purposed to accommodate a relocation of the Group’s fast-growing sales and distribution arm (Glen Dimplex Ireland) and the 70 associated roles from Cloghran, County Dublin.

The major investment in the Group’s manufacturing site in Lithuania is well underway, which will leverage existing manufacturing capacity and become a centre of excellence for storage heating and panel heaters.

During 2024, there has been a major contraction in the market for heat pumps across Europe due to geopolitical factors, changing policies and support schemes, and lower gas prices. Due to the weaker demand outlook for heat pumps across Europe in the near future, Glen Dimplex is proposing to consolidate its investment and manufacturing capacity for low-carbon heating and ventilation solutions in its Newry plant rather than continuing operations in both Newry and Dunleer. Glen Dimplex remains firmly committed to the energy transition, and the Newry plant will benefit from investment as it scales to manufacture these low-carbon solutions, including heat pumps.

Regrettably, the proposed consolidation is expected to result in the loss of approximately 70 jobs in Dunleer and would be completed by October 2025. Management will work with employee representatives in Dunleer, trade unions, and local training and support agencies to support colleagues through this change and to deliver appropriate outplacement and training supports.”

Investment Plans for Glen Dimplex Dunleer and Newry

Despite the job losses, Glen Dimplex has reiterated its commitment to investing in both its Dunleer and Newry facilities.

Last year, the company announced plans to invest €25 million in its Newry site, transforming it into a centre of excellence for manufacturing zero-carbon, renewable heating solutions, including heat pumps.

Meanwhile, in Dunleer, the company plans to relocate its sales and distribution arm from Cloghran, Dublin, over the next two years. Glen Dimplex has pledged an investment of over €15 million into its Dunleer operations, with a long-term vision to consolidate its activities into a single multi-purpose facility on Ardee Road, pending planning approval.

According to previous statements, the company expects overall employment in Dunleer to increase significantly by 2029, following the redeployment from Cloghran and growth within Glen Dimplex Ireland (GDI). However, this does not mitigate the immediate impact of the 70 job losses due to take place by late 2024.

Political Reaction to the Job Losses At Glen Dimplex

The announcement has been met with concern and disappointment from local politicians who have called for urgent action to support affected workers.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú expressed his dismay at the news, stating:

“This is a really sad day for the workers in Glen Dimplex in Dunleer, particularly hard news to bear at the start of a year. My thoughts are with those affected and their families.

While there is some good news in relation to the manufacturing and sales and distribution division, it is not going to make much difference to these 70 workers as these positions will only be available 12 months from now.

This is a terrible blow for the affected workers and their families, and I would hope that all arms of the State are used to assist them in finding new employment and carrying out a skills audit for those who are facing redundancy.

Everything possible should be done to mitigate the job losses here.”

Labour TD for Louth Ged Nash also issued a strong response, stating:

“The announcement at Glen Dimplex in Dunleer that 70 manufacturing jobs at the plant are at risk is a disaster for the workers and their families as well as the wider community in Dunleer and Mid-Louth.

It sounds the death knell for good manufacturing jobs at the Dunleer plant and comes on top of another significant round of redundancies at Glen Dimplex last year.

This latest blow means any pledges the company made in the context of the last round of redundancies, and indeed today, to add jobs at the Dunleer facility in the future will be treated with the scepticism it deserves.

While there is a commitment to expand warehousing jobs at Glen Dimplex in Dunleer, the company’s behaviour over the last year will not inspire confidence among the people of Dunleer and Mid-Louth.

They need to learn from the contemptuous way they treated workers and their union in the previous round of job losses in Dunleer.

I am calling on the company to now engage meaningfully with workers and their representatives in SIPTU to explore every alternative short of redundancies, and I made that clear to them in a call this morning. I have also been in contact with SIPTU.

If it is the case that redundancies cannot be avoided, the company must co-operate with unions to deliver a fair, collective, and genuinely consultative redundancy process.

Workers who may be made redundant should be recognised for their hard work, their skills, and their loyalty with a package that is fair, decent, and benchmarked against established norms.

This is an enormous blow for the town of Dunleer and the Mid-Louth region and requires a national response from the government and State agencies to bring new jobs to the region and make sure affected workers find alternative employment quickly.”

What Happens Next?

While Glen Dimplex maintains that its investment plans will ultimately lead to job creation in the long term, the immediate priority remains on supporting the 70 workers set to lose their jobs by October 2025.

Employee representatives, trade unions, and local training agencies are expected to work closely with those affected, ensuring that appropriate supports, retraining opportunities, and employment pathways are available.

This marks a challenging period for Dunleer and the wider Mid-Louth community, with local leaders calling for a coordinated government response to help mitigate the impact of these job losses.